Communication is complex. When I reflect on the inadequacies of language and the complications of working on teams where members have a variety of primary languages, it is amazing that we come close to understanding each other much of the time. 

 Making the INTANGIBLE Concrete and Tangible

To truly understand the impact of important decisions, it is beneficial to have deep discussions where abstract concepts such as values, motivations, and unacknowledged preferences or reservations, such as fear or love, are expressed. LEGO SERIOUS PLAY gives us the capacity to make these abstract concepts concrete, both to ourselves and our co-workers. This window into each other’s authentic feelings creates the foundation for trusting, respectful relationships.

I like to use the sofa model to illustrate levels of meaning and how the abstract becomes concrete using the stories we tell about our LEGO models in LEGO SERIOUS PLAY. The model pictured above, on the surface, is me, sitting on the sofa, having a good time. On a deeper level, the model can also illustrate how the company of certain people makes me feeI ie. giving me the same feeling as when sitting on my favorite sofa with my friend watching a movie and drinking wine.

All emotions, as abstract concepts, are challenging to express. Yet emotions are at the core of our attitudes about work, life and other people. In the workplace, love is the most challenging emotion of them all to express.

In the words of Annemieke Mintjes, a certified LSP facilitator and the author of Love at Work, “Most people will agree that love is central to well-being. But we hear very little about it in the context of work. It seems we have collectively agreed that this universal ‘good’ is somehow not appropriate in the place where we spend the bulk of our waking hours. To make business and the workplace more loveable for years I have been applying ways of working to involve people 100/100, like LEGO SERIOUS PLAY.” Challenge your co-workers to build what they love about work. You may be surprised at what the bricks and stories reveal.

Best Regards