I took this photo a while back at a farmer’s market. There was a children’s play area, and I was sitting there because I was with a child. I saw this man come over, get down on the ground, and start playing with the toys. I was thrilled, since so many grown adults think it’s beneath them, or they’ll lose their dignity, or that it’s boring, to see him embrace his desire to play and to see him enjoy himself.
The story we tell about our LEGO® models is much more important than the way they look. Are these two animals friends? They look like they might be shaking hands. Are they able to make this connection because the tiger is just a cub, and the monkey is wise? Or maybe they’re about to fight. Or maybe they’re trying to fight using rock paper scissors, and they need a better way to solve their conflicts. It’s always fascinating to see how these toys become symbols and stories and real life situations.
I brought my LEGO® bricks to The Art of Active Networking at The Box SF last night. This woman works there, and build a model of herself and her relation to her work. She built a box to represent The Box SF, put a trophy on it to represent the best event space, a bush to represent their efforts to be green, and a strong female character who is a zookeeper to represent herself, a strong woman who wanted to be a zookeeper when she was a child.
Is everyone in your organization rowing in the same direction? Even the ninja in the back? Is the team on the ground keeping in front of the team with their heads in the clouds? Can anyone even row when they’re so far up?
(I’d love to talk to you if your team could use some help with their rowing! taliaehrlich@yahoo.com)
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.
This is me! From my training to become a certified facilitator using LEGO® Serious Play®
Play Dates with Talia 