Testimonials

Ian does a phenomenal job at finding activities that bring out our true selves and show us where we excel as individuals and a company as well as where we need improvement.

Building Bridges program participant

All the team building activities were unexpected and really fun. Really got us to break down how we communicate with each other and have fun while doing it. You rock Ian, thanks for a great day!

Building Bridges program participant

The success of any team or organization, in my opinion, depends on the ability to creatively work together towards shared goals, by recognizing and utilizing individual talents. I felt the team-building exercise yesterday helped us visually see how we can do that. As a participant, I felt immediately motivated to trust, support, and rely on the other people in my group. In addition, when we cross-collaborated across groups, I felt the heart of this exercise expanding outward and creating concentric circles within the room. I can now envision concentric circles expanding across every aspect of our school and even across Waldorf schools. This motivating feeling has stayed with me all weekend. Concurrently, I have never laughed so hard in the three years that I’ve been on this Board. Not only can I see that we will be be able to accomplish great things together this year, I look forward to laughing together along the way! Huge appreciation to Ian Jackson for bringing this “growth mindset” exercise to our Board retreat.

Jen Minotti, Board Member, Waldorf School of Lexington

As ButcherBox grows, fostering intimate conversations between various stakeholders in our business is incredibly important. One of the most important aspects of teamwork is empathy; empathy for someone else’s story, for their perspective, and for the pressures and rules that they have that might be causing them to act a certain way…   I came to Building Bridges with that challenge, and wanting to spend a day getting to know each other better. Ian was able to facilitate an amazing day of learning for me and my staff of 65. We left feeling like we better understood each other, and were aligned around common goals and a common purpose. Definitely the best offsite facilitation we have had! 

Mike Salguero, Founder/CEO ButcherBox

I was truly blown away by how much I learned about myself through some of the activities Ian facilitated. I was nervous that ‘team building’ would translate into some type of trust fall activity but what we did was thoughtful and fun. Ian did a great job of pushing our company to take what we learned and apply it to our everyday work as well. He also was really informal and laid back which meshed well with our company culture.

Building Bridges program participant

Ian led a team building session at our church’s annual Board retreat. In two hours, he led us through two deceptively simple activities. One involved gathering found items that we used to affirm one another and to create a visual image of our team identity. The other stretched our team communication and problem solving capacities. Through these activities, and Ian’s gentle, skillful debriefing with us, we grew in trust and affection for one another. A few interesting tensions and strengths in our team were also revealed, in an atmosphere that encouraged new understanding and connection around these. We’re grateful for Ian’s facilitation!

Steve Watson, Senior Pastor, Reservoir Church

Ian has always brought a calm, clear focus, and helped me navigate some of the most complex organizational problems. He made it feel easy. He always brought a breath of peace in the midst of chaos.

Philip Harding, Co-founder/CEO, ImpactJunkie

The exercises we did with Ian had a big impact in my own thinking about interpersonal dynamics and communication.

Building Bridges program participant

Special appreciation to Ian for his exercise with us – it was fun, inclusive, and thought-provoking, and the positive energy it surfaced within the group will carry us throughout the school year.

Don Grace, School Director, Waldorf School of Lexington

Ian’s workshop was both fun and thought-provoking. The activities served to both connect people from disparate parts of the company while also delivering really clear lessons that are super applicable to our business and for any organization.

Building Bridges program participant

Ian did a wonderful job of keeping a large group of people engaged. He did a good job of explaining the activities and also a great job making sure that we were able to reflect upon each experience in an open forum after each activity.

Building Bridges program participant

Ian handled a large group very well. Not only did he facilitate these exercises, he also found ways to relate them to the work we do every day. He made sure everyone was included and heard. It made for a very insightful and eye-opening day!

Building Bridges program participant

I really enjoyed the activities that Ian had for us. They forced us to think outside of the box and depend on each other to accomplish our goals.

Building Bridges program participant

Ian did a great job and kept us interested throughout the day!

Building Bridges program participant

The Lego-building exercise helped us to learn a lot about ourselves and each other in a short amount of time.  Ian set up the exercise well and led a lively debrief afterwards, during which he helped us to process how we had worked together.  In our approaches to the Lego charge, I could see aspects of what I’ve come to know as each person’s approach to working on problems; I also have a new insight into my own approach.

Amanda Bosh, MIT professor

Ian’s workshop was fun and exciting. He kept us energized and motivated at all times, but at the same time each activity was crucial for self-discovery and understanding how others react to certain environments. This was extremely helpful for me to better communicate with other departments.

Building Bridges program participant

Ian was extremely professional and a great facilitator of the team building activities. He staged each activity succinctly and with clear understanding of our company, values and business. The activities were well run and loved the debriefing at the end. He made sure to give the introverted folks in the room a chance to talk, which is refreshing.

Building Bridges program participant

Ian is a fantastic facilitator. He brings great energy and an array of fun yet rewarding activities to team building.

Building Bridges program participant

Ian offered excellent guidance through fun and thought provoking team building activities, that were insightful on a personal and group level.

Building Bridges program participant