It’s always seemed funny to me how Easter came to be symbolized by rabbits and eggs.
It reminds me of an old exercise to stimulate creative thinking. You write a bunch of words, each on a single index card, and then mix them up. People draw two words and see what new thoughts come from that. For example, Happy + Toaster may equal a toaster that shows you the darkness of the bread before it pops out, so the person is happy. Bird + Notebook may inspire a class or hobby of bird watching. Dandelion + Blog may cause you to think about spreading (seeds and ideas). And Eggs + Rabbit may have led to the commercialization of Easter!
Maybe you can play with this exercise around the holiday table if you’re celebrating today, and have some fun training your mental muscles to see new combinations throughout the year.
Most people who know Sirius XM think of it as satellite music channels accessed in their vehicles. While that is true, the company also provides background music for over U.S.150,000 locations, including restaurants, airports, and hotels.
I was fascinated to learn about the intentionality of the music selections — not only by business but using different genres or beats in different areas of the business or at different times of the day. General Manager Mark Lehman shared that during rush hour at fast food restaurants, music has more beats per minute to move people out quickly, while other music is designed to make the lines feel shorter. Airports alternate their music in the welcome areas and during night hours to create the desired environment.
This reminded me of a newsletter by Jeff Cufaude, extolling the virtues of intentional food selection and layout during gatherings. Cufaude recommends utilizing food choices to increase nutrition, and to facilitate community. By choosing protein and whole grains over sugar and carbs and offering smaller portion sizes, food can contribute to the energy and engagement of participants. Utilizing two-sided buffets, family-style serving, or mixed seating arrangements can create opportunities for small talk and networking.
Those who host meetings, conferences, or other group events often focus so much on the content that the environment is overlooked. Next time, bring the background to the foreground and enhance the outcomes for everyone.
Sources: Insider Q&A: Sirius XM loves background music, Mark Lehman, distributed by the Associated Press, January 5, 2025 and Facilitate Friday Newsletter by Jeffrey Cufaude, “Successful meetings and conferences leverage fuel as food; Facilitation Friday #55, January 23, 2025
If I said the word “icebreaker” at the beginning of a workshop, I’d hear a collective groan. No one beyond Kindergarten admits to liking them. But I can’t just jump into the content in a meeting, class, or workshop without a mental transition exercise. Hence, the runway.
People seem to accept that runways are necessary before a plane can fly. They are also valuable exercises to help participants refocus and prepare to settle in and get to the content. I do them at the beginning of every session.
Runway exercises usually aren’t the traditional “getting acquainted” type of question, rather they set the stage for what is to follow. For instance, I ask people to find as many pairs as they can see in the room (e.g. two light switches next to each other, window panes that divide into two, two notebooks side by side on a table, etc.) Then I lean into the lesson that what you focus on is what you see — certainly no one paid attention to those pairs before we started. You can do the same thing by asking people to find circles (e.g. buttons, light fixtures, indents in the carpet from chairs, etc.). I’ve had people find something they physically had in common with someone else (e.g. wearing green, shoes that tie, dangle earrings, etc.) — illustrating that we have commonalities if we take the time to look for them.
I’ve also used this exercise to prep people for the content that follows. “Share a time you had a difficult conversation” is the runway for a workshop on that subject. “Tell someone about a successful collaboration” starts the partnership workshop, and “Who models high Emotional Intelligence for you” leads into the EI topic. You get the idea.
The point is that you can achieve the benefits of an icebreaker without the dread. In fact, using a runway exercise better prepares your participants to absorb the content you’re about to share. Help your next meeting or workshop achieve greater heights by starting off from the runway instead of the tarmac.
I was at a gathering yesterday with several baseball coaches and former players. The conversation turned to superstitions and the quirky things they did in conjunction with the game. One pays attention to the color ink in the pen he uses to fill out the lineup card. Another wore a cut-off sock on his pitching arm. One spits into his glove after every pitch. They knew of players who wore the same socks all season (without washing them!). And on it went. It seemed that everyone did something on the off chance it would matter.
Then someone wondered what it would be like if we had superstitious rituals in every profession as there seem to be in baseball. The teacher would tap the marker on the whiteboard three times before writing with it. The office worker could rub their mouse before turning on the computer. A nurse could stand with her feet in a specified position before drawing blood. We had a lot of fun with the possibilities.
Maybe you can do something with this idea: use it as an icebreaker at your next party, develop a superstition of your own to help you get in the right frame of mind to start your work day, or have everyone do it in your group to create some good laughs and team bonding.
If you were to develop the equivalent of a baseball player ritual for yourself, what would it be?
It’s one thing to develop a helpful resource for those in your organization but it’s a true gift when you decide to share it — for free — with others. That’s what Sally Madsen has done with her Inclusive Design: A Toolkit — a practical and thoughtful resource for those who wish to become more inclusive in their design.
Madsen writes: “As organizations build products and services, they may have a blind spot to those outside their assumed customer group — which limits their full target market opportunity and leaves groups under-served. This is not only a source of inequity, it’s a limiting factor on the scale and impact of a solution.”
Masden’s Toolkit is beautifully designed and provides examples and questions to consider in six different areas. It’s approachable and actionable for everyone who develops services for customers — and isn’t that all of us? Download the Inclusive Design Toolkit and use it as a guide as you create everything from forms to new products and see your efforts through a new lens.
I’ve seen a few examples lately of organizations creating displays about their teams to help others learn about their colleagues. This exercise not only helps share information but also serves as a tool for personal reflection.
Consider these questions: If you have just a minute in a staff meeting to share about yourself, what would you say? If you were asked to create an 8×11 handout with pictures, which would you choose? If you were asked to create a display reflecting on your character journey, what would you include?
Whether working together in person or remotely, everyone benefits when people learn about their colleague’s lives outside the office. Dedicate a “minute about me” in each of your staff meetings to have an individual presentation and then display the handouts, or create a gallery of collages about your team. You’ll be surprised at what you learn — both by doing the exercise, as well as reviewing others.
One of the most unique booths I’ve seen at a craft show was Lilliputian Landscapes — a collection of photographs that featured miniature people nestled among ordinary objects that were totally transformed because of the manipulation of scale. For example, the figures appeared to be looking at paintings in an art gallery (only the paintings were postage stamps), or figures appeared to be skiing on snow (that was cauliflower), or astronaut figures appeared to be walking on the moon (which was blue cheese). It was a fascinating change of perspective.
I have one of the photographs in my office as a reminder that we are biased about how we see the world — locked into mental models that cause us to make assumptions and take for granted most of what we see. A Lilliputian Landscape helps me pause and reframe to consider that there may be other ways to look at the problem I’m facing.
Consider what triggers you can use to shake up your point of view. Maybe something small can help you think big.
A meme on Facebook read: “Field trips shouldn’t stop after you graduate. I feel like if a bus pulled up to your job every few weeks and your boss was like ‘We’re going to the planetarium and lunch is provided and your friends are all coming too’ that things would be so much better.”
Jonathan Edward Durham wrote it as humor, but I believe there is truth in his first line. Field trips shouldn’t stop after you graduate. Think of how your organization could learn if you visited other places every now and then. You could experience how other organizations handle customer service. Check out competitors. Test out wayfinding by being in a new situation. Get inspiration for office layout or decor. Get closer to your customers. Learn about the history of your community, or visit organizations in a totally different industry and see what ideas you could adopt.
In addition to the learning, field trips could serve as a team-building experience and stimulate creativity thanks to a break from the routine. Think about how you can incorporate experiential education into your professional development plans.
It’s time for a holiday break from writing dots. Enjoy some repeats until the new year.
I use an exercise where I ask participants to draw (from memory) what is on the front and back side of a penny. It is amazingly hard for most people to do. They don’t remember where the wording is located, which way Lincoln is facing or what image is on the back. (Try it before peeking!) It is a quick way to capture the attention of people who are attending something that is “mandatory” or on a topic which they believe they are experts (or at least not in need of more training). It illustrates that just because you think you know something, you may not. It also illustrates how easy it is to take something for granted. Profound lessons don’t need to be lofty. This one is worth far more than its face value! Originally published in modified form on October 27, 2012
Currently, my favorite exercise to open a session involves utilizing the OuiSi photo cards. OuiSi (meaning yes-yes in French and Spanish and pronounced “we see” in English) is a box of 210 3″x3″ cardboard tiles, each with an image. I spread the pictures out across a table or two, then ask participants to find two cards that connect. No two cards are the same (this isn’t “Go Fish” matching) — so people need to think to find abstract connections.
For example, a dropped ice cream cone and a wind-damaged umbrella may connect because both are ruined. A pile of rubber bands and a jar of confetti may connect because both are multi-colored. A knot and a nail may connect as both are fasteners to hold things together. Licorice may connect with a half-eaten donut as both are food — or a pole as both are straight — or a ruined umbrella as both are red — or with train tracks that are both straight with patterns.
OuiSi comes with instructions for many ways to use the cards, but finding simple connections — then sharing your choices with another participant — has worked well to get conversations and creative juices flowing. Maybe I love it because its essence is making connections out of seemingly unconnected things — and isn’t that what leadership dots are all about?
(If you’re looking for a unique holiday gift, consider OuiSi. I have the original set, but there is also a nature set and art gallery version. http://www.ouisi.co.)
