Have you ever facilitated large groups using LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® methods?
This little trick may save both your time and your feet.
A few weeks ago, I was guiding 40 engineering management students through a two-hour LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® workshop. We had a lot to cover. And I had a problem: How could I tell when each table was done sharing?
Every table moves at a different speed. Some have six people. Some have four. Some have talkers. Some don't. And because people are as different as the ducks they build, they all finish at different times.
I usually end up going from table to table asking, “Did we finish here?” or “You guys ready?” I'm getting my steps in, but I'm not being very efficient. And with little time to waste, I can't afford to move slow. The challenge of facilitating large groups through LEGO SERIOUS PLAY becomes: How are you supposed to tell between productive model sharing and—sometimes just as fun— shooting the breeze as they wait?
Then I remembered Tucanos, a restaurant that has a unique way of serving your meal. You go to your seat and are given a tri-colored, wooden cylinder in red, yellow, and green. This object is called the Tucanos Cue. When you want the servers to bring you freshly grilled meat, you flip the cue with the green side up and put it at the edge of your table. They will bring you meat constantly until you flip your cue with the red side up.
So, I bought some extra tall (2x2x2) DUPLO® bricks and built “traffic light towers.” I gave every table one traffic light tower and explained:
Red side up = We're still talking
Green side up = We're ready to move on.
Once every tower was green side up, I moved on.
Was it perfect?
No. I still walked the room, and I had to remind a few groups to flip their lights. But after two reminders, everyone got it. I even asked the students if the traffic lights added “one more thing” to think about. They said no. I noticed some preferred taking them apart and rebuilding them with green and red on top so that the studs were always facing the ceiling. All in all, they loved this aspect of the workshop.
At the end, the instructor who “hired” me for the session raved about the traffic lights:
“This was so efficient! Wow!
And the fact that you made these out of LEGO®—so on brand!”
So the next time you're facilitating a large group, build yourself a traffic light. Your participants will know when you're waiting. You'll know when they're ready. And your feet will thank you.
Written by Matt Jones
[1] You can learn more about the restaurant and the Tucanos Cue here: https://www.tucanos.com/about