That was the question I was asked recently by a local curator, who was putting together the very first TEDx – Past, Present and Future event in my hometown of Lincoln – LSP being the future, of course.
With quite a few LSP sessions under my belt and despite words of wisdom from Robert Rasmussen on timings resounding in my head (sorry Robert), I thought, Why not? I’d like to give my time to support this TEDx event, so let’s see what can be achieved in just 40 minutes with a group of diverse individuals who had previously not met – well two groups actually; a morning and an afternoon session…..I like challenges. Some of you may be cringing at this point.
The questions in my mind – How quickly were the group going to understand the concept? so, how short could I make the stages? The answer is very quickly – with shorter build times and less bricks, the participants simplified their explanations. In just 40 minutes, using their models everyone was able to safely share with everyone else what they didn’t like about their community. And importantly, share and understand the important elements of their future inclusive and diverse community.
So the learning for me was that although the build, share, reflect were more time limited, as long as I didn’t take away any of the stages, I was able to facilitate groups of diverse strangers giving them the opportunity create a future by telling their story, listening and understanding. Of course it has limits and I’m not suggesting that this is the way to go. Just that, in some circumstances with careful session preparation and by preparing the groups for a quick fire session, meaningful, impactful results can be achieved in a short time.
Alison Rex, Certified Lego Serious Play Method Facilitator
