The stories we tell about the models are the powerful part. This was build during an exercise where the story was changed on the builder, and he had to tell a new story. What does it look like to you? An obstacle? A monster? A giant robot helper? In the end it was an idol of Happiness. A parable of chasing happiness and looking to fill this large hole with something always out of reach. LEGO® can help tell the story, but in the end it is your story that matters.
Workshop participant telling the story of one of his models. And a testimonial from him:
“Thank you for putting together such a thoughtful, fun, and inspiring workshop! You anticipated everything and really gave me time and space to play and think. I’m looking forward to another session, the fun we’ll have, and all we’ll learn together.”
When you build a tower, do you go for height? Stability? Balance? Design? Do you tell a story? No two towers ever look alike, even with the same bricks and instructions to work with.
I am starting to run workshops using LEGO® Serious Play®. I love this methodology! Here’s why:
1. LEGO® Serious Play® (LSP) guarantees 100% participation of all workshop attendees. How many meetings do you go to where two people talk all of the time, talking over each other and ignoring everyone else, and the rest of the people all check email? With LSP everyone in the room builds a model, and everyone talks about their model.
2. LSP uses the hand-brain connection (which I mentioned in a previous post) to great effect. We can start building with our hands without knowing what we are building, and find out as we go what we are doing. We have access to parts of our brains we never get to when we just talk or write. Plus, using both hands accesses both sides of our brains, which also gives us more brain potential.
3. The LEGO® bricks hold information for us so we don’t have to keep it in our minds. We can only hold on to at most seven things at once, so investing our models with information can let our brains open up to new ideas and information.
4. LSP gives us a 3-D model of our 3-D businesses. It’s more complex and nuanced than just writing lists or org charts.
5. LSP lets us understand everyone’s viewpoint. Everyone has information and ideas and opinions, and these may or may not be heard or taken into consideration in normal business processes. But everyone has a valid view of the overall picture and everyone’s view can be heard and understood with LSP.
6. LSP lets people talk about sensitive topics safely. People ask questions of the models, not of each other. So difficult topics can be discussed without fear of attack or rejection.
People start digging into themselves in a LSP workshop, then sharing these pieces, and pretty soon an amazing model develops of the real and complex relationships between these people and their ideas and the business at hand. People have a structure within which to talk, so no one is lost at sea with the “tell us what you think” kind of question. And people have more to contribute than they even knew. The overall picture has depth and value and clarity. Oh, I just don’t feel like I have enough words to tell you! I can’t wait to run my next workshop. I will post pictures and testimonials of workshops so you can get other peoples’ words too.
How could LEGO® Serious Play® help you?
Play Dates with Talia 