Around 15–20% of people in the UK are neurodivergent—yet many of the ways we design and deliver consulting work can be based on quite narrow assumptions about how people think, communicate, and participate.

This session creates a space to explore neurodiversity in the context of our work as consultants. We’ll reflect on how different cognitive profiles show up in our day-to-day consulting work—whether facilitating groups, shaping strategy, or delivering change—and where our current approaches may unintentionally create barriers.

Through discussion and hands-on participation, we’ll build practical ways to make our work more neuro-inclusive, enabling a wider range of people to engage, contribute, and do their best thinking.
This will be 2.5 hour event, with one break.
It will be participatory in nature with multiple points where we go into small break out rooms.

What you’ll get –

• A clear, practical understanding of neurodiversity and neurodivergence
• A strengths-based perspective on common neurodivergent profiles—where people tend to thrive, and where challenges can arise across consulting contexts
• Insight into how organisational and societal structures can create barriers, with the opportunity to question and rethink limiting norms and assumptions
• A deeper exploration of three common areas of challenge—sensory sensitivity, communication differences, and executive functioning—including how these show up in group settings, client work, and delivery, and what you can do differently
• Dedicated reflection time to identify practical next steps for making your consulting practice more neuro-inclusive

Facilitator: Esme Butterfield.
Esme specialises in neurodiversity and inclusion, helping individuals, teams, and organisations build understanding, challenge assumptions, and foster truly inclusive environments.She has over 20 years’ experience in the non-profit sector, with more than a decade delivering inclusion-focused training and facilitation. Most recently, she has led large-scale neurodiversity programmes for Oxfam GB, Alzheimer’s Society, and Salvation Army Homes, and is an expert neurodiversity trainer for the Housing Diversity Network, Talk Action and Neurodiversity UK.
Esme has trained directly with Professor Amanda Kirby, a leading authority in neurodiversity, ensuring her work remains informed by the latest research and cutting-edge practice in the field.

Participants need to be aware this is a participatory event that will require them to have their mics on when in smaller break out rooms.