A group of headteachers in St Albans are asking parents not to let their children have a smartphone until they are 14. According to a BBC report in May 2024 “Most of the primary school headteachers in the city say they are backing the ban, as they are worried children are exposed “to a number of negative risks” when using smartphones.” Naturally, there’s a lot of conversation in St Albans on this topic.

We at Talk Shop wanted to help this discussion along by reducing the tension and polarisation.

On Sunday 24 November a group of people including parents, teachers, heads, councillors and others working with young people gathered at Cunningham HIll School, St Albans to explore the effects of smartphones and social media on young people. The workshop was a result of the coming together of the Smartphone Free Childhood group in St Albans and a small team looking to promote new democratic methods via participative workshops.

From the beginning this workshop was different. Instead of a heated debate about how dangerous or not smartphones are, participants were asked to consider a set of aims related to the wider development of young people including social development, positive mental health and safety/risk. After 15 minutes of quiet time to read the research material on smartphones prepared by the facilitators, they then worked in small groups to develop each aim more fully.

The final aims were then shared and voted on by everyone. Here they are in preference order as voted by the group:

• Enable and encourage positive social development in children so they can feel connected to themselves and others and contribute to and participate in a healthier society
• Support children’s mental health through the reduction of reliance on smartphones/devices and access to positive alternatives
• Reduce the opportunities for and the effects of bullying
• Promote independence in real life
• Enable a healthy balance between safety and risk in childhood
• Ensure children are able to develop friendships
• Retain access to the benefits of smartphones where possible
• Cultivate purposefulness

At this point the focus turned to possible solutions. After some more reading of solution ideas from around the world, three new groups were formed to consider what parents, teachers and finally what communities could do. After more discussions, the top 3 ideas from each group were shared to all and voted on. The most popular in each category were:

• What parents can do:
  • Engage other parents and empower
  • Parents modelling good habits – More in person activity as parents
  • Give parents alternatives eg tracking
• What schools can do:
  • More school partnerships (esp secondary, all sectors)
  • Get local authority support/li>
  • Encourage free play in schools
• What communities can do:
  • Set times/locations for city-wide free play time
  • Rejuvenate youth clubs
  • Youth group coaching on phone free activities

Practical actions were then agreed in each area, before the workshop ended. You can read a more detailed report here.

Introduction
By the start of 2024, the Win-Win Workout (the other WWW!) was ready to tackle live issues. We secured a grant from the Andrew Wainwright Reform Trust, with a top up from THINK, The Transport and Health Integrated research NetworK at the University of Aberystwyth. We used this to run a number of events: this blog covers two of them. Both were on reducing speed limits, run with councils in York and in Worthing in late 2024, both in association with 20’s Plenty For Us, which campaigns on 20mph limits.

Given the difficulties that the Welsh government had had with its default 20mph policy, our intent to close the gap between those for and against felt really important.

The Win-Win approach
The WWW is distinctive in separating the ‘why’ from the ‘what’. That is, not concentrating on solutions and policies (the ‘what’) where there is often massive disagreement. Rather, looking instead at people’s underlying aims – their needs and values, the ‘why’ – where much more common ground is to be found. Once done, agreement on solutions is much easier to come by.

Both councils saw the value of this distinction. Kate Ravilious, cabinet member for transport, City of York Council, wrote afterwards to say, “Huge thanks for all your hard work and a super event last night. It was a really interesting approach and I can certainly see the value in bringing the conversation back to aims rather than focusing on solutions.”

Which aims had most support?
Both events started with 10 pre-prepared aims, based on the range of benefits delivered by 20mph schemes around the world. Each aim was reviewed and sometimes revised by a small group. In York, for example, the aim to “Encourage active travel (walking and cycling)” became “Create an environment which encourages active travel for healthier lifestyles and places”. The group had added the ‘why’.

There was then sticky dot voting. The following four aims did best in both places: they had lots of support with few or no objections:

1st	Encouraging active travel
2nd =	Eliminating/minimising deaths and serious injuries from collisions
2nd =	Ensuring that changes to speed limits benefit the community as a whole
4th	Improving air quality

Moving from aims to solutions
In a two-hour workshop, we couldn’t do justice to this. People indicated their preferences, but we didn’t have time to link them to their aims. Those in Worthing mostly wanted trial 20mph limits in the top half of the ward we were looking at – but with no such limits on busy roads. There was strong support for encouraging more bus use. The majority preference in York, which looked at a much larger area, was to extend 20 mph limits in villages and other built-up areas which did not currently have them.

What did the events achieve?
Our event has already influenced the transport strategy in York. Julian Ridge, lead officer for the York event, wrote: -We’ve actually amended the wording in our Local Transport Strategy from ‘20mph programme’ to ‘speed reduction programme’ – reflecting the views expressed at the event that 20mph was fine in built up areas, but a different and more moderate approach might be required on rural roads (e.g. connecting villages to the city) and, whilst a reduction to 20 would not be supported, one to 40 might be.

It has also influenced how Kate Ravilious interacts with places in her patch: We’ve not done any more consultation on 20mph since the event, but I have been to a number of ward meetings in villages where residents are petitioning for 20mph, and I’ve very much taken your approach to heart in terms of steering conversations away from the detailed design and instead trying to find out what people want to change about their local environment.

The last word goes to Angela Crane, from the council in Adur and Worthing: Taking politics out of the debate means people are free to focus on the issue without bias. When individuals are presented with facts and an evidence base, it can help them understand in their own mind how a situation aligns with their own morals and values and reach a decision which feels the best fit, given all options.

In just one morning, East Marsh United (EMU) went from tough dilemmas to clear, shared priorities. Instead of feeling stuck between competing solutions, they uncovered the deeper aims that united them — and left with renewed purpose and confidence to act.

Since 2021, the Win-Win Workout has helped people find common ground on issues as divisive as 20 mph limits and Assisted Dying. But what happens when you apply the same approach to an organisation’s own aims and goals? That’s what we explored with EMU, a community group in Grimsby dedicated to tackling poverty, ill health and shortened lives on the East Marsh.

Exploring Aims Together

Thirteen of EMU’s staff came together in July 2025 to reflect on the deeper reasons behind their work.

The workshop began with a simple but powerful exercise: distinguishing between a solution (the “what”) and an aim (the “why”). It quickly became clear that while people often disagree on the “what,” they can almost always find common ground at the level of the “why.” Even light-hearted examples showed that uncovering these deeper aims opened up space for understanding and agreement.

Turning Dilemmas into Shared Vision

With the tools in hand, the group applied them to their own priorities. Three areas of potential tension were identified in advance, and teams explored each one.

• Community Space: Should funds go to a large hub for events or immediate housing needs? By looking beneath the surface, the group found common ground in “creating a space that feels like home for the whole community.” By the end, they strongly favoured securing a long-term, community-owned hub that could meet diverse needs while also preserving local heritage and building autonomy.
• Greening the East Marsh: Was tree planting the right next step? The group agreed the deeper aim was to build trust and pride first. Education, small steps, and care for private spaces would pave the way for shared community environments.

Key quote: “You can’t jump straight to an avenue of trees — it starts with alleyways, then back gardens, then shared spaces.”

• Other priorities: Across all groups, shared aims emerged quickly and gained universal approval — showing how much unity was already there, waiting to be uncovered.

The Impact

By the end of the morning, EMU’s team felt more aligned, energised, and ready to act. What began as dilemmas turned into clear shared visions.

Here’s what participants had to say:

“The workshop was really inspirational and it made us feel that we need to get on and do a bit more and secure that Community Hub.”

— Paula Graves, Community-led Housing Manager

“Your workshop is a magnificent and stimulating challenge to thinking… The way it was facilitated was a real model of how to do these things.”

— Billy Dasein, CEO

“I would heartily recommend Paul to any organisation… It’s certainly given me ideas for talking to the community about their plan. Come back soon, Paul, and have a beer at Docks Beers!”

— Jill Harrison, Lead for the Community Plan

Why It Matters for Organisations

Many organisations face competing priorities and tough decisions. The Win-Win Workout offers a practical, structured way to move beyond disagreements, uncover shared aims, and create the confidence to act together.

For East Marsh United, this meant walking away with clarity on next steps and the reassurance that they were working from a place of unity.

Bring the Win-Win Workout to Your Organisation

Does your organisation need help aligning on big decisions, setting goals, or overcoming tensions? The Win-Win Workout can help you discover the deeper aims that everyone can rally behind.

If you’d like to explore bringing a workshop to your team, we’d love to hear from you.
Contact paul@thinkingbox.info or perryw@talkshopuk.org

What participants gain

• A clearer understanding of how disinformation spreads
• Exposure to a wide range of responses and perspectives
• The chance to deliberate and identify the most promising ideas together

Workshop process (2 hours)
This session blends accessible learning tools with structured conversation and democratic decision-making.

Part 1: Shared learning
Participants explore the topic using 15 independently researched infographic cards, supported by quiet reading time, quizzes, and small-group discussion. Each person dives deeper into one of the three approaches, ensuring both depth and diversity of insight.

Part 2: Collective deliberation
Groups come together to discuss how different approaches can work in combination. Ideas are refined, shared, and submitted to Polis, a democratic online platform that allows participants to see areas of agreement, difference, and emerging consensus in real time.

Each workshop contributes to a growing body of collective wisdom across communities.

Format and duration

• Works equally well online or in person
• Standard length: 2 hours but also available in 1-hour and 3-hour formats

Our materials
The workshop uses visually engaging, independently researched infographic cards designed to make complex issues accessible and discussion-ready. You can see a sample here https://drive.google.com/file/d/11eUOk-6uB-nMd-iAREZKeqodsTHYu1ti/view  

What participants say

“You created a safe and friendly atmosphere which made discussion easy.”
“I loved the visuals — the handouts were attractive and easy to digest.”
“It was a great mix of individual thinking and group conversation.”

What groups often conclude
Tackling disinformation requires a joined-up approach — combining critical thinking education, media reform, and strong community collaboration, while addressing the deeper systemic drivers behind it.

Interested in hosting a workshop?
Ideal for councils, libraries, schools, and community organisations.

Contact

paul@thinkingbox.info 

Sample Infographic Cards