I trained as a Lego Serious Play (LSP) practitioner in December 2018 and was just getting into my stride of using it more widely when … Covid… Bit hard to do Lego remotely as it is such a tangible thing but since then I have actually been trying it online. It is certainly not the same as in person and takes some more logistical thought, sending out the packs etc but I have found it really helpful. So many times in online meetings given some of the challenges we are facing I wish I have had Lego in front of us all to sort it out.
I’ve run two sessions online in the last couple of months, one set with people new to LSP the other with people who had used it before. I haven’t done any formal feedback but anecdotally people have found it really useful – any feedback…
What has worked online….
- skills building
- refresher activities with those who have used LSP before
- making individual models
- focus on wellbeing and resilience
- bringing out key themes
- ordering them and focusing on planning/clarity
- making factors that impact on models
- finding the joy!
The key message has been that in a time when we lack so much variety – everything takes place on a screen – doing something tactile has really helped colleagues. Overwhelmingly the feedback was that people really enjoyed doing something different and positive that was a change from the “your on mute” meetings. I guess that is actually not so different to face-to-face LSP as that too is very different from the “lean out” style meetings. In Covid times though this has been even more appreciated.
What is very different
- the sessions were faster. I am not sure why this is, perhaps people “tinkered” less.
- people couldn’t see others models until they were shown on screen which has worked both ways. Some participants found it more freeing and were not influenced.
- similar themes even more striking – more of a surprise because people could not see other’s models.
- no shared models. I love shared models, I think these are harder to do although perhaps not impossible, I need to be more creative.
- smaller kits tended to make things faster and there was no sharing of bricks, obviously!
- you really do have to plan logistics – sending the sets out etc and getting them back again.
- it was easier to draw in reflection and move beyond LSP
- backgrounds don’t always work! People’s models disappeared into the backgrounds at various points.
- people shared pictures of their models as well as talking through them.
Next steps to try
Given we are still remote working and I am not sure when we will be able to share bricks again I’ve got a few more sessions scheduled….
- as part of a teaching session with Masters level students on leadership
- wellbeing and work-life balance
- I’d like to try as part of 1-2-1 coaching.