NATASHA PLAYER & Co.
Puppet Power
Honest Conversations
to unify
difference
Join us in a unique, facilitated creative workshop where teams can safely explore the challenges of a fast-paced work environment, identify solutions, and enhance communication. These sessions are specifically designed to fuel high-performing, dynamic teamwork.
High-performing teams often struggle with sensitive issues—from cross-departmental misunderstandings to staff turnover and disengaged teams.
From intensive research and consulting with managers, leaders and business owners we have found that these deep-seated conflicts are challenging to address directly, leading to costly bottlenecks in the process flow and decreased staff engagement.
The Methodology: Purposeful Play
Skillfully led by co-founders Mahtab Grimshaw and Natasha Player, our creative approach uses accessible and impactful puppetry, along with a deep learning enquiry through the "Conversations with a Purpose" (CWAP) framework.
Our sessions offer a playful inclusive way to explore solutions to real workplace problems by gathering staff feedback and using the unique process of Puppet Power with a Purpose.
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Safe Space Guarantee: We provide an inclusive safe space (either on or off-site) to navigate complex problems, push creative boundaries, and spark creative solutions that motivate shared action.
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Accredited Action Learning: We move beyond "insights" to tangible actions. This framework ensures the deeper enquiry leads directly to committed, measurable steps your team can immediately implement back in the workplace.
We resolve
Your Team
Challenges
Our approach support teams and cross departments to:
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Resolve communication challenges
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Navigate complex problems
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Increase engagement and wellbeing
Benefits
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Strengthen team agility
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Deeper understanding of leadership challenges
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Reduce bottlenecks in the process flow
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Increase retaining talent
What is involved?
Puppet Power is an ideal half-day experience or series of structured workshops to ensure deep engagement and deliver measurable results by unlocking professional conversations.
Phase
1. Pre-Assessment
A focused intake process to identify the specific, sensitive challenge your team is facing (e.g., critique resistance, slow cross-functional hand-offs).
2. Experiential Aspect
A playful, hands-on session where the puppet acts as a neutral proxy, allowing the team to externalise conflict and engage in honest dialogue without the personal or political risk.
3. Tangible Action
Utilising the Action Learning Framework, we help the team synthesize the session’s insights into concrete, measurable actions and assign a pathway for implementing accountability with care .
Purposeful Play, Measurable Action
The session is inherently playful, and is underpinned by a powerful, successful change and transformation framework:Conversations with a Purpose (CWAP):
Our methodology for facilitating highly sensitive discussions ensures that every interaction is structured, intentional, and focused on resolution.
Accredited Learning Enquiry: We move beyond "insights" to tangible actions.
This framework ensures the deeper enquiry leads directly to committed, accountable steps your team can immediately implement back in the workplace.
The Strategic Impact: Agility, Productivity, and Talent Retention
Collaboration is at the heart of our design. Participants will leave feeling heard and better connected, identifying new ways of working together as a team to enhance engagement and delivering specific solutions to organisational challenges.
Navigating Honest Conversations
Our approach supports teams and cross-departments to achieve crucial operational and cultural wins:
Operational Excellence
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Resolve communication challenges and navigate complex problems safely.
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Strengthen team agility and reduce bottlenecks in the process flow.
Talent, Leadership, & Wellbeing
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Enhance workforce wellbeing through an opportunity to express challenges, cultivating empathetic and compassionate teams.
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Gain a deeper understanding of leadership challenges through honest, mediated feedback.
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Significantly increase engagement and improve talent retention by resolving underlying friction.
The team leaves equipped with practical tools to take back into the workplace, enhancing and informing a more positive workplace culture and driving performance.
We Offer
✔ Short sessions (1hr 45min) for one targeted team challenge
✔ Half-day workshops (3-4 hours) for deep dives into productivity & communication challenges along with trust-building activities and tool kit take away (recommend)
✔ Team Building Series (3 half-days or 2 full days) for long-term transformation
✔ In house delivery or offsite location
WHAT PEOPLE SAY
Participant
The workshop encouraged people to think differently about the issues. This can lead to seeing solutions where they may not have been able to before.
Participant
The puppets helped make the workshop super playful. As well as being a refreshing change from the ubiquitous use of post-it notes on many a workshop I can remember,
Participant
The session allowed safe exploration of resolving conflict. And the puppets are good fun - it's so helpful to be invited to play, and think outside of our usual constraints
Why Puppets?
Enhances Experiential Learning: Puppetry naturally lends itself to experiential learning. Team members learn by doing, experimenting, and reflecting on the activity
Safe Space for Experimentation: The puppet acts as a buffer, allowing individuals to try out new ideas, communication styles, and problem-solving approaches
Breaks Down Hierarchies: The playful nature of puppets can help to temporarily dissolve traditional team hierarchies, allowing for more egalitarian participation and idea sharing.
Facilitates Abstract Concepts: Puppets can be used to represent abstract concepts, processes, or even different stakeholders in a scenario, making complex ideas more tangible and easier to discuss.
Take Away
1
Valuable Feedback
On decision-making information to understand whats working, identify challenges for the team and management and development areas on workforce culture and processes.
Reducing and mitigating future risks and increase staff motivation and engagement.
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Equiping Teams with Tools
Participants access unique resources, concepts and tools to access during and after the workshop to support teams going forward.
Tangible actions to take forward into the workplace.
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Team Take Away:
Props and resources to act as a reminder and embed the change in practice.
Frameworks that can act as an impact indicator and an 'accoutantability with care' update processes.
About The Founders
"Puppet Power" is a collaborative partnership between Green Pomegranate's Artistic Director, Mahtab Grimshaw, and Natasha Player & Co.
Drawing from over twenty years of professional experience in both the corporate and public sectors, they bring a wealth of expertise in using creative practice and learning frameworks to facilitate honest conversations.
Their partnership unites in an action-oriented expression to resolve significant workforce problems through play, curiosity, and successfully tested resources and tools.
Mahtab and Natasha are both passionate about creating learning experiences that equip people with the tools to identify "new ways of doing." This approach helps foster a healthier embodiment of an organisation's culture.
"We bring play and creativity back into the workplace by tapping into your team's diverse, innovative, and dynamic ways of working. Our approach ensures everyone has an opportunity to contribute to the future of work"