The RP Approach

This is a totally different and game-changing way to engage your people.

We design our programs around small-group discussions of a short story from literature, moderated by a specially trained facilitator. We choose the story based on your objectives; our facilitators are skilled at guiding group reflection to foster shared understanding, expand perspectives, build trust and deepen collective intelligence among your people.
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Reflection Point is flexible and adaptive to specific need.
In virtual or in-person sessions, our clients have applied what we do:

Within teams to foster deeper mutual understanding and make debate second nature.

In cross-hierarchical groups to develop trust, respect and psychological safety—the shared belief that a team or a group is safe for interpersonal risk taking—across hierarchies.

In cross-functional groups to create meaningful connections across an organization.

As part of a diversity, equity and inclusion initiative, creating a space to discuss difficult topics like race, gender and unconscious bias.

As part of a workplace wellness initiative to foster community and social interaction that supports buy-in and effort.

As part of a larger cultural transformation to create a culture of openness, respect and critical dialogue—from the top team to the front lines.

Common Questions

Reflection Point programs are simple and cost effective—the only thing you have to lose is the opportunity to improve.

How does Reflection Point work?

In a Reflection Point program, up to 20 participants read short stories or books and meet for regular discussions facilitated by a college professor. We work with you to design a program that meets your needs.
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Reflection Point serves employees at every level of the organization across functions, within natural teams and across hierarchies. We work around the world, in multiple languages.
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Groups typically meet over a series of sessions. Groups can meet for 60 or 90 minutes, weekly, bi-weekly, monthly or periodically.

Can we do virtual sessions?

Absolutely. By leveraging a few best practices, virtual meetings can be as effective as in-person sessions to afford your colleagues the opportunity to forge meaningful connection and nurture collaboration skills.

We partner with you to design the virtual experience that works best for your team and we provide training to participants so they feel comfortable navigating virtual discussions. We recommend limiting virtual sessions to 15 participants to maximize the discussion.

What will we read?

At Reflection Point, we don’t read business books. Our defining insight is that literature provides an excellent lens to explore human motivations, different ideas and our own assumptions. We work with narrative fiction and non-fiction because we believe in the power of stories to invite and encourage the sharing of our own experiences.

And shared experience fosters meaningful connection.

Reflection Point has no predefined curriculum. We choose texts based on surveys, participant choice and our experience with what works. As a result, no two programs are exactly alike.

How is Reflection Point priced?

We tailor our programs and pricing to your needs. We work to keep the program affordable so that you can engage your colleagues at every level of your organization.

Please contact us for pricing and programming options.

Meet Some of Our Facilitators

Reflection Point works with a diverse group of facilitators all over the world. Our facilitators are college professors or seasoned professionals committed to inquiry-based learning, using our methodology for participant-led conversation and discovery. Please come back from time to time to meet more of our facilitators.

"I love stories for the way they help us think and connect. At Reflection Point, stories enable us think through complex human issues together, to empathize with one another, and to practice the art of difficult discussion."

Megan Cole Paustian

Megan Cole Paustian is Associate Professor of English at North Central College.

"Reflection Point sessions reveal the practical value of literature as a medium for strengthening relationships, negotiating conflict, and discovering solutions to thorny problems."

Lee Kahan

Lee Kahan is Associate Vice Chancellor & Associate Professor at Indiana University South Bend.

"Stories offer so many gateways for exploring how we think of ourselves and connect to others. As a Reflection Point facilitator, I enjoy working with participants to choose which gateways they’d like to enter and making space to surprise ourselves about what we share."

Michelle Liu

Michelle Liu is Associate Director of Writing programs at The University of Washington.

REFLECTION POINT IN ACTION

I Listen Better Now...

A group at an urban medical center read Isabel Wilkerson’s The Warmth of Other Suns. One participant, who grew up in a rural environment, shared that he had never heard of Jim Crow. His colleague was shocked. “You know, she looked at me and said, ‘Did you grow up under a rock?’ I said, ‘Yeah. I did.’ So we got into a discussion... I’ve never been a prejudiced person, but it’s allowed me an even deeper understanding of the people I speak with now.”

It’s all about
trust and respect.

Today’s organizations run on communication, collaboration and innovation. But working together takes trust and respect. Reflection Point starts with social connection, creating the foundation for those values. In facilitated discussions of stories or books, participants share perspectives, reflect together and reframe assumptions.

Engage Your Team

“The Color Master”

by Aimee Bender

Growing in role, an apprentice to an expert color master meets a difficult set of orders from an important customer. The story elegantly explores client service, examining mentorship, succession, mastery and the struggle to achieve excellence in the face of emotional and ethical challenges.

"Good Hunting"

by Ken Liu

A young Chinese man befriends a mythical female creature that his family has hunted for generations. As westerners bring new technology, magic disappears and their friendship is tested. This story tees up conversation about making connections with people who are very different from us, how we are transformed by our relationships, and what it means to adapt during times of great change.

“Dead Men's Path”

by Chinua Achebe

An eager new schoolmaster seeking to modernize his village school refuses to permit villagers to use an ancestral path on the school grounds. This story encourages conversation about the push and pull between tradition and innovation, the challenges of communicating between vastly different points of view, and the difficulty of wielding authority in new cultural contexts.

What do
Participants say?

The most compelling proof of Reflection Point program effectiveness is in the consistently positive, enthusiastic reactions of participants. It’s telling: The vast majority of first-time participants, many of whom are skeptical initially, want to do more sessions.

“At DaVita, we invest a lot in teammate development in very structured programs geared toward management sources. Reflection Point was out of the box for us, a different way for people to have a personal growth and development experience. The program taught us to be more thoughtful—to dig into and think about what we are reading in a way that is different than recreational reading. And many of the ideas we discussed were easy to pull back into our work environment.”

Theresa Stright

Divisional Vice President, Davita

WHAT WE DO

We surprise people.