My expertise encompasses public engagement, pedagogies for social change, participation, evaluation, strategic partnership building, systems thinking, culture change and organisational learning. Additionally, I hold accreditation as an ILLM level 7 equivalent coach and boast extensive experience in facilitation, training, and mentoring, both online and in-person.
My clients span various sectors, including museums, universities, businesses, cultural organizations, science and discovery centres, civil society organisations, and funders. A key strength of mine lies in synthesising complex information and weaving it into a coherent narrative. I listen sensitively to the issues at hand, and work with you in the spirit of a critical friend. Irrespective of the challenge or query at hand, I collaborate closely with you to establish the context, incorporate diverse perspectives, outline available options, and rigorously test possibilities. I also offer training and facilitation in a number of areas including organisational away days, proffesional conferences and leadership programmes. I have written extensively on pedogogies for social change, public engagement, and culture change.
What is the current thinking and sense-making about this topic?
How do we get everyone on board with this?
What are the key interventions being made, and by whom?
What are we doing well? Where could we improve?
What is the state of the art thinking here?
How do I articulate my vision when I’m not entirely sure what I think yet?
How will we make this big idea work with all the constraints that are hemming us in?
"David is a wonderful facilitator to work with. He proved to be an extremely quick learner and was able to master the intricacies in the relationships among different partners within just a couple of weeks. His support leading up to and during the conference was invaluable. With his help, we were able to set clear agenda and engage in fruitful discussions. He was sharp in identifying issues in the middle of the conference and helped us expedite the discussions to achieve the set goals. This conference was one of the best virtual events I've attended, which is a reflection of David's dedication and skills as a facilitator."
"David carefully managed the dynamics of a broad and disparate group in a way that brought out the best in our partnership. He fostered a sense of shared ownership and enabled us to make a step-change in our strategic planning and teambuilding in the most challenging of circumstances."
Contact David Owen, director at Gurukula.
David is freelance consultant, facilitator and researcher based in Stroud and Copenhagen.
