Drive Innovation, Light Change
A live, interactive learning experience that helps elected officials strengthen how they evaluate recommendations, weigh evidence, recognize assumptions, and make confident public decisions.
Municipalities invest significant effort helping newly elected officials understand legislation, procedures, governance structures, committee responsibilities, and how the municipality operates.
Those foundations are essential.
Soon afterwards, however, councillors are expected to do something quite different. They must evaluate recommendations built from evidence they didn't gather, weigh competing priorities, ask meaningful questions, and make decisions that affect their communities.
Most members develop those capabilities over time. The question is whether they need to learn them only through experience.
Evidence-Informed Organizational Reasoning complements traditional council orientation.
It does not revisit legislation or municipal procedure.
Instead, it develops practical approaches for evaluating recommendations, interpreting evidence, recognizing assumptions, navigating uncertainty, and exercising sound judgment around the council table.
Rather than asking "What are the rules?", participants explore questions such as:
These are questions members encounter throughout their term of office.
This is not a lecture.
Participants work through realistic governance scenarios, discuss competing viewpoints, and examine how different reasoning processes can lead to different recommendations — even when everyone begins with the same information.
One of the workshop's signature exercises challenges participants to evaluate three reports with recommendations prepared by experienced analysts who reviewed exactly the same evidence.
The exercise consistently reminds participants that stronger governance depends not only on information, but on the quality of reasoning used to interpret it.
After the workshop, participants are better equipped to:
Each participant also receives the Organizational Reasoning Companion, a concise reference guide designed to support future meetings.
Evidence-Informed Organizational Reasoning is appropriate for:
The workshop is delivered live and may be offered as either a half-day or full-day learning experience; the full day experience can be split over two half days.
Todd Kasenberg has spent more than three decades helping organizations strengthen communication, learning, leadership, and decision-making.
He also serves as Mayor of the Municipality of North Perth, and is retiring in November, 2026 after his second term in office.
That combination of professional practice and municipal leadership has shaped this workshop. It reflects both an understanding of how councils operate and a long-standing interest in helping organizations improve the quality of important decisions.
Most municipalities ask "How do we orient new councillors?"
Perhaps another question deserves equal attention. "How do we help them become confident decision-makers sooner?"
Evidence-Informed Organizational Reasoning was developed to help answer that question.
If you're considering future council development, orientation planning, or governance education, Guiding Star welcomes the opportunity to learn about your municipality and discuss whether this workshop could complement your current approach.
Available for:
Most experienced councillors eventually become skilled at evaluating recommendations, asking difficult questions, recognizing assumptions, and making decisions under uncertainty.
The question isn't whether those capabilities develop.
It's whether municipalities should rely solely on experience for one of the most important responsibilities elected officials perform.
When you work with Guiding Star, you ignite real transformation — in your people, your teams, and your impact. Let's spark light, warmth, and lasting excellence for your customers, donors, and stakeholders.
Reach out today. Let's build something brilliant together.
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