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A Guide to Strategic Thinking:Principles, Teachings and Tools

Date: 17th - 18th November 2025
Venue: “Virtual” platform delivery

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Building an understanding of what strategic thinking is and the key tools and techniques that support and build competence in strategic thinking.

Unlock your full potential with our 2-Day Strategic Thinking Workshop, designed to cultivate future-ready leaders and align your organisation, team or policy for long-term success. In a fast-changing world, policy leads and senior leaders can't afford to simply react - they must think ahead. This workshop prepares participants to challenge assumptions, map disruptive trends, and envision bold futures using proven strategic frameworks and interactive exercises.

Led by expert facilitators with real world practical experience of designing and implementing strategy, this workshop blends analytical tools with creative exploration to help teams identify opportunities, clarify priorities, and design actionable roadmaps. From scenario planning to stakeholder mapping and strategic prioritisation, attendees will leave with practical skills and a shared strategic language and toolkit. Whether you're launching a new initiative, preparing a new strategy, or recalibrating direction, this workshop delivers clarity and confidence.

Ideal for senior managers, public policy leads and emerging leaders, the Strategic Thinking Workshop supports those considering a critical shift in how their teams and organisations think, act and deliver their strategic priorities.

Workshop Objectives

    Develop Strategic Mindsets

  • Equip participants with the ability to think long-term, systemically, and creatively - shifting from reactive problem-solving to proactive strategic thinking.

    • Analyse Internal and External Environments

  • Use tools such as PESTLE and stakeholder mapping to deeply understand context, capabilities, and positioning.

    • Identify Strategic Opportunities and Risks

  • Explore emerging trends, disruptive forces, and innovation pathways that could shape the future - both positively and negatively.

    • Prioritise and Align Strategic Initiatives

  • Evaluate potential actions using prioritisation frameworks to ensure resources are directed toward high-impact, feasible opportunities aligned with core goals.

    • Create a Clear, Actionable Strategic Roadmap

  • Translate insights into a shared plan with defined objectives, metrics, ownership and next steps - ensuring strategic thinking leads to strategic doing.

Programme

Day Topics & Details
Day 1 - Exploration & Insight Welcome & Objectives
  • Clarify the goals of strategic thinking.
  • Differentiate strategy from operational / tactical planning.
  • Set expectations for engagement and openness.
Environmental Scanning
  • Use PESTLE / STEEPLE to explore external trends.
  • Encourage big-picture systems thinking.
  • Identify external opportunities and threats.
Internal Analysis
  • Evaluate internal capabilities and weaknesses.
  • SWOT.
  • Reflect on organisational culture and change readiness.
Customer/Stakeholder Mapping
  • Identify key stakeholders and their priorities.
  • Map influence, expectations, and satisfaction.
  • Encourage empathy and outside-in thinking.
Disruptive Forces Workshop
  • Discuss trends that could disrupt the status quo.
  • Explore technology, regulation, or societal shifts.
  • Promote creative thinking and scenario exploration.
Visioning Exercise
  • Futures thinking including post card and backcasting.
  • Stretch the imagination without limitations.
Day 2 - Prioritisation & Strategic Focus Recap of Day 1
  • Revisit key discoveries from Day 1.
  • Transition from insights to actionable strategy.
Scenario Planning
  • Two axes methodology.
  • Develop best-case, worst-case, and wildcard scenarios.
  • Plan strategic responses.
  • Build flexibility into your roadmap.
Strategic Options Ideation
  • Creative thinking techniques.
  • Brainstorm strategic responses to challenges.
  • Encourage quantity over quality initially.
  • Cluster similar ideas to identify themes.
Prioritisation Matrix
  • Use frameworks like Impact vs. Effort or RICE.
  • Evaluate strategic value and feasibility.
  • Narrow focus to high-leverage actions.
Strategy Mapping
  • Organise initiatives into strategic pillars.
  • Define key objectives and possible KPIs.
  • Use tools like OKRs or Balanced Scorecard.
  • Evaluating the strategy.
Action Plan & Roadmap
  • Assign owners and deadlines.
  • Set milestones and feedback loops.
  • Prepare for communication and rollout.
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Comments & Views

"It was a really great day. It refreshed my learning on some points but I also learnt about new concepts / tools and I really found it beneficial that the information was presented in a practical context and illustrated with real life examples that prompted interesting discussions with my fellow course attendees. Thank you."

Social Work England

"I thought the course was really interesting and that the trainer managed to get through a great deal of material. His delivery was excellent - really clear and engaging."

Standards Commission for Scotland

"The programme was excellent. Very relatable to my job and I could see how I could put some of this to immediate use to address concerns about a project I've been asked to sponsor. The trainer was excellent and the session was delivered extremely well. Maybe as good if not better than face to face learning."

Department for Work and Pensions

"Well organized and sufficiently interactive."

Joyce Connell, Ministry of Justice

"Really good course to raise awareness of strategy development."

Mark Richardson, Generic Distribution System

"I am walking away with a rich set of tools and methods"

Ofgem

"I found the course to be very insightful and great to hear examples. The trainer was very engaging and gave good insight to different techniques."

Hope for Tomorrow

"Despite this being a long day online, the trainer had a great delivery style which held attention. He also gave us comfort breaks and 40 mins for lunch. All in all an excellent course, full of valuable insights which were well explained and evidenced throughout. All delivered at a realistic pace, not rushed, with humorous interjections and anecdotes to bring sessions alive with real-life examples."

HMRC