From Conferences to Interviews to Girl Scout Cookie Sales -- How to Use Design Thinking to Create Better Events Everywhere

I was a Girl Scout, and now co-lead a Girl Scout Troop. I never sold as many cookies as my sister, who set up shop at the race track with our dad and sold Thin Mints by the case to the big winners, but I held my own. Being a Girl Scout helped me start thinking of myself as a leader. 

My co-leader Lauren and I used to focus on cookie sales, camping and crafts, but as the girls have gotten older, we spend more time on helping the girls grow as leaders. 

Over the past few years, our troop has toured companies like Cisco, Facebook, Bare Escentuals and Apple, learned about our Myers-Briggs types, and practiced negotiation skills.

And last week, we did something really special. We invited Lisa Kay Solomon, founding Chair of Transformational Practices and Leadership at Singularity University, and co-author of the Wall Street Journal bestseller: Moments of Impact: How to Design Strategic Conversations that Accelerate Change.

Lisa and I have been good friends for a while, and we have had many interesting conversations about strategy, design thinking and The Membership Economy over the years.

Lisa and Robbie talking about Design Thinking and the Membership Economy at Singularity University

Lisa had just come from a speaking engagement in front of 2000 association leaders and we got her all to ourselves for an intimate and engaging conversation - what a treat! With our group, she talked about applying the principles of design thinking to leadership, and particularly to designing experiences - everything from networking conversations to conferences and even auditions.

The girls and I had 3 key takeaways:

1. Any event - any meeting, really - should have two goals: a functional one and an emotional one. Most people think about the functional outcome they want when they meet with a person or group; far fewer consider the way they want people to feel when they leave.
2. Events should be designed, and everything is fair game: music, location, agenda, participants, energy, etc. 
3. Any conversation, even a "networking conversation," should be considered in terms of a longer relationship.

So what does this mean for you, and for your organization?

 It means that you have an opportunity to massively increase the effectiveness of how you spend your time, just by taking a step back and focusing on the bigger picture. 

Consider outcomes, not just your own inputs. 

It also means that any one interaction you have with a colleague or customer must be seen as part of a bigger relationship. The deeper the relationship, the greater the engagement and the more powerful the loyalty you create. 

Challenge: 

Look on your calendar. 

What's your next big meeting or event? What are your functional goals? Emotional goals? How does this event fit into your bigger picture, and what does that mean for your goals? Design an outcome-focused experience to make an impact. 

Please, let me know if it leads to better results for you and for your participants. I bet it will!

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This article originally appeared in The Membership Economy Newsletter. Sign up here

Robbie Kellman Baxter is the founder of Peninsula Strategies LLC, author of The Membership Economy, and and a LinkedIn Learning course author.

Her clients have included large organizations like Netflix, SurveyMonkey, and the National Restaurant Association, as well as smaller venture-backed start-ups. Over the course of her career, Robbie has worked in or consulted with clients in more than 20 industries.

As a public speaker, Robbie has presented to thousands of people in corporations, associations, and universities. She has an AB from Harvard College and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Find Robbie on Twitter, @robbiebax.

People have been reaching out to Robbie after viewing her new Lynda/LinkedIn Learning courses on Networking for Sales, Business to Business Sales, Customer Success, Business Development, Create a Membership-Based Business and Develop a Service Orientation to ask how she works with companies.

Contact her at [email protected] to set up a complimentary call.

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