Posted on September 4, 2024
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Exploring LEGO® Serious Play® with AITD and Cliftons
On Wednesday 28 August, the Cliftons team was delighted to partner with the Australian Institute of Training and Development (AITD) to host a session with Mei-Ling Chin exploring the world of LEGO® Serious Play®.
Like many, we were intrigued about what LEGO® Serious Play® could teach us about training and facilitation sessions, but came away inspired and engaged.
Play unleashes creativity and engagement
Mei-Ling shared that play-based learning benefits children by unleashing creativity, supporting diverse learning styles and creating meaningful engagement – and that in the same way adults can get all the same benefits, when we give ourselves permission to play. Purposeful play in workplace learning can promote active engagement, broaden how we learn, and promote more diverse and creative perspectives.
Through LEGO® Serious Play® exercises, attendees explored how it provides a tactile way to express ideas and concepts through the use of models, metaphors and storytelling. LEGO® Serious Play® uses the philosophy that ‘everyone builds and everyone tells’ – meaning that people get to think before speaking which gives space for the whole group to participate equally.
Externalising ideas and concepts
Through LEGO® Serious Play®, Mei-Ling shared examples of how it fosters creativity that can be both humbling and inspiring. “3D printing one’s ideas via a physical model allows participants to externalise ideas and concepts. This promotes psychological safety and helps participants to be more objective by separating identity from ideas,” says Mei-Ling.
“I’ve seen people open up and talk about deeply personal experiences via a LEGO® model in ways I can’t imagine they’d do if asked directly. Other participants listen and deeply engage, empathising in ways that traditional meetings or workshops often do not cultivate.”
More than child’s play
LEGO® is so well-known as a children’s toy, but Mei-Ling quickly had us all convinced about it’s power as a tool in the workplace too. As a tangible medium, LEGO®:
- Allows participants to express themselves differently
- Transforms how people conceptualise ideas (often quite complex ideas, too)
- Encourages listening and participation
- Fosters open-ended communication
- Levels the playing field to give everyone a voice.
“Assigning meaning to each element of the build through the use of metaphors is key to LEGO® Serious Play®,” says Mei-Ling. “It focuses conversation, reduces the waffle and sparks the imagination; something most facilitators would probably love to get out of their sessions!”
LEGO® Serious Play® helps to create a safe space where adults are free to let their imaginations take them on a journey. For example, when scenario planning and vision setting at work, this approach can be quite freeing whilst also de-risking outcomes in both an intentional yet safe way.
“When people set aside their scepticism and get hands on, LEGO® Serious Play® can drive incredible results. LEGO® is the vessel, Serious relates to application to real world uses and Play®, is the means to achieving outcomes. I’ve had sceptical managers be completed amazed at how their teams respond to build challenges. Seeing this mindset transform over the course of a workshop is fascinating to witness!” shares Mei-Ling.
Injecting more fun into meetings and events
Everyone came away from the session inspired by the potential of LEGO® Serious Play® and how it can be incorporated into training and development programs.
If you’d like to explore ways to build LEGO® Serious Play® sessions into your team training days or other business meetings and events at Cliftons, reach out to the team to discuss your needs.
About Mei-Ling Chin
With a digital project management background, Mei-Ling has over 20 years of experience working in London, Paris and Asia. She is adept at bringing together multi-disciplinary teams and empowering them to do their best work.
Inspired by the creative problem solving and interpersonal nature of LEGO® Serious Play®, she became a certified facilitator in 2023 after training with Serious Work in London. She has a passion to better support fertility and menopause awareness in the workplace through LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® and will also offer LEGO® Serious Play® facilitator training in late 2024.
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