team building workshops for functional and leadership teams
Make the most of bringing your team together by unlocking high-performance teamwork, clarity and commitment.
Let’s face it. Most team-building workshops fall flat. People might leave happy and clappy, but without a skilled facilitator, your team returns to the office with a pleasant memory but no commitment to do anything differently.
Turning Leaf team building facilitators are here to change that. Bringing your team together is a significant investment of time and energy. We make sure your team returns to the office aligned, committed, and ready to act.
what is team building facilitation and how can it help you?
Your team building facilitator guides your group through a structured team dialogue so every voice is heard, all angles are considered, and your team leaves with alignment and shared commitment.
Your Turning Leaf team building facilitator owns the agenda, manages the room dynamics, and is makes sure your dialogue is producing the outcomes you need. Their job is to unlock the best thinking your team has, encourage them to bring issues to the surface, test their assumptions and steer the group toward decisions and alignment.
This is very different from the common team-building approach of an internal leader running the day. When a team leader facilitates the session, they are balancing competing roles of participant and dialogue guide. It’s hard.
Your Turning Leaf team-building facilitator creates the conditions for a candid, productive conversation because they have altitude and are independent. Your team walks away with a shared direction, along with a personal and team commitment to executing the plan.
benefits: what you get with an expert facilitator
1
Rapid Alignment
Dissolved silos and a team pulling together around shared priorities to last well beyond the workshop.
2
100% Team Commitment
Leaders own the plan because they built it, not because they were handed it.
3
Clear Accountability
Experienced facilitators produce clarity of outcomes, action owners, next steps and big decisions
4
Shared Strategic Understanding
Shared, open conversation builds trust in ways that purely social events never quite manage.
5
Renewed Energy
A well-run team-building workshop drives behaviour change for months, lifting engagement and business results.
6
Every Voice Heard
A facilitator draws out the people who don’t always speak up (and they’re often the most valuable voices in the room).
when should you use a team building facilitator?
Engaging a team building facilitator is the right move if you suspect your team isn’t working off the same page and might be underachieving.
It can also be a great investment in the future if you already have a high-performing team and you want to stretch them to reach the next level of alignment and productivity.
1. Annual Planning and Strategy Setting
When your team needs to step back from operations and commit to a clear direction for the year ahead, a facilitated team building workshop gives you the structured process to get there in a focused day or two.
2. New or Changed Teams
When a team is newly formed or has recently welcomed new members, a facilitated workshop accelerates trust, surfaces hidden assumptions about roles and priorities, and builds a shared working rhythm from the outset. Getting alignment early is much easier than repairing it later.
3. Working in Silos
When functions have drifted into functional working, they start to optimise for their own area rather than your shared goal. Your team building workshop resets relationships and realigns the group because a skilled facilitator surfaces trade-offs and tensions without making it personal.
4. Teams Facing Change
When your organisation has been through a restructure, merger, or leadership transition, a facilitated team building workshop gives your people the space to reconnect around a shared direction and commit to how they will operate going forward.
5. Teams with a History of Misalignment
When your past planning sessions have produced documents but not buy-in, or when the same tensions resurface in every meeting, an independent facilitator can shift the dynamic and create conditions for honest conversation.
6. Board Retreats and Governance Teams
When a board needs to work through strategy or direction outside the formality of the boardroom, a team building facilitator creates the right conditions for candid, productive dialogue at the governance level.
why choose turning leaf for your team building day?
We’ve spent two decades running team-building workshops and leadership facilitation sessions across hundreds of organisations in Australia.
We know what makes the difference between a team-building workshop that changes how a team behaves and one that everyone forgets within a week.
Traditional team-building approaches bring a generic programme and are oriented toward fun. At Turning Leaf, we believe that when your team is genuinely aligned, performance follows, and everything we do is built around making that happen.
Our facilitators have all held senior leadership roles. They understand the pressures your team is under, the group dynamics that determine whether a workshop delivers or disappoints, and the facilitation techniques that unlock genuine conversation at every level.
turning leaf proven 6 step process
1. discovery and pre-work
Before your workshop, we conduct pre-workshop interviews with key participants and, where appropriate, a team survey. This surfaces the real issues, uncovers hidden tensions, and ensures your facilitator walks into the room already familiar with your team and the dynamics that most need to be addressed.
2. agenda design
We design your team building workshop agenda to match your specific objectives — not a generic template. We decide together what conversations need to happen, in what order, and how much time each deserves. The agenda is purposeful and flexible, keeping energy high throughout your team workshop.
3. preparation briefing
We brief all participants clearly before the workshop begins. When participants understand the purpose and structure before the day begins, they arrive ready to contribute. Clarity upfront lifts engagement and removes defensiveness so your team arrives focused on the work, not wondering what they’re in for.
4. your team building workshop
On the day (whether you’re looking at a half-day, full-day, or multi-day residential workshop), your Turning Leaf facilitator leads the group through the agenda. They read the room, bring in the quieter voices, surface assumptions, and ensure your team conversation is focused. The facilitator shapes the process, but the content, conclusions, and commitments come entirely from your team which means they own them – so things get done
5. capturing commitments & clarity
Good conversations are only as valuable as the results that emerge and the behaviours they create. Before the workshop closes, your facilitator works the group through every decision made during the day to confirm actions, owners, and timings. Your team leaves aligned with clarity of direction.
6. post-workshop output
We provide a structured summary of key decisions and action items, sent through quickly while the energy from the day is still fresh. Many clients use this as a working reference throughout the year, as a record of what was agreed and as a prompt to keep the team moving.
what leaders like you say about working with turning leaf
“I had no hesitation in asking Turning Leaf to facilitate our Strategy Formation Day. The whole process went as smoothly as I expected and delivered a terrific output. The breadth of knowledge and experience working across a multitude of industries provided the perspective so essential to successful facilitation.”
Tim Jones
Managing Director
Cumulus Vineyards
“I think I speak for the whole team when I say that the output definitely aided our planning process and has set the scene for what is to come.”
Rory Cole
Managing Director
Flexco
"The session energised the entire team, forged stronger connections, and has sustained its momentum and excitement long after the day, while fully delivering on our transformation goals. The ripple-effect of energy and momentum is still being felt across the team"
Nicole Grainger-Marsh, CEO Australia, Asuria
"Thanks for your facilitation of a really engaging session that got everyone involved and talking about themselves and our work ahead"
Mia Jenkins
Principal Advisor, Sport Integrity, Sector Performance Policy and Planning
"A huge thank you Matt for helping steer us through tricky discussions and activities and getting us to such a great place in terms of helping us reach a little reset. Personally, I’m looking forward to working with everyone on some of the next steps and actions"
Elle McCreary
Head of Innovation UNSW
what makes turning leaf different?
1
we understand your challenge
Our facilitators have all held leadership roles in major organisations. They understand the pressures you face because they’ve faced them too.
2
results driven
We only deliver team building workshops with measurable outcomes. You leave with decisions made, actions owned, and a team that is committed to executing them.
3
masters of team alignment
Getting leadership teams to align and then actually move is what we do better than anyone else. We will get your team committed and pulling in the same direction.
4
transformation ready
We specialise in facilitating teams through significant change, whether it’s strategic, structural, or cultural.
5
proven process
For over twenty years we have refined our facilitation process across many hundreds of engagements. It is tested, trusted, and continuously improved.
6
accredited specialists
All Turning Leaf facilitators are experienced and trained in large-group facilitation techniques
what team building workshop participants say
“The facilitator really got the best out of the team and kept us focused yet allowed us to run when needed.”
“The open and constructive discussions helped surface shared challenges and priorities for the team.”
“Engagement from the facilitator did not just give us an answer, but rather gently pushed the group towards coming up with our own answers and strategies. The team feels more aligned and excited about the strategy.”
“I really enjoyed the format. The facilitator was very good at getting everyone to engage and bringing out the voices of those who don’t always speak up.”
“Great facilitation that drove us, but did not influence us.”
“I don’t think we would have achieved what we did without the gentle guidance and structured approach.”
why you should use an external facilitator?
1
True Independence
An external facilitator has no stake in the outcome and no position to protect. Your team can speak freely, and the facilitator can challenge anyone in the room, including the CEO.
2
Structured Thinking, Not Endless Talking
A skilled facilitator designs a process that moves your team through the right conversations in the right order, quickly enough to keep energy high and build real clarity.
3
Genuine Commitment, Not Compliance
When leaders build the plan themselves, guided rather than told, they own it. Commitment is created during the process, not manufactured after the fact.
4
Every Voice in the Room
A facilitator draws out the people who don’t always speak up in group settings, and these are often the people with the most valuable perspectives to share.
5
Accountability Built In
A Turning Leaf facilitator ensures your team leaves with clear decisions, named owners, and agreed next steps, not a holding list of things to revisit in next month’s meeting.
6
Maximum Value from Your Time Together
Bringing a team together is a significant investment. A professional team building facilitator ensures every hour counts.
corporate offsite case studies
fmcg leadership team alignment
The Managing Director of a consumer goods company needed to motivate a leadership team to push forward fast on a new shared direction.
Turning Leaf conducted a pre-workshop team survey, facilitated a two-day leadership workshop and made sure the team left with a shared view of priorities and actions.
professional services franchisee team building workshop
A national franchise wanted to motivate, encourage and reward franchisees.
Turning Leaf designed and facilitated team planning sessions to align franchisees and make sure they felt heard and supported they.
The sessions were energising yet practical and laid the foundations for continued franchise expansion and franchisee motivation and performance in their territories.
financial services first external strategy session
An investment firm had never used an external facilitator before and wanted to align their whole team on a strategy for the coming 5 years.
There was some nervousness about bringing someone from outside into what had always been an internal process. Turning Leaf conducted pre-workshop interviews with all participants, then designed a tailored programme around the firm’s specific strategic challenges.
The session produced a clear strategy, a set of financial and non-financial goals, and a team that left energised and aligned. The Chairman described the day as a genuine success.
fast start: we know your industry
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Government Departments
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FMCG (consumer goods)
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Construction & Property
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Building supplies
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Manufacturing
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Automotive
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Government
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Agriculture
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Food & Beverages
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Property (Residential & Commercial)
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Medical and Dental
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Software
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Government Owned Corporations
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Luxury Branded Goods
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Retail, Fashion and e-commerce
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Financial Services and Insurance
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Utilities and Telecommunications
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Financial Services and Investment
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Mining and Infrastructure
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Professional Services
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Franchising
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Pharmaceutical Services
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Waste & Recycling
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Not For Profit
5 types of facilitation
ask us about our flagship facilitation modules
advanced strategy formation
Strategy development by the people who will be responsible for it. This workshop is for when you have a team that needs to work together to win against competitors and to delight customers.
ai transformation
Is your strategy ready for the coming wave of AI opportunities and challenges? Have you identified where in your value chain artificial intelligence can add the greatest value? This module unlocks the potential for AI in your business.
path to growth
Sales and marketing alignment to win in consumer categories. For when you need proven growth drivers to win in retail, e-commerce and with brands. Brings together category management, sales, and brand growth essentials.
strategy into action
Implementation planning. For when the rubber hits the road - you need a GAME plan (Goals, Activities, Measurement, Evaluation)
role clarity and silo busting
Team formation at its best. Role clarity and working in silos are now classed as psycho-social safety hazards under WHS legislation. Proper team formation is a level 1 control for these risks because it eliminates lack of clarity at the source.
team alignment intensive
Developing a high-performance team. For when you have a team with a challenge and you need to bring them together to work efficiently and effectively to get the outcome you need.
b2b builder
Specialist strategy formation for businesses selling to other business and government. For when your B2B sales proposition needs to generate more interest in buyers without alientating the procurement department.
executive facilitation
For teams ready to transform strategic visions into tangible outcomes and achieve organisational excellence. Unite your executives around common goals, enhance decision-making, and foster cross-functional collaboration.
cx magic
Putting your customer at the heart of your business through Customer Journey. For when you need to improve your customer experience by mapping their journey and identifying critical strengths and weaknesses.
facilitation fees
The cost of professional facilitation varies considerably depending on the specific needs of your team, the numbers involved and the outcomes required.
Fees can range from as little as $6,500 for smaller groups with fewer challenges up to $50,000 for much larger groups with business-critical requirements.
Other drivers of cost include:
On-site or off-site facilitation
Pre-work and research requirements
Post-workshop follow up
Administration needs (eg safety or compliance)
Special requests
The best next step is for us to have a chat about the kind of outcomes you need and how we can ensure you achieve them.