FOR NEWLY FORMED TEAMS
Most teams don't have a communication problem. They have a style-mismatch problem.
Style Sync is a light, energising working session that maps how people prefer to communicate, agrees on some simple do-and-don't rules, and sets channel etiquette that speeds collaboration. You leave with a team style guide people will actually use, and usually fewer misunderstandings by the end of the week.
Download the session outline
A 30-minute call, no slides, no pitch. We'll talk through what's going on and whether Style Sync fits.
Does any of this sound familiar?
If the team communicates plenty, but something keeps getting lost in translation, one or two of these probably resonate.
The same conversation is happening in three places.
Slack, email, meetings, a corridor chat, and nobody is sure which is the real one. Decisions get made and remade.
Response times are unclear.
Some people expect same-hour replies. Others treat messages as async by default. Nobody has agreed on which, so everyone is slightly frustrated with everyone else.
Tone keeps getting misread.
Somebody's message comes across sharp. Somebody else interprets speed as rudeness. You can see it happening and you can't quite stop it.
The introverts are going quiet.
The loud voices are filling the space. The quieter voices are keeping their best thinking to themselves because the format isn't working for them.
If a few of those landed, Style Sync was built for this exact moment.
What we'll do together in the session
Style Sync is a single working session, usually half a day, designed to reduce friction in how a team communicates. It's particularly useful for new teams, mixed-discipline teams, and teams that have gradually built up bad habits that nobody has had the nerve to name.
The session is built around three jobs. First, we map personal communication preferences lightly, without pretending we're running a personality assessment. Second, we agree do-and-don't lists for meetings, chat and email, so people know what works for whom. Third, we set channel etiquette and response-time standards, so the "when" of communication is as clear as the "what". We're not there to produce a report on everyone's type.
What you'll walk out with
Three practical outputs your team can start using the next working day.
Output 1
A team style guide.
One page. The preferences that matter, the do-and-don't lists, the channel rules. Written in the team's language. Short enough to actually be read.
Output 2
Channel and response-time standards.
What goes in chat, what goes in email, what needs a meeting, and how quickly each is expected to get a reply. Agreed in the room, not guessed at afterwards.
Output 3
Meeting and async agreements.
Simple rules for when things heat up. Who talks to whom, what gets raised, how we do direct feedback, and how we depersonalise disagreement. Not policy language. The kind of thing you'd actually use.
What the session actually covers
The agenda flexes around the team's context, but most sessions follow a version of the below.
A light mapping exercise to surface preferences around directness, pace, detail, context, and emotional register. We use short diagnostics rather than heavy frameworks, because the point is to start a conversation, not to produce a certificate.
How we each prefer to communicate.
We built a simple do-and-don't list together. Short and specific. "When in doubt, put it in writing" or "ping before you dial" beats any abstract principle on a poster.
What works and what doesn't in meetings, chat and email.
We agree on what goes where and how quickly people expect replies. This is where most of the friction in modern teams lives, and most of it can be solved in 30 minutes of honest conversation.
Channels, response times, and the rules of async work.
We bring the prompts and the structure. You bring the team and the actual working context. Between us, you leave with a style guide the team wrote themselves, which is the only kind that ever really gets followed.
Who Style Sync is for
This session works best for teams of 6 to 15 people where communication is causing small, recurring friction rather than serious conflict. Leaders should be in the room because the leader's habits tend to set the ceiling.
Who it's for
• New or recently reshaped teams needing to set norms early
• Mixed-discipline or cross-functional teams where different professional cultures meet
• Teams with hybrid or distributed working, where async has become the default without anyone agreeing on it
• Teams where the same small misunderstandings keep happening and nobody wants to have the bigger conversation
Probably not the right fit if…
— The team is in active conflict. Rebuilding Trust or Courageous Conversations is a better starting point.
— You're expecting a personality-test workshop. That's not what this is.
— You want a deep culture intervention. Style Sync is deliberately light.
Style Sync is designed to be a lighter session than most of our other teamwork, so the pricing reflects that. If your situation doesn't fit one of these, we'll tell you and adapt.
Formats and investment
Pricing note: Style Sync is priced at a lower tier because the session is deliberately shorter and lighter than most of our other team work.
FORMAT
WHAT’S INCLUDED
INVESTMENT
Half-day session
3 hour working session, up to 12 participants, team style guide produced
From £1,200 + VAT
Full-day session
6 hour working session, up to 15 participants, deeper mapping plus async protocols
From £2,450 + VAT
Half-day plus follow-up
Half-day session and a 60-minute check-in at the 4 to 6 week mark
From £1,950 + VAT
Bespoke multi-team
Designed around multiple teams or sites, delivered over two to three days
From £5,500 + VAT
Prices exclude travel and materials. Scope agreed in writing before booking.
Future Proof Learning has supported leaders and teams across the public sector, third sector, and private sector SMEs. Most of the teams we work with are navigating something meaningful, and the patterns we see look remarkably similar in every sector we've worked with.
Our wider track record
Personal effectiveness and leadership development programmes for national bodies including Public Health Scotland and the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.
PUBLIC SECTOR
Team and leadership work with Scottish charities, often at executive and trustee level, including strategy and charter design for Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home.
THIRD SECTOR
Leadership and team development for SMEs across professional services, energy, and technology sectors, with a focus on owner-led and founder-stage businesses.
PRIVATE SECTOR
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Frequently asked questions
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No. We do use light diagnostics to surface preferences, but the whole session points at agreements rather than personal labels. We've seen too many teams leave a type-based workshop with new vocabulary and the same habits.
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Yes. If your team has already been through a tool-based programme, we can use that as a reference point. We won't re-run it.
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Yes, and often it's the right choice for distributed teams because you can use your actual channels during the session. Works well either way.
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It will probably make meetings better. It won't fix them entirely if the meeting problem is actually a role clarity problem. We'll tell you on the discovery call if we think you need something else first.
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Two to three weeks ideally. We can usually move faster if the team is available.
We don't do hard sells. A discovery call is 30 minutes, no slides, no pressure. We'll talk through what's going on for your team, what you're hoping to move, and whether Change Compass is genuinely the right tool for the job. If it isn't, we'll tell you, and we'll usually suggest something else that fits better. That's probably a healthier way to start a relationship than a pitch deck.
Not sure if it's the right fit? Let's have a conversation.
Or email us directly at info@futureprooflearning.co.uk and we'll come back to you within one working day.
Download the session outline as a PDF