Joy in Work Curiosity Collective: February 2026
Explore compassionate approaches to communication with the Joy in Work Curiosity Collective.
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About this session
Together, we’ll explore the well‑regarded Nonviolent Communication (NVC) framework.
NVC is a compassionate approach to communication that helps you express your genuine feelings and needs without judgment or blame, while also listening with empathy to others. The goal is to create understanding and cooperation so that everyone’s needs can be met through voluntary, respectful collaboration. Non-violent communication relies on a core four‑step model: Observation, Feeling, Need, and Request.
Facilitators
Julia is on a mission to help NHS staff reduce stress and overwhelm and be happier at work. She has supported NHS teams and organisations with quality improvement at a national, regional, and local level for over 25 years. During this time she has seen the tension between staff wanting to do a great job and the challenges of working in difficult environments with too few staff. This has made her both sad and determined that things need to change. She was a member of the first cohort to complete the IHI training on Improving Joy in Work and has been training staff in this approach, along with others, within NHS teams ever since. In 2018 she set up the Q Community Improving Joy in Work Special Interest Group which now has nearly 400 members. She also regularly presents at NHS conferences and events on the subject of happiness at work and is an avid reader of anything related to this topic. Julia is Board Member for NESCHA (North East Social Care and Health Advisors) which aims to help influence and shape the quality of NHS services by ensuring the patient voice is heard. She is also educated to MBA level.
Our speaker, Clinton Pascoe, is a coach and author who specialises in developing emotional intelligence through neuroscience‑informed behaviour change.
The Joy in Work Curiosity Collective
Do you find implementing Joy in Work a challenge? Are you unsure where to start? Or, have you implemented Joy in Work for your team already and want to share your experiences? If so, the Joy in Work Curiosity Collective is for you!
Join Julia Wood and John Rouse for monthly virtual 45 minute discussions aimed at navigating the challenges of implementing and sustaining Joy in Work.
During each session we’ll leverage our collective brain power to tackle complex issues and questions surrounding Joy in Work. These discussions could make all the difference between implementing and sustaining a successful Joy in Work project and one which leaves you wondering where things went wrong.
In this session, you will guide the selection of topics which means that the content is tailored to your challenges and draws upon your experiences.
Join the Improving Joy in Work online group
The Joy in Work Curiosity Collective sessions are part of the Improving Joy in Work online group.
The purpose of this group is to provide a learning forum to bring together those interested in Joy in Work.
Experts, complete novices, and everyone in between, is welcome to join this group so we can increase joy in our working environments.
Discover more
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The NHS needs to make space to look outwards
Opinion piece 12 October 2026 6 minute readBryan Jones makes the case for NHS organisations do more to learn from others. He examines the policies, structures, behaviours and processes that could enable this. -
Harnessing peer learning and networking to unlock system change
Case study 5 October 2026 6 minute readEvidence shows peer learning and collaboration can enable ideas and culture to shift, and to create change in complex systems. But what does it take to do this well in the real-world?