TOOLS | Bushcraft

To make your journey easier, we have divided our tools into three main areas: planning, exploring, and sustaining. In the spirit of Bushcraft, we have drawn from three main sources to develop the tools.

On this website we outline each tool. If you would like the full tool, and detailed instructions on how to use it, please get in touch or browse to the 'experiences' tab.

Fit for the Bush.

These are tools from the world of communications. Some you may know, and maybe even have used. But you may not recognize them: we have recycled them into something simpler. You won't win industry awards, but you will get things done with these products from the past. But fit for the future.

Borrowed for the Bush.

Here are some tools from other disciplines adapted for change professionals. They come from adjacent fields like psychology, management and behavioural science. We've borrowed them, and given then the "Bushcraft" treatment to make them easy for you to use.

New for the Bush.

These are new tools we have developed from our own Bushcraft experiences. We've lit metaphorical fires with them, used them to take new approaches to stakeholders, and developed new ways to help people move quickly through unfamiliar environments. They've worked for us and now we are sharing them with you.

Planning your journey

4 tools that will help you plan your successful communications journey in the new world.

Starting points. A way to focus on the outcome of change. It gives you a new way of looking at change through the metaphor or a journey. It will help you realise the problems of many existing change management methodologies and give you a way of talking about outcomes, not outputs.

3 keys to change. This tool draws on academic research and looks at change management from a communication perspective. The "I>ABC" formula will give you an easy-to-remember way of thinking about how to get things to happen in your organization. And how to get around those pesky quicksand swamps when it is hard to make progress.

Exploring the terrain

These tools will help you adapt your tactics as you navigate your plan and its new terrain.

Plotting my journey. You know when the honest truths come out around the campfire and people reflect on their personal and professional journey, hopes and fears? Or those of their organization. Here's a way to achieve this without setting fire to the carpet in your meeting room.

Culture map. Here's a tool we got by trading with some other travellers from the market research and employee survey teams. They showed us new and simple ways of mapping your stakeholder culture and priorities without the need for complex methodologies.

Stakeholder insight. On your journey will encounter stakeholders, some will be friendly; others not so. Here's a bushcraft version of stakeholder mapping that you can quickly use to identify what to do: friend, fight, or flight. Use this tool to prioritise your interactions.

Trust tool. Want to build trust with one of your key stakeholders? Just discovered a 'village' full of potential allies and want to get them on your side? Use our brand new trust tool (T=R(US)/T) to get them to be your ally.

Crossing the chasm. We've adapted this tool from a very famous model in psychology. It worked in the 1960s and it works again now ... with a few 'bushcraft' adjustments. Use this tool to guide people through change and adapt your communication style for each step of the journey across the chasm.

Ancient paths. Go back a million years: your brain was born in the bush. So let's use those ancient neural connections and our brand new "P-A-T-H-S" methodology to unlock those ancient paths to make modern humans behave differently.

Sustaining in new environments

These tools will help you make it stick.

Shooting the rapids. We all know some teams 'shoot the rapids' quicker than others. They just get it. Use this tool to learn from your high performers and get them to teach others the secret of their success.

Building bridges. We learned this trick from strategy consultants. It's a simple and effective way to get two conflicting teams talking. And cooperating.

Building foundations. So you've made it to the new colony - your new world of work. Here's a tool to help you cement the change and identify anyone who is still not completely 'at home' and wants to go back to the old world.

Compass. Despite our incredible Bushcraft skills, sometimes we still need a compass to avoid getting lost. This tool helps you keep focused on your 'true north': what are the essential steps (and in what direction) you need to make to keep progressing. Or to start your next journey.

Bushcraft for Change