Yea! #BookLaunchDay :)
Sean Blair
Founder at ProMeet: Senior Level Strategic Facilitation | Founder of SERIOUSWORK: Professional Facilitation Training | Author
But first a story...
It’s hard to pinpoint when LEGO? Serious Play? was ‘born’, but it was about 1999.
The book, 'Building a Better Business using the LEGO Serious Play Method' by Rasmussen and Kristiansen, says that in the decade that followed, the method had four ‘existential crises’ and many failed business models. The last of these crises, we are told, was in 2009.
So in about 2009, having invested ten plus years (and presumably many, many Kroner), with no viable business model for the method, the big question the LEGO? Group faced was: What do we do with LEGO? Serious Play? now??
I’m told this 'problem' landed on LEGO? Group Global Director, Cecilia Weckstrom’s desk. Ultimately, the amazing, brave and generous decision she made around 2010 was...
... Make LEGO Serious Play Open Source
As I understand it, working with David Gauntlett, the LEGO? Group outlined the 'DNA' of LEGO Serious Play in the 48 page 'Open-source' guide (download link below).
To make an analogy, the Open-source guide is as close to a ‘Bible’, 'Tora' or 'Qur'an' as the LEGO Serious Play community has.
This document establishes the foundations, precepts and rationale underpinning the belief system that LEGO bricks can help humans communicate. It sets out the principles, philosophy, phases, etiquette and design steps of the method.
For such a short document, it packs a mighty punch. It's a work of art. Made open source.
Take a moment to appreciate that, because this was a huge move that Cecilia made. Thousands of hours of research, practice and enquiry, from so many clever people distilled into one short PDF. And free for you to use.
This is a gift we must appreciate. In one word: #iconicmove.
Page 4 of our ‘Bible’ says, “New applications will be developed by the international community of users, and may be shared online. In this new phase, we welcome creative uses of these tools, and innovation in the community”.
This brief 'scene set' is the context for for our big-news day, only made possible because of this short story.
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Today we launch our new book, “How to Facilitate the LEGO? Serious Play? Method Online: New Facilitation Techniques for Shared Models and #Covidsafe Face-To-Face”
With such a short and snappy title, we call the book ONLINE for short.
#OnlineLSP - Environmentally responsible and COVID safe
ONLINE is aimed at people who already know how to facilitate LEGO Serious Play. We've created brand new techniques for shared model building online, that remains true to the 'hands-on-minds-on' nature of the method that we all know and love.
Three key takeouts:
- Brand new techniques to facilitate online shared model building
- Inspiring graduate stories show the online techniques in use
- Free downloads to get you up and running
In detail, the book covers:
Foreword by Martin Gilbraith, CPF Master: International Association of Facilitators 'Hall of Fame' inductee provides critical context on what a facilitator is and does.
An introduction to 'Thinking digital': The mindset shift required to masterfully combine an analogue method with a digital platform.
Participant set-up: Harder and more important than it looks. Help participants set up their workspace before with our download.
Shared model set-up: Learn how to set up your 'studio' for online shared model building, from basic to pro set-ups.
New skills build: See (and download) the additional digital platform skills build you will take participants through.
Develop your 'Magic-hands?': Learn how to be 'Magic-hands?' for online participants during shared model building.
Facilitate 'Build-along?': Learn how everyone in your workshop can create a shared model together, at the same time, in different locations.
COVID safe face-to-face: See how online techniques are used face-to-face, with only one pair of hands touching the shared model bricks.
Eight graduate stories: See how people trained in these new techniques are using them in online and face-to-face workshops. (Thanks guys!)
Additional Resources: Read a sample online plan, get the download instructions and find out more about who we really are.
Today I'm hoping #OnlineLSP is very much the kind of ‘new application’ Cecilia and David imagined when they (and others?) penned the Open-source guide.
Driven by the COVID-19 crisis over 252 people have worked together since March 2020 to explore and understand what’s possible when combining a very analogue method like LEGO Serious Play with a very digital environment like video conferencing.
My hope is once you fully understand #OnlineLSP you will see, this new application is not a 'work-around'.
It is an upgrade.
?
This is our best work to date
Online LEGO Serious Play has some serious advantages. Not only is online COVID-19 safe, but we can also use online techniques in face-to-face settings for #covidsafe LSP.
I hope that this new application, #OnlineLSP, will help bring people together from all over the world to facilitate critical conversations in ways that only bricks seem able to do.
#OnlineLSP saves the carbon costs of travel, (especially flights) and these techniques will continue cutting carbon emissions long after the dark days of COVID-19.
#OnlineLSP creates a much better record of a group's process and outputs than most traditional LEGO Serious Play workshops.
#OnlineLSP is not the ugly brother of the face-to-face version but an equally welcome member of the LEGO Serious Play application techniques family with some superpowers that face-to-face LEGO Serious Play will never have.
Truly we stand on the shoulders of giants including all those who opened this brilliant method up for us all to use.
I expect that some of you, maybe those who who still think or were told 'online is not possible', might at first, find these ideas challenging.
But if you actually try or practice these ideas with the rigour that #OnlineLSP demands, you will discover that they work amazingly well. Prepare to be surprised. For those who work globally, these techniques might become one of the most valuable tools in your ever growing toolkit.
HUGE thanks and deep gratitude
This book is a true act of co-creation, I asked the question 'what's possible?', and made time to write up our learning. The real heroes of this book are my associate and friend Jens Dr?ge, the 252 pioneers named on pages 12 and 13, and our business manager Helen Batt.
My deep #gratitude to all who helped.
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Coaching is my passion. I can transform your life by helping you feel better about yourself and your future.
4 年Well done!
Experiential Developmental Trainings | Team Development | Facilitation | Gamification
4 年Already bought it (downloaded) and I will devote some time to explore it! Thank you Sean
Open to Coffee Catchups in Wellington | Proud Pro Elephant Rider | Certified System Level Facilitator of LEGO SERIOUS PLAY | Increasing engagement with Curiosity & Collaboration
4 年Congratulations! Awesome work
Data-informed but evidence-led Product & Flow Practitioner ? ProKanban trainer ? Data geek
4 年Congrats - another fantastic achievement :)