Expert Strategic Planning Services and Consulting Solutions

Turn big-picture goals into practical direction with Strategic Planning Services and Consulting Solutions from experienced facilitators who help leadership teams align, decide, and act. IdeaGuides guides groups through interactive conversations that clarify mission, values, priorities, and tactics, producing actionable plans with stronger buy-in, better collaboration, and more productive use of everyone’s time.

Strategic planning consultants facilitating a leadership workshop

Our Strategic Planning Services

Structured facilitation and consulting services that turn group conversations into alignment, decisions, and action.

Strategic Planning

Facilitators guide leadership teams through a creative, structured process to define mission, values, current realities, future vision, goals, tactics, and documented next steps.

Executive Retreats

Customized retreats help executive and department teams address planning, decision-making, problem-solving, team building, creativity, feedback, conflict resolution, and alignment in memorable formats.

Messaging Workshops

Collaborative workshops help teams establish unified strategic messages by exploring corporate, customer, product, and media profiles, then documenting consensus in a clear report.

Decision Facilitation

Facilitators guide groups through proven methods such as CPS, SPRINT, and the Aha! process to solve complex problems and make viable shared decisions.

Ideation Sessions

Highly interactive brainstorming sessions generate ideas for product, service, and marketing development using tools like brainwriting, storyboarding, force-field analysis, and action planning.

Team Development

Tailored workshops align teams around trust, communication, roles, conflict management, problem-solving, values, and team missions, including options for virtual teams.

Facilitator leading a strategic planning workshop

Our Strategic Planning Process

Clarify Goals And Context

We start by clarifying the purpose of the engagement, desired outcomes, participant roles, and current challenges. Interviews, surveys, or planning conversations help shape a focused agenda that fits your organization’s needs.

Explore The Strategic Landscape

Envision And Prioritize Direction

Create Actionable Plans

Document And Move Forward

Trusted By Teams

Client Success

Organizations rely on IdeaGuides to make planning, retreats, and decision-making sessions more productive.

"I want you to know it was a pleasure getting to work with you and see you deliver this very beneficial seminar. I appreciate all the time and effort you put into ensuring this piece was suitable for Quorum."

Patrick Ursino

"I recommend IdeaGuides wholeheartedly"

Mike Faith

"Really energizing session, got all of the objectives we were aiming for, better participant engagement than I expected"

Immy Sinclear

"I want you to know it was a pleasure getting to work with you and see you deliver this very beneficial seminar. I appreciate all the time and effort you put into ensuring this piece was suitable for Quorum."

Patrick Ursino

"I recommend IdeaGuides wholeheartedly"

Mike Faith

"Really energizing session, got all of the objectives we were aiming for, better participant engagement than I expected"

Immy Sinclear

"I want you to know it was a pleasure getting to work with you and see you deliver this very beneficial seminar. I appreciate all the time and effort you put into ensuring this piece was suitable for Quorum."

Patrick Ursino

"I recommend IdeaGuides wholeheartedly"

Mike Faith

"Really energizing session, got all of the objectives we were aiming for, better participant engagement than I expected"

Immy Sinclear
The IdeaGuides Difference

Why Choose IdeaGuides?

IdeaGuides combines structure, creativity, and facilitation expertise to make planning sessions more productive.

Experience

More than 25 years helping teams turn complex conversations into practical strategic direction.

Expert Guides

IAF members and certified facilitators guide inclusive sessions where every voice contributes.

Proven Results

Over 250 projects completed for organizations needing clearer priorities, decisions, and implementation plans.

Flexible Delivery

Sessions are tailored for on-site, off-site, or remote teams across California and nationwide.

Meet The IdeaGuides Team

Experienced facilitators guiding teams toward productive decisions.

Portrait of Bruce E Honig, Chief Executive Facilitator and Master Trainer at IdeaGuides

Bruce E Honig

Chief Executive Facilitator & Master Trainer

Bruce E. Honig is the founder and Chief Executive Facilitator & Master Trainer at IdeaGuides, bringing over 30+ years of professional facilitation and training experience to organizations across California and nationwide. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, Bruce leads the IdeaGuides team with a deep commitment to collaborative idea generation and productive decision-making. As a professional facilitator and member of the International Association of Facilitators (IAF), he has guided more than 150 clients through strategic planning, team alignment, and innovation sessions. Bruce is also a prolific author, having written over five books on innovation, team building, and meetings, making him a recognized thought leader in the facilitation industry.

Portrait of Adam Shames, Master Facilitator and Trainer at IdeaGuides

Adam Shames

Master Facilitator & Trainer

Adam Shames serves as a Master Facilitator & Trainer at IdeaGuides, bringing deep expertise in team development, innovation, and collaborative group processes to clients across California and the nation. With a strong foundation in experiential learning and creative facilitation, Adam designs and leads highly engaging sessions that inspire teams to think differently and work more effectively together. He is the author of Teambreakers, a book focused on innovation and team building, reflecting his passion for helping organizations break through barriers and unlock their collective potential. Adam's facilitation style emphasizes participation, creativity, and practical outcomes that teams can immediately apply in the workplace.

Portrait of Michael Wong, Certified Facilitator at IdeaGuides

Michael Wong

Certified Facilitator

Michael Wong is a Certified Facilitator at IdeaGuides with a specialized focus on supporting non-profit organizations through facilitated meetings, strategic planning sessions, and collaborative decision-making processes. His understanding of the unique dynamics, missions, and challenges that non-profits face allows him to design sessions that are both deeply relevant and highly productive for these organizations. Michael brings professional rigor and genuine dedication to every engagement, helping non-profit teams build alignment, clarify goals, and move forward with confidence. As part of the experienced IdeaGuides team, Michael upholds the firm's core values of collaboration, involvement, and creativity in every session he leads.

Portrait of Jeanne-Marie Grumet, Senior Facilitator and Trainer at IdeaGuides

Jeanne-Marie Grumet

Senior Facilitator & Trainer

Jeanne-Marie Grumet is a Senior Facilitator & Trainer at IdeaGuides, contributing her extensive experience and professional expertise to help teams and organizations achieve greater alignment, engagement, and productivity. As a senior member of the IdeaGuides facilitation team, she brings a polished, skilled approach to strategic planning sessions, offsites, retreats, and team building workshops. Jeanne-Marie is committed to creating inclusive, participatory environments where every voice is heard and every participant contributes meaningfully to outcomes. Her work reflects IdeaGuides' mission of guiding clients toward collaborative and productive idea generation and decision-making across a wide variety of industries and organizational contexts.

Portrait of Alice Cochran, Expert Facilitator and Trainer at IdeaGuides

Alice Cochran

Expert Facilitator & Trainer

Alice Cochran is an Expert Facilitator & Trainer at IdeaGuides with a distinguished background in meeting facilitation and group process design. A published author of more than two books on meetings, Alice brings authoritative knowledge and practical wisdom to every session she facilitates. Her expertise helps organizations transform how they run meetings — making them more focused, efficient, and results-oriented. Alice's facilitation approach is grounded in best practices and years of hands-on experience guiding executive teams, senior leadership groups, and cross-functional teams toward clearer decisions and stronger collaboration. She is a trusted resource for organizations seeking to dramatically improve the quality and productivity of their group interactions.

Portrait of Ken Homer, Facilitator and Trainer at IdeaGuides

Ken Homer

Facilitator & Trainer

Ken Homer is a Facilitator & Trainer at IdeaGuides with specialized expertise in large group facilitation methodologies, including Open Space Technology and World Café. His deep knowledge of these powerful participatory approaches makes him an invaluable resource for organizations looking to engage large numbers of stakeholders in meaningful, self-organizing conversations that generate real insights and actionable outcomes. Ken's facilitation style is adaptive, inclusive, and highly effective at bringing out the collective intelligence of groups of all sizes. He works across a variety of sectors to help teams and communities explore complex challenges, build shared understanding, and move forward with clarity and commitment.

Portrait of Ray Madaghiele, Master Facilitator, Trainer and Coach at IdeaGuides

Ray Madaghiele

Master Facilitator, Trainer & Coach

Ray Madaghiele is a Master Facilitator, Trainer & Coach at IdeaGuides with deep expertise in strategic planning facilitation and organizational development. As the author of a book on strategic planning, Ray brings both scholarly depth and practical experience to his work with leadership teams, helping organizations clarify their vision, align around priorities, and build actionable roadmaps for the future. His coaching background adds an additional dimension to his facilitation, enabling him to support both group processes and individual leadership development simultaneously. Ray is known for his ability to guide organizations through complex strategic conversations with clarity, structure, and lasting impact.

Portrait of Dave Blum, Treasure Hunt Maven and Team Building Facilitator at IdeaGuides

Dave Blum

Treasure Hunt Maven & Team Building Facilitator

Dave Blum is IdeaGuides' Treasure Hunt Maven & Team Building Facilitator, bringing a uniquely creative and energizing approach to team engagement and collaboration. As the author of Dr. Clue Build-A-Treasure-Hunt, Dave is a recognized expert in using experiential treasure hunt activities to build team cohesion, communication, and camaraderie in a fun and memorable way. His programs are designed to break down silos, strengthen relationships, and foster the kind of trust and teamwork that translates directly back to the workplace. Dave's innovative facilitation style makes him a go-to resource for organizations looking for dynamic, out-of-the-ordinary team building experiences that deliver real results.

Portrait of Lee Gimpel, Master Facilitator at IdeaGuides

Lee Gimpel

Master Facilitator

Lee Gimpel is a Master Facilitator at IdeaGuides, bringing a high level of skill and professionalism to every meeting, workshop, and retreat he facilitates. With a command of advanced facilitation techniques, Lee helps teams and organizations move through complex discussions with focus and efficiency, ensuring that every session produces meaningful outcomes and that participants feel heard and engaged throughout the process. His work spans a wide range of industries and organizational contexts, from strategic planning and alignment sessions to innovation workshops and leadership offsites. Lee embodies IdeaGuides' commitment to guiding groups toward their best ideas and most important decisions with expertise and care.

Frequently Asked Questions

What do strategic planning consultants do?

A strategic planning consultant helps leadership teams clarify where the organization is headed and how to get there. IdeaGuides facilitates structured conversations around mission, values, current realities, future vision, goals, and tactics. The result is not just discussion, but shared alignment, stronger participation, documented outcomes, and a practical plan your team can act on.

When should our organization hire a strategic planning facilitator?

How long does a strategic planning engagement take?

What deliverables come from a strategic planning session?

Can strategic planning be facilitated remotely?

How much do strategic planning consulting services cost?

What types of organizations does IdeaGuides work with?

How does IdeaGuides customize the planning process?

Still Have Strategic Planning Questions?

Connect with our experts for practical guidance on your next planning session.

Areas We Serve

IdeaGuides supports organizations across California and nationwide with flexible strategic planning facilitation formats.

Need Facilitation Where You Are?

Ask about on-site, off-site, or remote facilitation for your team.

Certified & Trusted

Awards and Recognition

International Association of Facilitators logo

IAF Member Facilitators

Professional affiliation supporting facilitation standards.

Certified facilitator badge

Certified Facilitators

Skilled guides for structured group decision-making.

Published thought leadership badge

Published Thought Leaders

Authors on innovation, meetings, and strategy.

Ready to Build a Clearer Strategic Plan?

Tell us about your goals, timeline, team size, and planning challenges. We’ll help identify the right facilitation format and next steps.

Contact Us Today

For immediate assistance, feel free to give us a direct call at 1.415.479.2028. You can also send us a quick email at bruce@IdeaGuides.com.