Facilitating group meetings for better business outcomes
I don't believe a workshop should have a minimum size of participants or time. A simple meeting can be structured to be much better simply by following the Six Thinking Hats method.
Other more complex problems may need more defined and detailed processes like Design Thinking, Design Sprints or even big emersive methods like Capgemini's Accelerated Solutions Environments.
At the end of the day, workshops is a way, maybe the best way, to be effective and efficient while also being explorative and creative.
LEGO® Serious Play®
LEGO® Serious Play® is my favourite workshop methodology as I find it more effective, more efficient and simply more fun than other methodologies.
LEGO® Serious Play® breaks the cycle of having the classic meeting scenario where a few people talk for most of the time, while the rest feel they are not contributing and committed to what is supposedly agreed.
But more than that, LEGO® Serious Play® aims to unlock knowledge in the subconscious mind of participants by leveraging the very behaviour that makes us fiddle, doodle and otherwise keep our hands busy.
The aim of using LEGO® Serious Play® is to drive real time strategy by having 100% of participants actively engaged 100% of the time.
Examples of where LEGO® Serious Play® can be applied to get value:
- Complex problem landscape where there is a need to get to a bigger picture and a fresh perspective.
- Agree on product- and services concepts, strategy and/or roadmaps.
- Explore and establish business models based on participants' conscious knowledge and unlocked insights.
- Understand organisational change needs, fears and hopes on a level playing field.
- Team strategy to increase awareness and efficiency within a multi-skilled team without alienating individuals.
- Deal with difficult subjects in a safe and constructive atmosphere.
- Get to the core beliefs, values and root causes fast and from these create alignment and a common understanding.
- Create memorable outputs based on a common language.