Working sessions
Courtyard
Half-day sessions in the rear courtyard for teams who need alignment before a campaign moves to production.
The courtyard catches the morning shade and the afternoon breeze. Plants line the rail; the table is the same length as the one upstairs, but the air is different. Teams argue differently here — less performative, more plain.
Session format
A courtyard intensive runs four hours including a short break. Maximum six participants — usually a founder, a marketing lead, and whichever functional heads own the channels in question. Larger groups are split across two sessions.
The first hour is reading: we read your existing materials aloud — website, sales deck, recent ads — and mark contradictions on a shared document projected on the wall. No one presents slides; we read what already exists.
The second hour is writing: the group drafts one message hierarchy on paper. Primary proposition, two supporting points, one proof point. Everything else is cut or deferred.
The third hour is channel mapping: which channels carry which part of the hierarchy, in what sequence, with what owner. The fourth hour is agreement: decisions are read back, disputed lines are resolved, and next steps are assigned with names and dates.
What we prepare beforehand
You send materials five working days before the session: current website copy, latest sales deck, any live or recent campaign assets, and a one-page note describing the decision you need to leave with.
We prepare a contradiction map — a document listing every place your message diverges across materials — and print it for the table. We also prepare blank hierarchy templates and channel mapping grids.
We do not prepare recommendations in advance. The session produces the recommendation; pre-written strategy slides would undermine the room.
What leaves the room in writing
Within two working days you receive an alignment document containing: the agreed message hierarchy, channel mapping with owner assignments, a list of materials to retire or rewrite, and a next-step brief for whichever engagement shape you choose next.
The document is plain text with marked sections — not a designed deck. It is meant to be forwarded internally and attached to agency briefs.
Courtyard intensives are listed as an engagement shape on Weaves. To schedule, email via the Doorbell page.
We recommend courtyard sessions for leadership teams where message hierarchy is disputed — not for teams that already agree and need production support. The format is uncomfortable by design: contradictions are read aloud, not buried in a slide appendix.
Sessions are held before noon when the shade holds and the courtyard is cool. Water, printed materials and blank hierarchy templates are provided. Laptops stay closed unless someone needs to read a live page aloud.
After the session, the studio lead drafts the alignment document — not an assistant. You receive it within two working days. If your team disputes a line in the document, one revision round is included as agreed in your written scope.
Weather contingency: if rain prevents courtyard use, the session moves to the long table upstairs without changing format or duration. The reading-mark-rewrite sequence stays the same.