Our Approach

So, what actually happens when you work with 1948?

We help organisations transform the everyday interactions that shape how people experience work.

Whether it’s giving feedback, managing performance, leading through change or creating more inclusive teams, these moments have a huge influence on culture, performance and wellbeing.

When it comes to bespoke learning, we design everything around your specific organisational challenges, people, budgets and timelines, delivering in person or virtually wherever you are in the world. Or if you’re looking to develop just one or two people, our open access masterclasses offer an effective learning option.
The team you meet at the start are the people you work with throughout – we don’t hand projects over once the contract is signed. And our team stays closely involved from design through to delivery, helping us create learning that feels grounded in real situations.

There is no single 1948 methodology.

We design learning experiences that will have the greatest impact in the context we’re working in.

Sometimes that involves theory and facilitated discussion or reflection. Sometimes it’s actor-led learning, Forum Theatre, role-play, one-to-one support or a combination of approaches.

What stays the same is our focus on helping people think differently about the moments that matter most, and giving them the confidence to handle them more effectively.

Forum Theatre

Forum Theatre often gets one reaction straight away: what on earth is that, and am I going to be asked to perform on a stage?

The short answer is no.

It’s one of the most practical and engaging ways of exploring real workplace situations.

We use professional actors to bring familiar workplace scenarios to life, drawn from the real challenges an organisation is facing, such as difficult feedback conversations or performance management.

It’s also a powerful way to explore inclusion, leadership behaviour and team dynamics in a very human way. People can see how small shifts in behaviour change how conversations land and how culture is experienced in the moment.

Participants don’t perform, and they don’t get put on the spot.

Instead, they watch what’s happening, pause it, and ask the actors to try it a different way to see what changes.

It’s structured and safe, because the responsibility for performing stays firmly with the actors — participants simply focus on exploring what works and understand what doesn’t.

Because they’ve seen and felt what it’s like to respond differently, the learning doesn’t stay theoretical. It connects directly to real behaviour back at work, helping bridge the gap between learning and doing in a way that lasts.

Actor-Led Learning

Our team is largely made up of L&D specialists who are also professional actors.

Why? Because their craft is built around understanding the complexity of human behaviour.

They understand that in any interaction, words are only the surface. It’s the underlying intention, emotion and subtext that shape how it unfolds.

They bring a level of realism and subtlety that helps participants notice things they might otherwise miss, such as tone, body language, pace and presence, and how much these influence the way things land.

As experienced learning and development specialists, they also understand how to shape these moments into practical learning rather than performance.

Actor-led learning can take different forms depending on the context. It might involve live demonstrations of workplace situations, one-to-one coaching and support, role play, or facilitated discussion.

The focus is always on helping people see the impact of their own behaviour and the choices available to them in the moment.

1:1 support

Alongside our group learning experiences, we provide one-to-one support when a more personal approach is required.

This can be particularly valuable when someone wants to explore specific challenges in more depth or build confidence in a particular area.

It might involve preparing for high-stakes conversations, developing confidence in presenting or public speaking, or exploring how to manage pressure in key moments at work.

The focus is always practical and grounded, helping individuals take what they are working on and apply it more intentionally in the situations they face.