How to Facilitate the LEGO(R) Serious Play(R) Method ONLINE

New Facilitation Techniques for Shared Models and #Covidsafe Face-To-Face

This book was written in response to COVID-19, when we asked, 'How can LEGO(R) Serious Play(R), a tactile face-to-face workshop method, work professionally in the online setting?'

Our response was to create and now to share new techniques to make Online LEGO(R) Serious Play(R), including shared model building, work brilliantly. Our innovation to split the shared model building into a new sequence including, disaggregate, rebuild, 'Magic-hands(c)" and 'Build-along(c)' still results in a shared model that people are proud of and feel ownership over.

There have been (and may still be), voices in our community saying Online LEGO(R) Serious Play(R) is not possible. They are wrong. It is. There are some aspects of Online LEGO(R) Serious Play(R) that work better than face-to-face. Online creates a better record of all the ideas generated in a workshop, more dominant voices share better online, and we experience more participant openness and vulnerability as people communicate from the comfort of their own homes.

These new techniques enable COVID safe shared model building online AND face-to-face. This is an 'eco friendly' version of LEGO(R) Serious Play(R), with no 'Flygskam' and no travel carbon costs. These new Online LEGO(R) Serious Play(R) techniques will help cut carbon emissions long after the dark days of COVID-19.

The book includes:

Participant set-up: Harder and more important than it looks. Help your participants set up their online workspace before a workshop.

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 the additional digital platform skills build you can take your participants through.

Develop your 'Magic-hands(c)': Learn how to be 'Magic-hands(c)' for online participants, also a COVID safe way to facilitate shared models face-to-face.

Facilitate 'Build-along(c)': 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 the online techniques can be used face-to-face to create shared models with just one pair of hands.

Eight graduate stories: See how people trained in these online techniques are using them in online and face-to-face workshops.

Additional Resources: Appendices have further resources including a sample workshop plan and a PDF download for participant set-up.

This book is intended for trained LEGO(R) Serious Play(R) facilitators. Facilitators who already use LEGO Serious Play know what a 'Windows' kit is, they know the underlying four step process of Challenge> Build> Share> Reflect, and are already clear of the difference between individual model building and shared model building.