Practive Ltd

Throughout my 30-plus years in the world of executive development I have always been struck by the powerful way that actor-facilitators can bring learning concepts to life and create opportunities to practice conversations that feel intensely real. Whenever I deliver a programme involving conversation practice I ask participants about their prior experiences. The responses are consistent: “feels false”, “cringeworthy”, “I dread it”. And then I introduce them to the actor-facilitators from Practive. When I am delivering sessions, it is an absolute gift to be able to say “Now this concept is better if you see it, rather than you listening to me describe it” and Practive people will improvise a 2 minute scenario which brings the concept to life in a way that lands with everyone in seconds. Practive actor-facilitators bring a deep understanding of leadership and the world of work into conversation skills practice. They are experts in experiential learning; analysing participants’ learning needs in depth to then embody characters who, within the first five seconds hook participants into conversation practice that feels totally authentic. During the conversation practice they captivate the participants with structured hints and tips they can then immediately put into action. They always work closely with me in advance of the session to understand the learning objectives and the impact desired by my client. When eliciting feedback about the Practive experience I consistently hear phrases such as “so powerful”, “completely different to what I expected”, “blew me away”, “exactly like talking to my boss – it was though they were right in front of me” and “I was dreading this part, but I got so much out of it”. If you are looking to create a visceral development experience that people can put into action immediately, and a partner totally committed to your goals, I wholeheartedly recommend Practive.

I always read the feedback on the Practive session that participants send in the Survey Monkey and I have no hesitation whatever in telling you that, overwhelmingly, the (approximately) 1000 participants nearly all rate the session as outstanding in meeting and indeed going beyond their expectations and often taking them to places they never dreamed of: specifically and typically participants speak of their greatly improved confidence successfully to negotiate a conflicted area with, say, a line manager or a colleague. Practive works 100% experientially and with great skill to ensure each unique individual is challenged to take the next steps that are right for them. If I were looking to have my skills as a Chair enhanced and improved I would certainly go to Practive. I cannot recommend them highly enough.

I have worked with Practive for over two years now, following their previous provision of very successful and impactful training programmes for our organisation. They worked closely with us developing a programme on advanced Negotiation Skills and Behaviours, which is now a key element of our training offer for our international trade negotiators, who are negotiating significant trade deals for the UK. The impact has been significant and people leave the programme, with much more confidence through the knowledge and skills picked up on the course. This also applies to application on the job, where many have since commented on the effectiveness of the programme in regard to supporting successful negotiations. Practive is unique in the way it operates including the use of key knowledge experts and versatile actors who really work hard to tailor the courses to the needs of the organisation and participants. They also bring useful tools and methods which bring great clarity and engagement to the programme and can be used effectively afterwards. They also spend quality time with the customers and subject matter experts to make sure that the content is aligned and focused on the right outcomes. I can highly recommend Practive as a great training provider and specifically for this programme and work they have carried out for us.

Youth Sport Trust partnered with Practive to deliver Personal Impact and Influence and Negotiating Influence, and the results have been transformative. The programmes were high-quality, engaging, and directly addressed the challenges our teams face around confidence, influence, and stakeholder relationships. Learners have described the training as practical, relevant, and immediately applicable. Since delivery, we’ve seen a clear shift in confidence, with colleagues communicating more effectively, adapting their approach in the moment, and influencing senior stakeholders and partners with greater impact. We’ve also seen stronger engagement, improved trust, and more conversations leading to clear outcomes — a real testament to the effectiveness of their work.

Module 1 – Leading Self For this two-day module, participants explored themes around authenticity, personal impact, self-awareness, presence, personal power and authority. It gave a strong focus on those things that make people who they are and explores how to harness the power they have to be the leaders they want to be. Module 2 – Leading Others We know that the one constant leaders grapple with is the people they lead! A view of leadership that Susan Scott writes about (and one we sign up to) is that people are led “one conversation at a time”. Whether a leader needs to influence them, to deliver effective feedback, to understand and empathise with their views and thoughts, to handle conflict, to coach them effectively – the one thing leaders can take control of is their half of the conversation. All of this and more was explored on Module Two of the programme using a mixture of theory and practice. Module 3 – Leading in Context The aim of the final two-day module was to bring everything participants have learnt together to look at leadership in the global context they are operating in. Its purpose was to explore trends that are influencing all organisations and focus on themes that enabled participants to get closer to customers, generate excitement within their teams and drive the necessary change for the future. Day two saw participants exploring a real business challenge embedded in their context and engaging with stakeholders to make recommendations.