Silo Breaker Workshops with Kerryn Powell

Private Sector. Get Your Silos Talking. Two-day offsite. Recently merged teams

The situation

Having recently gone through a merger, the management wanted to bring together teams and departments, still finding their footing. Leadership had organised a two-day offsite to plan for the coming year and begin aligning the newly formed organisation - but before the strategy conversations could be started, something funamental needed to happen. People needed to connect.

What we did

Kerryn and team opened the offsite with a Silo Breaker session- creating a safe space before any agenda item was discussed. Using pre-work gathered ahead of the day, participants were given an opportunity to see each other as people first: their contexts, their pressures, and the perspectives they were bringing to the room. The goal was to lay the human groundwork that would make the two days that followed more honest and more productive.

What shifted

• The scene was set for open,trust-based conversations

• Assumptions gave way to genuine understanding

• Participants connected as people before colleagues

• The two days that followed had a stronger foundation

“It set the scene well - and allowed for human connection and a bit more understanding, rather than assumptions”.

- Participant feedback

The situation

A National organisation brought together 20 managers and team members from different locations- many of whom had never met in person. Remote working had made it harder to build the internal networks that once formed more naturally. Some had been with the organisation for many yearss, yet had never had the chance to meet colleagues from other parts of the national business, or to have a space to share their perspectives and experience of customer management.

What we did

The Silo Breaker session created a structured space for people to share their voice, perspective and experience - many for the first time with this group. Rather than jumping straight to business content, the session prioritised relationships underneath the work: helping people to undersand each other’s roles, contexts, begin building internal networks and recognise the value sitting right in front of them.

What shifted

• People who had never met had a shared experience

• Internal networks began to form across locations

• Participants felt seen, heard and valued

• Remote isolation gave way to genuine connection

“Now I have people I can actually call- instead of rummaging through a manual. I get lived experience, not an instruction book”.

- Participant feedback

The situation

A small business wanted to strengthen connection within and across its teams and create space for everyone to have a voice. They knew valuable insight already existed within the business, but not everyone felt confident speaking up. At the same time, there was a sense that while some parts of the customer experience were working well, other areas could be improved.

The team needed a way to talk honestly about what was working, what was not, and where communication, customer engagement, and understanding of the product could be stronger.

What we did

The Silo Breaker session created a safe and structured space for people to contribute their perspective, experience, and ideas. The focus was not only on team connection, but on helping people speak up, identify gaps in the customer experience, and share what they were noticing from their different roles.

Through guided discussion, role play, and practical exercises, the team explored communication pathways, how they spoke about the product and its benefits, and where more story, clarity, and confidence could improve the customer conversation. The session helped surface both strengths and blind spots, while making it easier for people to learn from each other and contribute to improvement.

What shifted

• Team members who may have previously held back began to speak up

• The team identified what was working well and what needed improvement

• Communication pathways became clearer across the business

• Staff built more confidence in how they talked about the product, its benefits, and available options

• Role play helped the team engage customers more effectively

• Better conversations created opportunities for improved customer experience and upsell

“Creating the space for open conversation helped us identify gaps, hear from people across the team, and improve the way we communicate with customers.”

Workshop outcome

• Individuals within and across teams reported they were much clearer about their role and purpose and the direct connection between improved employee experience delivering an improved customer experience.