Podcasts about Gamestorming

The tension between doing good research and delivering on tight timelines is something I've experienced throughout my career in design and innovation. This conversation with Sam Zucker unpacks powerful approaches to making research more sustainable and equitable while building systems that support continuous learning and engagement. What particularly struck me was Sam's practical framework for embedding research into organizational workflows. Her approach transforms research from a periodic, resource-intensive effort into an ongoing capability that shapes decision-making and product development. This represents a crucial evolution in how we think about evidence-based design.   Questions This Episode Helps You Answer How can we build sustainable research systems that work within real-world constraints? What makes equity-based research different from traditional approaches? When should we adapt research methods for regulated environments? How might we use prototypes to get better research insights? Why do continuous research systems often succeed where one-off studies fail? I invited Sam to share her expertise because she brings a unique perspective on making research work in complex, regulated environments while maintaining a deep commitment to equity and inclusion. Her experience spans from reimagining college financial aid experiences to transforming employer benefits, always with a focus on serving people who are often overlooked in traditional research.   Episode Highlights [01:40] Sam describes her journey from an interdisciplinary background at Carnegie Mellon studying conceptual art, communication design, and sociolinguistics to founding Reroute Research, illustrating how diverse educational foundations can lead to innovative research approaches. [03:00] Shares insights from working on College Abacus, a groundbreaking tool that helped students understand true college costs beyond sticker prices, demonstrating how design research can tackle complex financial decisions. [05:30] Articulates her core focus: taking complex decisions (like college choice or insurance selection) and making them more understandable and actionable for users, revealing how design research can simplify without oversimplifying. [08:30] Introduces the innovative "researcher in residence" model where she embeds within companies for 3–4 months, showing how deeper integration leads to better knowledge transfer and organizational impact. [12:00] Explains her commitment to equity-based design and how it shapes recruiting practices, emphasizing the importance of reaching participants who are typically underrepresented. [15:30] Details practical strategies for inclusive recruitment, including flexible scheduling, multiple contact attempts, and accommodating cancellations — demonstrating how research processes themselves need to be designed for equity. [18:30] Shares approach to reciprocity in research, explaining how she ensures participants benefit from the process through information sharing and resource connections. [22:00] Describes how to build sustainable research systems that organizations can maintain long-term, emphasizing the importance of integrating with existing tools and workflows. [25:30] Provides a success story of Better Future Forward implementing a continuous research system, showing how research can become embedded in organizational culture. [31:30] Explains her approach to using low-fidelity prototypes early in research to get more accurate insights about what people actually want versus what they say they want. [37:30] Shares expertise on conducting research in highly regulated environments, emphasizing the importance of reading and understanding regulations firsthand rather than relying on others' interpretations. [41:30] Offers valuable advice for researchers working in regulated environments: build relationships with supportive stakeholders who can help drive innovation forward while navigating constraints. [45:00] Concludes with an important insight about the critical role of language in UX, noting how sometimes the most impactful research finding can be identifying the right word choice for users.   Questions to Help You Go Deeper Learning What surprised you about Sam's approach to continuous research systems and why? How does her equity-based framework challenge or enhance your current research practice? Which aspects of the researcher-in-residence model seem most valuable for your context? Leading How might you help your team understand and apply continuous research approaches? Where in your organization would more equitable research practices create the most value? What would success look like if you implemented ongoing research systems with your team? Applying What's one small experiment you could run next week with prototype-based research? Which current challenge could you address using Sam's approach to participant recruiting? How could you adapt the continuous research system to work in your specific context? Practicing How will you build more equitable research practices into your regular work? What support or resources do you need to implement continuous research systems?   Resources I Recommend Monteiro, Mike. Ruined by Design: How Designers Destroyed the World, and What We Can Do to Fix It. MULE BOOKS, 2024.  >>> Sam specifically mentioned finding this essential reading and I agree. This bold update of Monteiro's classic work challenges us to face the ethical implications of our design choices head-on. The 2024 edition feels especially relevant for research practitioners wrestling with AI ethics, privacy concerns, and the increasing impact of our design decisions on society. While provocative, it provides practical frameworks for making better choices about what we create and why. Monteiro, Mike. Design Is a Job: The Necessary Second Edition. Edited by Lisa Marie Marquis, Mule Books, 2024.  >>> While not mentioned in our conversation, this book expands on many of the ideas in this episode and is essential reading for every designer. Reece, Erik. Utopia Drive: A Road Trip through America's Most Radical Idea. First paperback edition, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2017.  >>> Sam highlighted this as one of her favorite books, noting how it connects to design thinking through its exploration of systematic change efforts. The book examines America's history of utopian communities as design experiments. I find it valuable for understanding how ambitious visions for change interact with real-world constraints — a tension researchers regularly navigate. Hall, Erika. Just Enough Research. 2024 edition, Mule Books, 2024.  >>> While not directly referenced by Sam, this newly updated guide aligns perfectly with her lean, practical approach to research. It provides excellent frameworks for right-sizing research efforts to match organizational constraints while maintaining rigor. The 2024 edition adds valuable perspective on remote research and working within regulated environments. Gray, Dave, et al. Gamestorming: A Playbook for Innovators, Rulebreakers, and Changemakers. O'reilly, 2010.  >>> Sam mentioned returning to this book often, seeing it as an intersection of conceptual art and facilitation techniques. I agree. While positioned as a workshop tool, Gamestorming's techniques for structured exploration and collaborative meaning-making are invaluable for research sessions. The methods can help create the trust and openness Sam emphasized as crucial for good research.   Tools We Discussed Typeform: For research participant feedback loops Salesforce: Example of embedding research in existing systems Asana/Jira/Notion: Options for research operations management   Deepen Your Learning 5.5 Things Every Designer Should Know About Hacking Bureaucracy with Marina Nitze — DT101 E106 Language + Design Research + Researcher Self-Care with Abby Bajuniemi — DT101 E96 Trauma-Informed Design + Participatory Design Perils + Research with Vulnerable Populations with Sarah Fathallah — DT101 E72 Remember to join Ask Like a Designer, our learning community at fluidhive.com/podcast for more resources and conversations about design thinking in practice!

The tension between doing good research and delivering on tight timelines is something I've experienced throughout my career in design and innovation. This conversation with Sam Zucker unpacks powerful approaches to making research more sustainable and equitable while building systems that support continuous learning and engagement. What particularly struck me was Sam's practical framework for embedding research into organizational workflows. Her approach transforms research from a periodic, resource-intensive effort into an ongoing capability that shapes decision-making and product development. This represents a crucial evolution in how we think about evidence-based design.   Questions This Episode Helps You Answer How can we build sustainable research systems that work within real-world constraints? What makes equity-based research different from traditional approaches? When should we adapt research methods for regulated environments? How might we use prototypes to get better research insights? Why do continuous research systems often succeed where one-off studies fail? I invited Sam to share her expertise because she brings a unique perspective on making research work in complex, regulated environments while maintaining a deep commitment to equity and inclusion. Her experience spans from reimagining college financial aid experiences to transforming employer benefits, always with a focus on serving people who are often overlooked in traditional research.   Episode Highlights [01:40] Sam describes her journey from an interdisciplinary background at Carnegie Mellon studying conceptual art, communication design, and sociolinguistics to founding Reroute Research, illustrating how diverse educational foundations can lead to innovative research approaches. [03:00] Shares insights from working on College Abacus, a groundbreaking tool that helped students understand true college costs beyond sticker prices, demonstrating how design research can tackle complex financial decisions. [05:30] Articulates her core focus: taking complex decisions (like college choice or insurance selection) and making them more understandable and actionable for users, revealing how design research can simplify without oversimplifying. [08:30] Introduces the innovative "researcher in residence" model where she embeds within companies for 3–4 months, showing how deeper integration leads to better knowledge transfer and organizational impact. [12:00] Explains her commitment to equity-based design and how it shapes recruiting practices, emphasizing the importance of reaching participants who are typically underrepresented. [15:30] Details practical strategies for inclusive recruitment, including flexible scheduling, multiple contact attempts, and accommodating cancellations — demonstrating how research processes themselves need to be designed for equity. [18:30] Shares approach to reciprocity in research, explaining how she ensures participants benefit from the process through information sharing and resource connections. [22:00] Describes how to build sustainable research systems that organizations can maintain long-term, emphasizing the importance of integrating with existing tools and workflows. [25:30] Provides a success story of Better Future Forward implementing a continuous research system, showing how research can become embedded in organizational culture. [31:30] Explains her approach to using low-fidelity prototypes early in research to get more accurate insights about what people actually want versus what they say they want. [37:30] Shares expertise on conducting research in highly regulated environments, emphasizing the importance of reading and understanding regulations firsthand rather than relying on others' interpretations. [41:30] Offers valuable advice for researchers working in regulated environments: build relationships with supportive stakeholders who can help drive innovation forward while navigating constraints. [45:00] Concludes with an important insight about the critical role of language in UX, noting how sometimes the most impactful research finding can be identifying the right word choice for users.   Questions to Help You Go Deeper Learning What surprised you about Sam's approach to continuous research systems and why? How does her equity-based framework challenge or enhance your current research practice? Which aspects of the researcher-in-residence model seem most valuable for your context? Leading How might you help your team understand and apply continuous research approaches? Where in your organization would more equitable research practices create the most value? What would success look like if you implemented ongoing research systems with your team? Applying What's one small experiment you could run next week with prototype-based research? Which current challenge could you address using Sam's approach to participant recruiting? How could you adapt the continuous research system to work in your specific context? Practicing How will you build more equitable research practices into your regular work? What support or resources do you need to implement continuous research systems?   Resources I Recommend Monteiro, Mike. Ruined by Design: How Designers Destroyed the World, and What We Can Do to Fix It. MULE BOOKS, 2024.  >>> Sam specifically mentioned finding this essential reading and I agree. This bold update of Monteiro's classic work challenges us to face the ethical implications of our design choices head-on. The 2024 edition feels especially relevant for research practitioners wrestling with AI ethics, privacy concerns, and the increasing impact of our design decisions on society. While provocative, it provides practical frameworks for making better choices about what we create and why. Monteiro, Mike. Design Is a Job: The Necessary Second Edition. Edited by Lisa Marie Marquis, Mule Books, 2024.  >>> While not mentioned in our conversation, this book expands on many of the ideas in this episode and is essential reading for every designer. Reece, Erik. Utopia Drive: A Road Trip through America's Most Radical Idea. First paperback edition, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2017.  >>> Sam highlighted this as one of her favorite books, noting how it connects to design thinking through its exploration of systematic change efforts. The book examines America's history of utopian communities as design experiments. I find it valuable for understanding how ambitious visions for change interact with real-world constraints — a tension researchers regularly navigate. Hall, Erika. Just Enough Research. 2024 edition, Mule Books, 2024.  >>> While not directly referenced by Sam, this newly updated guide aligns perfectly with her lean, practical approach to research. It provides excellent frameworks for right-sizing research efforts to match organizational constraints while maintaining rigor. The 2024 edition adds valuable perspective on remote research and working within regulated environments. Gray, Dave, et al. Gamestorming: A Playbook for Innovators, Rulebreakers, and Changemakers. O'reilly, 2010.  >>> Sam mentioned returning to this book often, seeing it as an intersection of conceptual art and facilitation techniques. I agree. While positioned as a workshop tool, Gamestorming's techniques for structured exploration and collaborative meaning-making are invaluable for research sessions. The methods can help create the trust and openness Sam emphasized as crucial for good research.   Tools We Discussed Typeform: For research participant feedback loops Salesforce: Example of embedding research in existing systems Asana/Jira/Notion: Options for research operations management   Deepen Your Learning 5.5 Things Every Designer Should Know About Hacking Bureaucracy with Marina Nitze — DT101 E106 Language + Design Research + Researcher Self-Care with Abby Bajuniemi — DT101 E96 Trauma-Informed Design + Participatory Design Perils + Research with Vulnerable Populations with Sarah Fathallah — DT101 E72 Remember to join Ask Like a Designer, our learning community at fluidhive.com/podcast for more resources and conversations about design thinking in practice!

How can you create the life of your dreams, where your work not only pays the bills, but brings you daily joy, creative fulfilment and purpose?Possibilitarian, artist and author Dave Gray joins me in this episode to introduce us to the art of the possible. He generously shares his life's lessons in business and creativity; from building his $10 million agency, to becoming an accidental author of 3 books, and his creative community brainchild, the School of the Possible.A rich, expansive conversation, filled with inspiration, with lots to savour and apply in your own business!Find out about:What becomes possible when you take away the label of facilitationThe pitfalls of not having an external meeting facilitatorThe structures and rules needed to fulfill meeting rolesHow to apply standardised practices while still allowing room for emergenceWhy empathy maps can act as your north starThe constraints you should put in place for starting a businessDon't miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player.And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand.Links:Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube.Connect to Dave Gray:LinkedInWebsiteSupport the show**Click here to navigate through all episodes via this interactive podcast map.**Are you inspired by our podcast guests and crave a taste of masterfully facilitated workshops? Join the NeverDoneBefore Facilitation Festival. **If you enjoy the show, consider a one-off donation and contribute to the ongoing costs of running the podcast.

LEGO Alert! Around the 50-minute mark, Sunni busts out LEGO to answer some questions. ___________________ Hello there! We're Dr. Jane Hession and Ronan Healy. We're a husband and wife team and co-founders of the service design studio How Might We - www.howmightwe.design We're passionate about Play and provide online and in-house training in the LEGO Serious Play method to: 1) Third-level Educators - https://bit.ly/LSP_Ed_Innovators 2) Organisational Innovators - https://bit.ly/LSP_Org_Innovators Episode Twelve It's often tempting to describe a guest as a "Legend," but this label feels especially fitting for Sunni Brown. And we don't just mean legend in the sense of being "famous"- though Sunni deservingly is. We mean legend as in "a story handed down by our ancestors," as we believe Sunni embodies the stories of our ancestors. As the author of The Doodle Revolution, Sunni embodies our ancestors who used cave paintings to communicate hunting tactics, societal values, and intangible spiritual concepts. This connection is particularly strong with Sunni's new venture, the Centre for Deep Spiritual Design. As the co-author of Gamestorming, Sunni represents our ancestors who used games to teach skills, resolve conflicts, and strengthen bonds. These games were vital for transmitting cultural knowledge and identity across generations, and for Sunni across organisations. So there you have it. Sunni Brown. Legend. Sunni Who?  Sunni Brown is a social entrepreneur, bestselling author, keynote speaker, expert collaboration designer and facilitator, and earnest American Zen practitioner. She's the founder of creative consultancy Sunni Brown Ink and The Centre For Deep Self Design, and was named one of the “100 Most Creative People in Business” and one of the “10 Most Creative People on Twitter” by Fast Company. Her TED talk has drawn over 1.6 million views, and her work on visual thinking has been featured in every major U.S. publication, including The New York Times, The New York Post, The Wall Street Journal, Time Magazine, WIRED, and Entrepreneur. She has also been featured twice on CBS Sunday Morning and The TODAY Show. The former CEO of MURAL recruited her to be their first and only Innovator-in-Residence. Sun's two globally beloved books - Gamestorming and The Doodle Revolution have been translated into over 25 languages. She's one of the educators widely credited with the rise of visual thinking as a tool for deeper inquiry. Contact Details LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/sunnibrown/  Websites www.centerfordeepselfdesign.com www.sunnibrown.com  https://nothingintheway.substack.com/  Email sunni@deepselfdesign.com  Books The Doodle Revolution https://amzn.eu/d/eWjYiKI Timestamps (0:00) - Introduction and Welcome (0:14) - Guest Introduction: Sunni Brown (2:02) - Key Quotes from Sunni Brown (3:28) - Introduction to the Interview (4:04) - Sunni's Childhood and Personality (6:59) - Overcoming Adversity and Resilience (10:00) - Parenting and Play (13:07) - Stories of Vulnerability and Recovery (14:26) - Adult Playfulness and Attributes (17:08) - Primitive Ancestral Wisdom of Play (21:00) - The Value of Being Present (22:26) - Play as a Socializing Function (26:12) - Play in the Workplace (28:21) - The Importance of Play in Preventing Aging (30:00) - Facing the Unexpected (32:21) - Embracing Chaos for Creativity (35:33) - Advice for Young Professionals (39:35) - Explaining Work to a Child (40:54) - Career Evolution and Fuzzy Goals (45:14) - Current Work and Collaboration (48:11) - Doodling and Visual Thinking (49:30) - The Role of Visual Language (50:18) - Using LEGO for Creative Expression (51:00) - What Inspires Your Work (52:00) - Impact of Work on Perception (54:39) - Conceptualizing with LEGO (57:05) - Designing Systems for Collaboration (58:07) - Softening Separation (59:52) - Closing Remarks and Future Collaboration

On the 69th episode of the What is a Good Life? podcast, I am delighted to introduce our guest, Dave Gray. Dave is the author of Gamestorming, Liminal Thinking: Create the Change You Want by Changing the Way You Think, and The Connected Company. He is also an artist, an entrepreneur, and a possibilitarian. After selling his company, XPlane, in 2022, Dave established The School of the Possible, an experimental learning community through which he helps people create work that is meaningful and matters to them.In this episode, Dave shares with us his journey of finding purpose and meaning in his life, from the sense of belonging he felt at art school, to identifying and honouring his true nature, and noticing moments in life where he felt he was in the right place, at the right time, with the right people. He emphasises the importance of relationships and community in identifying our own uniqueness and the energy he experiences when in creative communities. Dave also underscores the significance of possibility and supporting others with their creativity.This episode will give you much to consider regarding finding more purpose, meaning, and cultivating greater awareness around your own true nature. While Dave's breadth of experience, creativity, and curiosity, are wonderful examples of what is possible when we fully engage with our true nature.Subscribe for weekly episodes, every Tuesday, and check out my YouTube channel (link below) for clips and shorts.For further content and information check out the following:- Dave's website: https://xplaner.com/- Dave's Newsletter: https://schoolofthepossible.substack.com/- For the podcast's YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlife/videos- My newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/- My LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/Contact me at mark@whatisagood.life to book a free consultation (30 minutes) for one-on-one coaching programs, executive team coaching programs to build trust and connection amongst executive teams or silent retreats for executive teams.Running Order:02:25 Podcast begins03:55 Finding meaning in life07:15 Identifying and honouring our true nature13:09 The significance of creativity 17:56 Exploring meaning in the journey20:49 Purpose and our true nature23:55 Possibility, producing and possibility27:15 Community and energy32:00 Using our relationships to identify our uniqueness34:55 The significance of relationships40:25 Beauty in everything44:25 The role of meaning52:25 What is a good life for Dave?

Workplaces today often stress seriousness and productivity at the cost of creativity and innovation. Yet, embracing a more playful approach at work can lead to better problem-solving, enhanced creativity, and an overall more enjoyable work experience. In this blog post, we explore the insights shared by Jennifer Battan, a seasoned business analyst and chief creativity officer, on the importance of play and creative brainstorming in corporate settings.Thanks for reading Superpowers School! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.Contents* Why Play is Important at Work* Warming Up for Brainstorming* Setting the Stage for Brainstorming* Breaking Out of Corporate Culture* Learning from Other Industries* Techniques and Resources* FAQs

Welcome to another episode of the Human Centred Design Podcast, this time with someone I hold in the highest regards for their contribution to the world of design. It's Dave Gray, co-author of Gamestorming, and author of The Connected Company, and one of my favourite all-time books, not just design books, Liminal Thinking. Now this episode was really open and free-flowing, mainly because I think it was recorded quite late in the night for me, so we discussed lots of topics. Different topics, but mainly going to cover off some of the main points here. We talk about the power of drawing and visualisation, the influence of belief systems on reality, and the importance of finding common ground with those that we're working with. Dave shares his insights on facilitating workshops and encouraging active participation, something many of us are really struggling with. As well as nurturing creativity and challenging beliefs. This conversation really highlights the need for trust and open-mindedness. How do we get that in order to drive meaningful change? Dave also discusses his experience and how he got his first break, really creating infographics for newspapers, and then teaching others to draw to create that alignment. Now he shares the story of starting his company, XPLANE, and the power of information visualisation. We really stress the importance of creativity and design, and the challenges of that the notion that only some people are creative, something that I face many times when I'm training. Now he introduces the concept of being a possibilitarian and encourages testing assumptions and pushing boundaries. Dave also discusses his new endeavour, School of the Possible, a community that you might be interested in as it explores creative projects and cultivates positive possibilities. It's an incredible episode, Dave's incredible. Go grab a coffee, a slice of your favourite cake, or maybe a few biscuits. Sit back and enjoy. linkedin.com/in/davegray Campfire call – SCHOOL OF THE POSSIBLE Visual Thinking – Hi there! (xplaner.com) Become a member: https://www.thisishcd.com/landing/circle-a-community-for-ethically-conscious-designers-changemakers Book a Coaching Chemistry Call: https://calendly.com/gerryscullion/coaching-chemistry-call

Dave Gray describes himself as a possibilitarian. He focuses on helping people and teams realize their creative potential. Dave the author of several influential books, including Liminal Thinking and Gamestorming, which he co-authored with Sunni Brown and James Macanudo. He also founded the pioneering visual thinking company XPLANE. In this conversation, we discuss how to move beyond mental models that constrain us to open up new possibilities.Show notesDave GrayDave Gray - LinkedInThe Connected Company by Dave Gray and Thomas Vander WalGamestorming by Dave Gray, Sunni Brown, and James MacanufoLiminal Thinking by Dave GrayRed Herring (magazine) - WikipediaXPLANATIONSXPLANEGreg Petroff - LinkedInDouglas Engelbart - WikipediaAndy MatuschakSchool of the PossibleSchool of the Possible Campfire CallsShow notes include Amazon affiliate links. We get a small commission for purchases made through these links.If you're enjoying the show, please rate or review us in Apple's podcast directory:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-informed-life/id1450117117?itsct=podcast_box&itscg=30200This episode's transcript was produced by an AI. If you notice any errors, please get in touch.

Ever wondered how visuals can transform your role as a product owner? Join Brian as he sits down with visual storyteller Stuart Young to unravel the power of visualization in product ownership. Join them on a journey to discover the art and science behind being a successful product owner. Overview Ever wondered how to elevate your product ownership game? In this episode, we delve into the world of visual storytelling with Stuart Young. Join Brian and Stuart as they discuss the diverse tools, such as story mapping and the product disposition canvas, that can bring your product visions to life. From storytelling techniques to the neurodiversity lens, we explore the art and science of communication that transcends traditional boundaries. Listen in to uncover the impactful ways visuals can shape your product strategy. Learn how being more visual can sharpen your skills, foster collaboration, and create a more inclusive and successful product development journey. Listen Now to Discover: [00:23] - Today welcomes Stuart Young, a Certified Scrum Trainer and visual storyteller to discuss storytelling through the product lens and more. [03:32] - Stuart discusses drawing large-scale pictures at conferences and recommends Visual Meetings and Visual Leaders by David Sibbit. [06:54] - Stuart emphasizes the impact of visual storytelling on individuals, highlighting the universal language and information retention through visuals. [08:46] - The benefits of visual representation in capturing the flow of ideas and aiding memory. [10:26] - The importance of varied methods for engaging different learning styles. [11:41] - Stuart discusses the value of visualization tools such as roadmaps, post-it notes, and story mapping to provide clarity and a clear narrative. [12:14] - The importance of blending Stuart references Pixar and Ed Catmull's book Creativity, Inc., discussing the importance of blending exciting elements, like storyboarding, in motivating teams and creating a compelling narrative. [15:13] - Stuart emphasizes the importance of authentic storytelling, even if it doesn't always have a happy ending, he references TEDxHogeschoolUtrecht - Steve Denning - “Leadership Storytelling" for further inspiration. [15:25] - Brian recommends Simon Sinek's TED talk on "Start With Why" as an example of effective storytelling despite not being visually polished. [16:09] - Stuart praises Henrik Kniberg's impactful video on product ownership, acknowledging the simplicity of the drawings but highlighting the potency of storytelling. He recommends the Sketchnote Handbook by Mike Rhodes for those interested in delving further into storytelling. [17:08] - The Agile Mentors Podcast is brought to you by Mountain Goat Software and their Certified Scrum Training Classes. For more information, click on the Mountain Goat Software Certified Scrum and Agile Training Schedule. [18:38] - Stuart highlights the significance of visual elements in crafting compelling visions and underscores the value of utilizing available templates, from sources like the Gamestorming book. [20:06] - Stuart discusses the role of visualization in making the intangible tangible, particularly in the tech space. [21:50] - Brian emphasizes the imprecision of words. He also discusses the value of showing rather than just telling, especially in product requirements, to enhance understanding and avoid delays caused by miscommunications. [23:34] - Stuart reflects on how visual communication can enhance inclusivity. He shares, “For people with reading and writing difficulties, pictures and symbols are better. The worst, the most abstract form, of course, is the word.” [25:22] - The role of a visual storyteller as a "human cursor" connecting diverse conceptual thinkers. Stuart recounts an illustration experience, emphasizing the challenge of visualizing details without clear specifications and underscoring the mantra of "process over art" in product ownership. [28:06] - Stuart underscores the product owner's role in leveraging the unique skills of team members to converge on a shared understanding of what "good" looks like. [29:19] - Brian references the episode of the show they did on Navigating Neurodiversity and the importance of understanding and accommodating different communication styles within a team. He highlights the need for product owners to be aware of the preferences of their team members and adjust communication methods accordingly. [30:54] - Stuart introduces the product disposition canvas and shares a personal revelation. [32:54] - Brian acknowledges the potential superpowers that come with neurodiversity, sharing his own experience of a late-in-life ADHD diagnosis and the benefits of leveraging the unique qualities each team member brings to a team. [33:36] - Stuart reflects on the importance of recognizing individual strengths and blind spots, emphasizing that everyone has a valuable contribution. [34:20] - Stuart encourages recognizing individual strengths for collective success. [35:23] - Listeners can connect with Stuart on LinkedIn and at Agile Nuggets | Agile Tips [37:38] - Please share this episode with others if you found it useful. Send feedback and suggestions for future episodes to podcast@mountaingoatsoftware.com. And don’t forget to subscribe to the Agile Mentors Podcast on Apple Podcasts so you never miss an episode. [38:21] - If this topic was impactful to you and you want to continue the discussion, join the Agile Mentors Community where we have a topic discussion for each podcast episode. You can get a free year-long membership in the community just by taking any class with Mountain Goat Software. References and resources mentioned in the show: Stuart Young on LinkedIn Agile Nuggets | Agile Tips | Cprime Learning Scrum in Under 10 Minutes #76: Navigating Neurodiversity for High-Performing Teams with Susan Fitzell David Sibbet Visual Meetings by David Sibbet Visual Leaders by David Sibbet Creativity, Inc. Sketchnote Handbook by Mike Rohde TEDxHogeschoolUtrecht - Steve Denning - “Leadership Storytelling" Simon Sinek: How Great Leaders Inspire Action | TED Talk Agile Product Ownership in a Nutshell by Henrik Kniberg Gamestorming: A Playbook for Innovators, Rulebreakers, and Changemakers Subscribe to the Agile Mentors Podcast on Apple Podcasts Certified ScrumMaster Training and Scrum Certification Certified Scrum Product Owner Training Advanced Certified Scrum Product Owner® Advanced Certified ScrumMaster® Mountain Goat Software Certified Scrum and Agile Training Schedule Join the Agile Mentors Community Want to get involved? This show is designed for you, and we’d love your input. Enjoyed what you heard today? Please leave a rating and a review. It really helps, and we read every single one. Got an Agile subject you’d like us to discuss or a question that needs an answer? Share your thoughts with us at podcast@mountaingoatsoftware.com This episode’s presenters are: Brian Milner is SVP of coaching and training at Mountain Goat Software. He's passionate about making a difference in people's day-to-day work, influenced by his own experience of transitioning to Scrum and seeing improvements in work/life balance, honesty, respect, and the quality of work. Stuart Young, a Certified Scrum Trainer and Visual Storyteller, merges Agile methodologies and design thinking to empower individuals and teams. As a thought leader, he champions Visual Storytelling for engaging stakeholders, addressing customer needs, and expediting learning. Through workshops, Stuart encourages teams to embrace visual methodologies to achieve business success.

The post Dave Gray on visual thinking, gamestorming, the art of the possible, and going towards the fear (AC Ep17) appeared first on amplifyingcognition.

Keynote speaker, published author, zen student, innovator-in-residence, and facilitator — Sunni Brown has a whole village's worth of knowledge, but, somehow, contains it all within just one conscientious and clever human.Sunni's fingerprints can be found on many resources and THINGS you'll be familiar with as a facilitator: Gamestorming, The Doodle Revolution, and Deep Self Design.Safe to say, Sunni is well-placed to discuss the finer details of collaboration — and to highlight some of the ways we might learn about it more deeply from unexpected sources. Explore the art of zen and facilitation, how to get out of our own way, and why a dispassionate facilitator can be more helpful to a group than an overly committed one.Find out about:What Sunni has learned about facilitation since becoming a student of ZenHow our work might change if collaboration was seen as a skill, rather than an outcomeHow to help a group walk the thin line of doable discomfortWhy a saviour complex is a fatal flaw for facilitators — and how to avoid itWhy you can recover from poor workshop design, but not poor trust-buildingHow to take responsibility for our emotional responses, so we can remain in service to the groupWhy facilitators see big changes when they stop taking resistance personallyDon't miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player.And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand.LinksWatch the video recording of this episode on YouTube.Connect to Sunni:On LinkedInOn InstagramOn TwitterSupport the showCheck out the podcast map to see the overview of all podcast episodes: https://workshops.work/podcast-map

Το #GameStorming, με καλεσμένο τον Γιώργο Σερέπα, κάνει μια μεγάλη συζήτηση για παιχνίδια που εισάγουν ή εξελίσσουν κομμάτια της "συμβατικής" τέχνης. Δίνοντας παραδείγματα τίτλων που μας ενθουσίασαν με την προσέγγιση της γραφής τους, της αισθητικής τους, ή του gameplay τους, αναλύουμε προσωπικές... επαναστάσεις που βιώσαμε, στο γενικότερο πλαίσιο των "καλλιτεχνικών" μας gaming εξορμήσεων. Στο επεισόδιο συμμετέχει και η κοινότητα του VG24, με τα δικά του... nominations.

Working visually and with games and playfulness can help you achieve your company's goals and outcomes...even more effectively than when you don't. And it works online as well as offline. Visual Notes on mural.co About Dave Mastronardi Televised in both Koreas, Dave has over 15 years experience at the intersection of business, technology, and communication, helping companies rethink and change the way they do business. Employers include SaaS start-ups and Fortune 50. Industry experience includes: telecommunications, finance, management consulting, travel and entertainment, professional sports, industrial manufacturing. He's been Gamestorming since before it was cool. Before GG, Director of Global Digital Strategy at Samsung. Sprinklr before that. Dachis Group before that. Raytheon and EDS long ago. Subscribe to Managing Remote Teams podcast on Soundwise

Το #GameStorming κάνει μια πρώτη κριτική στη σειρά Last of Us (την πρεμιέρα της), πριν συζητήσει για την ιδανική μέθοδο μεταφοράς μιας σειράς στο gaming, αλλά και τούμπαλιν. Δίνουμε παραδείγματα από τίτλους, τους οραματιζόμαστε σε άλλη μορφή, ενώ διαβάζουμε και τις δικές σας προτάσεις από το γκρουπάκι του VG24 στο Facebook.

Το #GameStorming συζητά με τη Λουκία, μια καλλιτέχνιδα που έφυγε πριν χρόνια από τη χώρα μας για να πάει στην Αγγλία, κυνηγώντας το όνειρό της: Να φτιάξει art για video games. Με προσπάθεια και αγώνες, έκανε το όνειρό της πραγματικότητα, κερδίζοντας τον ρόλο του character designer για το πολυαναμενόμενο παιχνίδι Illusion Island της Disney, αφού πρώτα δοκιμάστηκε σε άλλα γνωστά projects όπως το Battletoads. Μας αναλύει τη δημιουργική διαδικασία του πόστου της, μας δίνει πληροφορίες (φειδωλά) για το επικείμενο παιχνίδι της, ενώ η συζήτηση καταλήγει στον ρόλο της γυναίκας μέσα στη Βιομηχανία του Gaming, όπως το βιώνει η ίδια σαν επαγγελματίας, αλλά και σαν μέλος φεμινιστικών οργανώσεων που σχετίζονται με τον χώρο.

Το #GameStorming, με καλεσμένο έναν Game Designer / Urbanist, με ειδίκευση στην Πολεοδομία και την Γεωγραφία των παιχνιδιών, συζητά για τους ψηφιακούς κόσμους που λατρεύουμε να εξερευνούμε, εμβαθύνοντας σε άγνωστες πτυχές της διαδικασίας ανάπτυξης των videogames.

Games come naturally to human beings. Playing a game is a way of exploring the world, a form of structured play, a natural learning activity that's deeply tied to growth. Gamestorming CEO Dave Mastronardi and Elise Keith the CEO of Lucid Meetings team up with me for a duet of exploration into why online, hybrid or even the old-fashioned office meetups can be a source of creativity, despite a recent research study suggesting that to be creative, you need to meet in person. Listen in, then get involved in their new research study here: https://newrulesforwork.com/ Find out more about Gamestorming here: https://gamestorming.com/ Are you looking for speakers with a fresh voice for your next workshop or conference? Check out https://recommended.anotherdoor.co.uk Love this podcast? Give us a five star review or rating on Spotify, Apple or wherever you get your Podcasts, it really helps us make more great content like this episode.  

Με καλεσμένους τον πρόεδρο της Ένωσης Δημιουργών Ψηφιακών Παιχνίδιων Ελλάδος (Βασίλη Καραβασίλη) και τον δημιουργό του πολυαναμενόμενου ελληνικού indie game Selini (Ανδρέα Δημογιάννη), το #GameStorming κάνει μια μεγάλη συζήτηση για την κατάσταση του εγχώριου-ανεξάρτητου game development, τις δυσκολίες που αντιμετωπίζουν οι δημιουργοί και όσα τους δίνουν δύναμη να συνεχίσουν. Εστιάζουμε, επίσης, στο Selini, το όραμα πίσω από την τρυφερή "συνεργασία" ενός πατέρα με τον γιο του και την διαδικασία της ανάπτυξης ενός παιχνιδιού στο... hard mode της ταυτόχρονης επιβίωσης στην Ελλάδα του 2022. Στηρίξτε την προσπάθεια του Ανδρέα μέσω kickstarter και wishlist στο Steam: ► https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cymban/selini ► https://store.steampowered.com/app/1434050/SELINI Ενημερωθείτε για την δράση της Ένωσης Δημιουργών Ψηφιακών Παιχνίδιων Ελλάδος: ► https://www.gamedev.gr/

Το #GameStorming επιστρέφει για μια ακόμη σεζόν, ξεκινώντας τον κύκλο του με καλεσμένο τον Μάκη Τογανίδη, ιδρυτή της VGL eSports, για να μιλήσουμε για το νέο FIFA και το competitive μέρος του, ακούγοντας λεπτομέρειες για το πώς είναι να οργανώνεις ένα επαγγελματικό πρωτάθλημα, συζητώντας για την κατάσταση του professional gaming στην χώρα μας, καταλήγοντας σε όλα εκείνα που αγαπάμε ή μισούμε στο online κομμάτι των ανταγωνιστικών παιχνιδιών.

Το #GameStorming, με καλεσμένο έναν παθιασμένο συλλέκτη τροπαίων, συζητά για τα achievements ανά τις πλατφόρμες, τη νέα κατηγορία παικτών που έχουν γεννήσει, αλλά και τη συνταγή της σωστής λίστας επιτευγμάτων για ένα game. Επίσης: ο Παύλος φλεξάρει εμπειρίες του με δύσκολες "πλατίνες" και ο Βασίλης δικαιολογεί την αποστροφή του...

Today's episode welcome's Jude Hackett to take us through the incredible free insight tool – The Empathy Map. Jude is a behaviour change and social marketing consultant with 18 years of experience in Marketing and Strategic Communications, with specialisms in marketing for social impact, behaviour change and brand. Jude is also a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing (FCIM). Basically a total pro! The Empathy Map is a visualisation tool developed by Dave Gray in 2017 that we can use on our own, or with teams and stakeholders to capture our understanding of our users, patients, and residents. It helps build a shared understanding of our user needs plus aid decision making and shift messaging. Dave Gray is a leader in the field of creativity. His website Gamestorming is well worth a visit for the wealth of resources he shares. Dave is dedicated to teasing creativity out of everyone by sharing the tools and systems of design thinking. Book recommendation The Power of Ignorance: How creative solutions emerge when we admit what we don't know. Dave Trott, 2021 Guest Resources/useful links Get your empathy map by visiting the Gamestorming website here. Plus have a look around it's amazing! Contact Jude on LinkedIn or email Jude@Creatinggood.co.uk 3 AHA moments 1) How well do you understand your audience? Are you clear what you want people to do? Using the empathy map captures what you know but flags what you don't! 2) The ‘hot' and ‘cold' sexual health research published by Dan Ariely in Predictably Irrational is a great example of demonstrating how our understanding of are audiences can completely change when and how we communicate. 3) A clear behaviour change goal is essential. (or value proposition!) Use the map to find yours. Happy mapping and thank you Jude! If you enjoyed this episode please leave a review and share with anyone you know wants to get started and is passionate about making a positive change. Kickstart your journey into behavioural science Want to know about how to use behavioural science in your comms & marketing? We love empathy mapping so much we have incorporated it into our Bootcamp training days on 6th & 8th July and into our Team Training days. Join us to kickstart your skills or book a call with me.

Μαζί με τον ειδικευόμενο γιατρό στην Ψυχιατρική και gaming συντάκτη, Γιάννη Σαρρή, κάνουμε μια μεγάλη κουβέντα για την ψυχολογική υπόσταση του gaming, προσπαθώντας να το προσεγγίσουμε από την σκοπιά του παίκτη, του δημιουργού αλλά και της ίδιας της Βιομηχανίας. Υπάρχουν παιχνίδια-ψυχοθεραπεία; Τι γνώμη έχουν οι ειδικοί για την κατηγοριοποίηση των παικτών με βάση τις προτιμήσεις; Προκαλούν βία τα παιχνίδια τελικά; Πώς χρησιμοποιούν τους εθισμούς μας τα Free to Play παιχνίδια; Αυτά κι άλλα πολλά, σε ένα χορταστικό επεισόδιο #GameStorming

Το #GameStorming επιστρέφει με Πρόεδρο Κρούστη για να συζητήσει το επίκαιρο θέμα των παιχνιδιών που... ανακατασκευάζονται ριζικά ή όχι, αλλά και εκείνα που το "ξαναπάνε" πάλι απ' την αρχή... Δίνουμε τα καλά και τα άσχημα παραδείγματα τέτοιων εγχειρημάτων, αλλά και τη λίστα με τους ευσεβείς πόθους μας...

​​On episode #56 of the 2B Bolder Podcast,  Jennifer Greenberg shares her career insights and journey of self-discovery and manages to turn the interview on me. Jennifer Greenberg's career has spanned a wide range from wilderness trip leading, education, non-profit program development, and large events; recently she ran a small consultancy and directed multi-stakeholder initiatives in the rare disease space. Greenberg completed an MBA in 2019 and is currently an adjunct professor at Portland State University, teaching undergraduate business strategy and consulting. She is trained in basic mediation and Gamestorming visual facilitation and is pursuing a leadership coaching certification from Rutgers University. Accumulating these diverse experiences has been pivotal to growing her ability to help organizations increase collaboration and to assist leaders as they strive to be effective in their roles.  Jennifer is thrilled to have recently joined the amazingly talented team at Talence Group LLC, a leading leadership search firm with global experience, a strong client-centered ethos, and an astute eye for top leadership qualities   Tune in to hear our meaningful conversation.Connect with Jennifer Greenberg on LinkedInVisit Greenberg & Friends' WebsiteThe 2B Bolder Podcast provides you first-hand access to some amazing women. Guests will include women from leading enterprise companies to startups, women execs, coders, account execs, engineers, doctors, and innovators.Listen to 2B Bolder for more career insights from women in tech and business Support the show (https://pod.fan/2b-bolder)

Το #GameStorming κάνει μια ανάλαφρη και χιουμοριστική συζήτηση, παρέα με τον Σπύρομο-san από το byteme.gr, περί Ιαπωνίας, tropes του ανατολικού gaming και όσων μας έχουν κάνει φανατικούς της σχολής τους...

Το #GameStorming κάνει μια αναδρομή στην ιστορία του studio που έφτιαξε τον πιο σύγχρονο και συνάμα αμφιλεγόμενο μύθο στην ιστορία του gaming, εκείνον του Soulsborne. Με τον πλέον κατάλληλο οδηγό, Adamantius, ξεκινάμε ένα back and forth ταξίδι στα σημεία ορόσημα που διαμόρφωσαν το στυλ του είδους, με flashbacks ως και στην παιδική ηλικία του Miyazaki, επιστρέφοντας κάθε τόσο στο σήμερα, το Elden Ring, τα στοιχεία που μένουν ατόφια με την πάροδο των ετών και εκείνα που η εταιρία απαρνήθηκε, σχολιάζοντας τους λόγους και την αίσθηση που άφησαν τόσο στους - σκληροπυρηνικά - αιώνιους πιστούς, όσο και στους φρεσκο-μυρωμένος Soulάδες...

Το #GameStorming επιστρέφει με μια, κάπως, πιο ρομαντική ανάλυση του Elden Ring και όσων το κάνουν να ξεχωρίζει από τα υπόλοιπα παιχνίδια, γενικά, αλλά και ειδικά, από ο,τι μας έχει συνηθίσει η From Software...

Το #GameStorming φιλοξενεί τον Δημήτρη Σάρλο, ηθοποιό, μεταφραστή, μεταγλωττιστή και υπεύθυνο για την ελληνική απόδοση παιχνιδιών, ταινιών και σειρών, σε μια συζήτηση σχετικά με τον ρόλο της μητρικής μας γλώσσας στην ποπ κουλτούρα, την αξία του εξελληνισμένου περιεχομένου και τις δυσκολίες της δουλειάς που ένας επαγγελματίας καλείται να ξεπεράσει.

Ταινίες που έγιναν παιχνίδια και το αντίστροφο: μάστιγα ή μια δεξαμενή με ιδέες; Το #GameStorming κάνει μια αναδρομή στα σημαντικότερα παραδείγματα και συζητά για την συνταγή της επιτυχίας, ή τα σημεία που καταδικάζουν τα εν λόγω εγχειρήματα.

Το #GameStorming κάνει μια αναδρομή στην ιστορία του ανεξάρτητου game development, κάνοντας αναφορά στα σημαντικότερα παιχνίδια της κατηγορίας, τα καλύτερα της χρονιάς που πέρασε, αλλά και σε αυτά που αναμένουμε προσεχώς. Περιμένουμε και τις δικές σας προτάσεις στα comment sections της εκπομπής!

Το #GameStorming, μαζί με τον Στέφανο Δανιηλίδη (Danik) συζητά για την εξέλιξη στον τομέα του ήχου σε ο,τι αφορά το gaming, τις προεκτάσεις του στη μουσική, αλλά και τις τεχνολογίες που αναπτύχθηκαν... in tandem, για να φέρουν την ποπ κουλτούρα στα σημερινά standards, ξεκινώντας από την "επανάσταση" του MIDI στα Retro Games και καταλήγοντας στην πιο πρόσφατη γενιά του virtual surround και του 3D audio.

Με αφορμή την είδηση των "500 ωρών" του Dying Light 2, πιάνουμε το θέμα της διάρκειας των video games, συζητώντας επίσης για το πώς καθορίζεται το πλαφόν σε σχέση με το κόστος τους και μέσω ποιων στοιχείων θα μπορούσε να εισαχθεί ποιοτικό περιεχόμενο, χωρίς να γίνονται "φλύαρα".

Παρέα με τον Πάνο από Retropolis, το #GameStorming αποχαιρετά το 2021 με μια αναδρομή στις ισχυρότερες gaming αναμνήσεις μας και τα video games που μας βάζουν πάντα σε εορταστική διάθεση, κάνοντας τις προτάσεις μας για όσα μπορείτε να παίξετε φέτος στο... ρεβεγιόν.

Το #GameStorming, παρέα με τον επαγγελματία archivist, Βαγγέλη Στεργίου, ανοίγει τον... φάκελο Game Preservation, συζητώντας για την αξία, την αναγκαιότητα, αλλά και το πρακτικό μέρος της διατήρησης των παλιών παιχνιδιών, όπως και της προσβασιμότητας σε αυτά, από ακαδημαϊκό ή καταναλωτικό κοινό.

Questa settimana parliamo di un argomento abbastanza caldo Stime e Movimento No estimate. Ha senso fare le stime? Cosa sono e quanto é il valore che portano? Proviamo a farci queste domande e tentiamo di dare una risposta.## Balocchi- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVBlnCTu9Ms- https://www.infoq.com/news/2019/04/monte-carlo-agile-estimation/- https://gamestorming.com/- https://www.amazon.it/Gamestorming-giochi-innovatori-facilitatori-decision/dp/B095GLRSMZ## Ricordati di iscriverti al gruppo telegram:https://t.me/gitbar## Supportaci https://www.buymeacoffee.com/gitbar## Contatti@brainrepo su twitter o via mail a info@gitbar.it.## CreditiLe sigle sono state prodotte da MondoComputazionaleLe musiche da Blan Kytt - RSPNSweet Lullaby by Agnese ValmaggiaMonkeys Spinning Monkeys by Kevin MacLeod

Το #GameStorming είναι μια νέα εκπομπή από το VG24, στην οποία καταπιανόμαστε με ΕΝΑ θέμα σε ολόκληρο το επεισόδιο, σε μια "καταιγίδα" σκέψεων, ιδεών και εμπειριών μας από το gaming, αναλύοντας σε τεράστιο βάθος το εκάστοτε αντικείμενο συζήτησης. Στο πρώτο μας επεισόδιο ξεκοκκαλίζουμε το Halo Infinite και ανοίγουμε μια μεγάλη κουβέντα για τον σχεδιασμό των ανοιχτών κόσμων, γιατί το παιχνίδι της 343 πετυχαίνει στον συγκεκριμένο τομέα και τι μπορούν να κάνουν οι ανταγωνιστές του καλύτερα...

Sunni Brown and Dave Mastronardi Listen to this special episode where we are lucky interview the two legends while they are sitting in the same physical room talking about facilitation and what makes it so tricky and beautiful, how facilitation changed in the post-covid era. Can Gamestorming work offline? :D Can you do hybrid workshops? How to prepare for when something goes wrong during a workshop? Tune in to get inspired from the two stars of facilitation, both in physical and remote environments.     SUPPORT THE PODCAST   This show is brought to you by the Visual Thinking and Sketchnoting Boot Camp Udemyonline course developed for you by Yuri Malishenko. This unique and highly practical signature course will teach you all the necessary elements that you need to employ visual thinking for your profession. You will learn how to draw simply and use sketching techniques to take visual notes, facilitate group discussions, and communicate your ideas with clarity! By the end of the course, you will have completed a unique do-it-yourself workbook that you will carry around as a reference and inspiration for your future ideas!   With the help of the course, you will boost your thinking and communication skills as well as improve your productivity and effectiveness. By purchasing the course you get lifetime access to almost 7 hours of high-quality video instructions with numerous assignments close to real life.   You can sign up for the course here:   https://www.udemy.com/course/visual-thinking-and-sketchnoting-boot-camp/?

Sunni Brown is a social entrepreneur who has been named one of the “100 Most Creative People in Business” and one of the “10 Most Creative People on Twitter” by Fast Company. She is the best-selling author of Gamestorming and The Doodle Revolution, a keynote speaker, expert meeting facilitator, book coach and dedicated Zen student. Her TED Talk has drawn more than 1.6 million views and her work has been featured in The New York Times, The New York Post, The Wall Street Journal, Time, and WIRED, as well as being featured twice on CBS Sunday Morning and on The TODAY Show. She is currently the Doodler-in-Residence at MURAL. Time Stamp [2:40] How Sunni would describe herself [4:25] The importance of zen and how Sunni has applied it to her life [5:54] Trauma history and how it affects creativity [6:20] The art of the pivot [8:41] Deep Self Design, and what happened [12:13] The power of a true calling [13:54] Women and finances, financial self-worth [14:53] Sunni's pivot to a book coach [17:03] What Sunni does now, and the support around life changes [18:30] Sunni's qualified prediction of the future [19:27] The secret of the pivot [20:28] Energy fields and how to tap into them [21:37] Testing things out, spinning the universe [22:37] Cognitive rigidity, and how to overcome it [25:19] Designing Your Life by Bill Burnett [27:31] Resonance of the system [29:50] Sunni's dream life Sunni Brown Website https://www.sunnibrown.com/ Deep Self Design https://www.deepselfdesign.com/ Follow Sunni Brown on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sunnibrown/ Follow Sunni Brown on Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/sunnibrown/ Books written by Sunni: Game Storming with Dave Gray and James Macafuno Doodle Revolution Books Sunni has read or attempts to read: Ishmael by Daniel Quinn Brave New Work by Aaron Dignan Heroine's Journey Workbook by Maureen Murdock Atomic Habits by James Clear Designing Your Life by Bill Burnett Kiss Me Like a Stranger by Gene Wilder Follow Patti Dobrowolski - Instagram https://www.instagram.com/upyourcreativegenius/ Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/patti-dobrowolski-532368/ Up Your Creative Genius https://www.upyourcreativegenius.com/

Sunni Brown is a social entrepreneur who uses visual literacy, design thinking, and visual facilitation to solve complex problems. She's the author of The Doodle Revolution and co-author of Gamestorming. In this conversation, we discuss Sunni's current area of focus, which uses Zen Buddhism and design thinking to help individuals craft a more fulfilling and engaged life. Show notes Sunni Brown Deep Self Design Sunni on Twitter Sunni on LinkedIn Sunni on Instagram Sunni on Facebook The Doodle Revolution: Unlock the Power to Think Differently by Sunni Brown Gamestorming: A Playbook for Innovators, Rulebreakers, and Changemakers by Dave Gray, Sunni Brown, and James Macanufo Dave Mastronardi (LinkedIn) What is a multipotentialite? The Nexialist approach: Van Vogt and the idea that ‘specialisation is for insects' Sōtō Zen Zendō Reality distortion field _Liminal Thinking: Create the Change You Want by Changing the Way You Think_ by Dave Gray In defense of the visual alphabet by Dave Gray Design personas Kate Rutter (LinkedIn) Brené Brown Sesshin Double diamond diagram Some show notes may include Amazon affiliate links. I get a small commission for purchases made through these links. Read the transcript Jorge: Sunni, welcome to the show. Sunni: Thank you. Jorge: It's a pleasure having you here. For folks who might not know you, would you mind, please, introducing yourself? About Sunni Sunni: Oh, when you let me know that we were going to have to do that, I had this like moment of, oh God! How do you introduce oneself when you're a, like a... well, the new term is multipotentialite. Have you heard this obnoxious term? Jorge: No. Sunni: Well, it's like if you're a polymath, or if you just have multifaceted aspects of yourself. It's not easy to summarize who I am, what I do. So, I always dread the question. But there is a term floating around called multipotentialite, and it just means the person that has many skills and many things that they pursue and many things that they're interested in. There's a lot of neuro-diversity going on, so we're not easily put in a space. So, it's hard for me to summarize myself. But I would say what's useful for people to know for the purposes of this conversation is probably that... I'll just tell you my role. I am an author and a public speaker and a visual thinker, and a facilitator. Really, a sort of deep-dive facilitator. And a Zen student. And also what I call a Deep Self Designer. And a book coach. So as you can see, my friend, Dave Mastronardi, finally gave me language for this the other day. He goes, "you're just a creative with a capital C!" And I was like, "Cool, Dave, thank you! Because that kind of helps, you know?" It's like, I just am interested in a lot. Jorge: I don't like the word generalist because it implies like Jack of all trades, master of none. Sunni: Yeah, right! Jorge: I love this idea of multipotentialite. I recently heard the word "nexialist," which... Sunni: What is that? Like a person at the nexus of lots of things? Jorge: Doesn't quite roll off the tongue either. It comes from a sci-fi book, and I'll put a link in the show notes so that we don't have to go into it in too much depth here. But I think it's a similar idea, that you are driven by several different interests. Sunni: I love science fiction for that. They always give us language that we need, you know? Jorge: I feel like I want to explore several of the many... what's the plural of nexus? Is it nexuses? Or nexii? Sunni: Nexialisms! Jorge: Several of the different identities that you served us there. Or potentialities, maybe. You spoke of... well, let's, tackle two of them that I'm especially curious about. You mentioned that you're a Zen student and a Deep Self Designer. I don't know if you want to take those independently or if they somehow connect? Sunni: They do connect, actually. And it's cool that you alighted in on those two, because they're the... I think honestly, the most important ones that I do. And they have the most... they have the most liberating capacity of all the things that I do. And they do have intersections, absolutely. Zen Sunni: So, Zen is not something you can summarize really at all. It's such a deep and ancient lineage and an enormous body of practice. But what I find useful and what actually... it was sort of the groundwork for my pursuit of designing another method. And what it did for me was help me understand that the mind is a machine, and it has like projections onto reality all the time. And it has narratives and stories that it constantly creates and recreates and lives into. And they can be very confining, these perceptions of reality. And so when you run into some ideas about reality that are actually created by you, based on your history and your experience, if they cause friction for you, then there's a sort of place where you can redesign that intersection with reality to create a better reality for yourself. And I know that's like a lot to just unload in conversation, but Zen made just sitting, which is... I'm in what's called the Soto Zen lineage. So literally, you sit in meditation for hours. I mean, I probably sat for 10,000 hours easily, and - not easily, but difficult-ly. But we call it just getting on the cushion, right? So like you just take it there, and then you kind of watch what your mind is up to. And through that process, I learned how I trick myself, how I can have distortions in my belief systems. I think Steve Jobs used to call it a "reality distortion field." I think he was also a Zen practitioner. But that laid the groundwork for me to understand, "oh, I have a lot of agency and choice once I understand how my system works." And you know, like you're a systems thinker and a design thinker, so of course I was interested in that. And then I just went from that place and started to practice with different methods to support other people. Jorge: I'm reminded of our mutual friend Dave Gray's book, Liminal Thinking. Sunni: Oh, Yeah! It's so funny you said that. Because I have it, of course — I always will buy whatever Dave makes, but I haven't read it because I always have way too many books. But I understand kind of the vibe, and a lot of people, when I talk about this, they bring up his book, and I'm like, I should read that. Jorge: When I first read that, I remember asking Dave about it because I got the sense that there was a lot of Buddhism in... Sunni: Yeah, I don't know that Dave knows that he has a Buddhist aspect. I don't think he's a Buddhist practitioner. But I have found there are multiple people that actually arrive at some of these deep wisdoms because it's not... it's in reality. So, the Buddha was just describing reality. So, anyone can find their own path to that awareness. And so, yeah! It's funny to me when I work with people, and I go, "oh my God, that's like a very ancient principle that you stumbled upon," you know? So I think Dave must've done that too. Because he doesn't like go to the zendo, I'm pretty sure. Jorge: The path, it seems to me... and here I'm reflecting back to you what perhaps I layered through my own experience onto what you were saying, which is that we experience reality at various different levels. And if you step back far enough, you're able to contemplate the fact that much of what we experience is in some ways emerging from within us? Or at least the way that we're experiencing it is emerging from within us. Sunni: Well said! Beautifully said, yeah! Deep Self Design Jorge: I want to bring it back to this idea of Deep Self Design. What I'm projecting onto this or where I think that the two circles in the Venn diagram might overlap, is that, if you understand this - this fact that, much of what we are experiencing is emerging from within us - and you are someone who sees the world through the eyes of design, then perhaps you can do something about it, Sunni: You do a lot. Jorge: So what would you be able to do about it? Sunni: It's so funny, we're talking about this because last night I was having this conversation with my husband about workability. So everything... well, I won't make totalizing statements. I'll try to avoid them, but almost everything in your internal system is workable. Meaning that it all has plasticity and an adaptation capacity, or a significant amount of it. This is going to sound very hyperbolic, but the reason I have such confidence in the workability of the system is because I redesigned my own internal experience over the course of... it's been 15 years now. But the mind that I started with when I started investigating this practice and the mind I have now are entirely different planetary systems. And I have a complex trauma history, which is relevant because when you have a complex trauma history, you have a whole host of distorted ideas about reality, all of which are workable. And so, for me, it's like an actually hopeful message. It's like, "oh my God. Your backstory can be kind of f*cked up, you know?" And you can completely... as long as, to your point, it was a really important thing that you said Jorge, which was, "if you step back." So, you have to get some separation and observe, with compassion, your belief systems, and from that seat, it's like a gentle observation, then you have space with which to work. Often the traumatized brain is terrified of making that separation. It can be, for a variety of reasons. So, that's why it is a practice, and it's a patience game, often. But you can literally redesign your experience of yourself and of the world and of other people and of what's possible. And the energy that you liberate in that process is insane. It's absolutely insane how much energy you get when you untether yourself from a lot of distorted ideas about yourself in the world. And that's why I thought like, well, it's a design thinking challenge, you know? It's basically like internal system mapping and then giving people methodologies to support the spaces that they want to loosen up or soften. I'm very fortunate to have encountered great teachers, really extraordinary teachers, and I'm fortunate to have had the time and the passion to do a deep dive. But it's like that hero's journey where you go in, and you come out, and you're like, "well, I have something I could share." So, I'm still sorting out how to teach it, how to format it, how to design a methodology because it is not a small thing to try to do, but it's worth it. It's completely worth it to try. Jorge: It sounds empowering. Sunni: It's extremely empowering. Jorge: It sounds like a practice that restores perhaps a sense of agency where you're not buffeted by the contingencies of whatever happens in everyday life as much. Sunni: And it's so important! That message is so important because there are places you go that are scary. And there are fires you have to walk through. And you have to know that on the other side, not only will you be more free, but you'll be stronger. But you can't know that going in. Once you get your sea legs and you start to understand, "oh my God, this is like Jedi training!" then you can feel more confident about the outcome. But the early stages for most people is it can be absolutely terrifying. 100%. Absolutely true. I mean, that's why most people can't even sit in meditation, frankly because a lot of people do not want to sit with the content of their own mind. It's not something that we're encouraged to do, and it's not something that we're taught to do, and we don't know why we would do it. So we spend a lot of time avoiding that very thing. Understandably. I mean, I understand that instinct completely. It's... it's terrifying. But it's so freaking worth it. It's so worth it! There's no question about it. No question! And it improves your life, you know? It improves your relationships with yourself and other people. And really, your relationships are the most valuable thing you have. And your health, and maybe time, you know? So it's a significant process, but it's not necessarily for everyone. And probably you experienced this with your students. There's what I call a state of readiness, which means that they're willing to do the work. They're willing to be honest with themselves and others, and they're willing to address and hold space for really difficult content. And if I work with a person and it's very clear that they're not actually at that place, then they need to come back. They need to go and come back, you know? Because it's a thing. And then in Zen, the analogy is when you go to the zendo, and you knock on the door three times, and a monk opens the door, and they say, "go away!" You know? And they shut the door, and then you sleep out in the cold or whatever, and then you come again. You knock, and then the monk opens and says, "go away." So it's a way of saying, if you're not ready, don't bother! Don't come, you know? And that process is a person's individual journey, and you can't rush that for people. Starting the journey Jorge: You mentioned in your own journey having suffered complex trauma and without getting into it, just thinking that many of us - many folks listening - have... especially over the last year and a half... gone through some pretty traumatic experiences. And with the caveat that you just laid out that not everybody might be ready to undertake such a practice, but assuming that someone would be interested in at least trying to envision the path, where would they start? Sunni: So the chapter I was telling you I sent to Kate, there are writing exercises, and there are visual thinking exercises. And often, I will just say, you know, you're in a creation when your energy has become contracted, combative, tight — when you feel conflict, internally. Your body gives you all these signals that all is not well, and it can be a very subtle signal. Say you're in a restaurant, and a person walks in, and your stomach clenches. That's an indication. So, you start with noticing. Just pay attention to what is happening inside of your system because you have to understand that you are the reactor. And the stimulus is out there, but you are the reactor. And so, noticing it's a huge part of the practice — just to start there. It's like when I used to teach visual thinking — and I do occasionally sometimes, still — but the visual thinking alphabet that Dave created, Dave Gray. It's the basics. Just start with observing where these forms are and draw them on paper. Really, you've got to start at that place and notice if you judge it. Because a lot of people will be like, "oh, I should be more brave. Why did I get nervous when the boss came in?" Or whatever. We'll instantly have a reaction to our reaction. So just noticing that. So that's the start, right? And then once you have a relationship with your experience... so you're like, "man, every time my mom comes over, I want to argue! Like right away! I just want to argue with her," you know? So you're like, okay! And so, you notice that. So, you begin to take responsibility for what you're bringing, and that's why it's empowering. It's so fascinating how accountability is like not sexy, but I'm like, that's the greatest thing you can do because you're in charge of your life. You're driving your bus, you know? So, then there are exercises that I give people that are really simple. Like just notice that a part of you came online and wanted to argue with your mom. And then it's really like a design inquiry. It's like an investigation of, imagine that that's a persona. So, say that's a design persona. And I've taught it in this way in some keynotes and stuff. So, I depersonalize it, and I say, "just treat that like a persona or an avatar. And just like you would if you were anthropologically studying a user experience. But do it for your own self." Start to understand that persona and just give it some quality... I mean, it will name itself. That's what's so fascinating is that these personas, these internal personas — they give you information. They actually let you know because they're part of your brain. So, it's just about accessing that information that's in the brain. And I'm saying it trivially like it's just that. But it's all there, and so you just get curious. You just get curious and start finding out. And so, over time, I like to teach people to create like a constellation. Like a map of their internal system with all of these different personas so that they can relate to them differently. And when they do that, that's when it starts getting good. Jorge: All of a sudden, you start understanding the territory — I would imagine — when map-making. I wanted to clarify, you mentioned Kate, and you were talking about our mutual friend, Kate Rutter, who we were talking about before starting the recording. And you alluded to a chapter. Was that a chapter of a book that you're working on, or... Sunni's new book Sunni: Yeah, this book... So, as I mentioned earlier, I'm a book coach, and I'm obsessed with books. I could be wrong, but if I had nothing but time and money, I think books are all I would do. Just unpacking and looking at publishing, coaching writers, writing... That's all I would do. So, you know, I'm published twice, and we pitched this book, actually. It is the Deep Self Design book, and the title was called, The Only Way Out Is In. Like one of the original titles, The Only Way Out Is In. And then the... I can't remember the subtitle. I have like 4,000 subtitles. But, so we pitched it. So, it was actually in proposal form. When you want to pitch to a traditional publisher, you've got to get your book in a proposal that essentially describes the product for them. It's unfortunate, but for them, it's a product. And for you too, really. So, that... it was like 90 pages of just glory, you know, and it took me years. And so, anyway, the way it ended up, and I can tell that story — but at one point in the process, I said, "Kate, can I send you, like, chapter one? And you just see if it lands for you. Like, give me a reader reaction" And apparently, it turned some keys pretty quickly for her. Because she wrote me and was like... she'd had drawn a picture of one of her personas. And I didn't even ask her to do that. And it was called "The Aviator." And so, she learned about this part of her that like flies around and sort of conducts the situation and looks from a high level and is very functional, you know, high functioning part, persona. She just got it, you know? But she's really smart. So I was like, well... because you got to write to like an eighth-grader, right? That's the level of communication that you want in books, which is why Brene Brown's tone is so beloved. So, she just listed that chapter again, and I'm willing to share with anyone. I mean, people need to know how to do it. And so, the book was pitched to publishers, and there were 17 of them. And then like 12 of them wrote back, which is pretty good. And they all said the methodology was too complex for a typical reader. And I lost my mind because I had already simplified it so very much. That day, I was like standing in my neighbor's yard, and I was just like, "nooooooo!" Because it's hard to attract to the marketplace and to still deliver something really of high value. My God! It's exhausting. So, I have put it down for now. And I started working on another book about confidence because I was like, I can't. I can revisit this thing. I'm going to f*cking freak out. Yeah. But it'll emerge at some point. Taking your space Jorge: Well, I'm hoping that we'll be able to read the Deep Self Design book at some point. I'm wondering about something that you said, and again, trying to be kind of practical for the folks listening in and wondering about where we start. I would imagine that doing this sort of internal map that you're describing here is not something that we can do effectively amidst the hustle and bustle, right? And you spoke earlier about making space. And I just got back from a weekend of camping with my family, and we went pretty far out into the woods. And I was... yeah, it was nice, but I was still surrounded by devices, and I... Sunni: Oh! Jorge: I got into a little bit of a Twitter kerfuffle. Sunni: Oh no! Jorge: Right? And I'm bringing up the story to say: it's so hard for us these days to find this space to be with ourselves and to be introspective? And even if we are aware... Sunni: You have to take it. You have to take that space. Jorge: Well, how do we do it? Do you have any advice for folks wanting to take the space? Sunni: Well, yeah. When you do a Zen sesshin, you can't have books or paper or phones. And so, you've got to do like seven days of like 10 hours of meditation. So, that is sacred time — no question about it. But for a normal person, that's not going to be on their calendar. First, you have to understand that you probably have an addiction, right? If you can't remove yourself from an object for any chunk of time, that is actually an addictive relationship. So, that's serious shit, if you ask me. And I don't think it's a popular opinion. And I think that it's also true. So for me, just labeling it as an addictive relationship is step one. And then, you don't even want to go into, like, it could be an abusive relationship. We don't even have to talk about that, but that's in there too. So, you have to understand that. And you have to just understand what is in it for you to separate yourself from it and give yourself a path. So, can I separate from my phone for four hours? If you don't want to go cold turkey, just try for four hours and notice what happens in your system when you do that. And that's actually part of the practice for Deep Self Design anyway. So, you can be like, wow, I started having FOMO. Or, I start thinking that someone's going to be mad at me because I didn't respond to them. So, you get all kinds of information from just that short separation. And there's a lot of data around... Like it literally keys up your nervous system, being in a relationship with a digital object all the time. It keys up your nervous system. And so, actually to regulate your nervous system again, which is what camping is kind of for. Camping, when it's safe and beautiful... the point of it is to actually get you into a different state. To get your regulatory system in a different state so that you can enjoy your life and be present with your family and look at the sky and realize that you're part of... you are the sky, there's no difference between you and the sky, you just project that there is. And like, you know what I mean? So, you have to understand that that space is essential for your humanity and make it a priority. And you can tell people, I mean, there are ways to approach it that are gentle on other people. So you can let people know, "I'm going to go dark for 72 hours. You should know that." Or, "I'm going to go dark, and then I'm going to have one hour where I look at stuff," you know? You have to design it for your life and what's actually available for you. Sometimes people have sick parents at home or sick kids or whatever, but you have to start to understand the benefit of it. Because I think most people think it's just like something they would lose. Like, they wouldn't get... something taken away from them. And I'm like, "no! It's something you're giving yourself that is priceless." And you get amazing ideas. Like your productivity goes up. So, I call it going slow to go fast. Actually, I read this interesting Nietzsche quote, which I don't read Nietzsche a lot or anything, but as he said like great ideas are found when you're walking. And Steve Jobs was... Also, I'm not obsessed with Steve Jobs, but he did a lot of walking meetings. So, If you are a productivity junkie, going slow helps you go fast. And it actually frees up a lot of stuck tension in the body and stuck ideas that you can't get through, and it gives you solutions and ah-has and insights. So there are huge rewards in it anyway if you need it to be aligned with productivity. But it's like, dude, we're gonna die one day, Jorge. Like all of us! And the last thing I want to do is be like, "I spent my whole life on my iPhone!" That is like the worst thing that could happen. No! And it's like, if you mess it up, try it again. Just like don't give up, you know? Go camping again and have a new policy with your family. Get consensus around it, make an agreement, and just find other ways to occupy your time. But it's a practice, you know? Are you digging this? You're smiling. Putting it in action Jorge: I am. I'm smiling because I'm looking at the clock and thinking, oh man, we're running out of time, but I don't want to leave folks with, "we're going to die someday." So, I want to bring it back to... Well, you've mentioned two things. One is this idea of making space, which, as you were saying, in our modern world often entails not just space but also shielding ourselves from these potentially addictive devices. And then the technologies that they enable. And then there's this aspect of self-awareness through — you talked about map-making and using the lens of design to think of ourselves as personas. It sounds like those two are essential to getting kind of a read — it's almost like the first part of the double diamond diagram. But there comes this moment where we have to do the synthesis work in design, and we have to think through how we're going to move forward, what we're going to do about it. So, is there a step three here as well? Sunni: After synthesis? Jorge: No, after we've done the map and we have understood ourselves. Sunni: Yes. There's definitely a step three, which is what I would call the "befriending" step. So, you have your constellation of parts of you, like how many personas are in there, and there's an average, but it's kind of infinite when you go in too far. But the next step is basically finding your most active personas. Because, when you wake up, you... I have an active persona, which is like, "oh, I'm going to be really productive. I'm going to be very in touch with a lot of people. make sure that everyone is well-fed." You know, so I have like a kitchen/caretaker part. Like I have all these personas. So you can find the most dominant ones - the most operative ones. And then, and you start to learn about them. And then, but the ultimate goal is to make friends with them all. Even the parts of yourself that you do not like because what happens when you allow and support and befriend all of the aspects of yourself is that all of this internal tension that people experience... like people wake up with anxiety, you know, people wake up with self-criticism, et cetera. All of that energy stabilizes and is calm so that your experience relating to yourself is not fraught with tension anymore. So, you actually have to befriend them, like you would an external child or a person that you care about who lives outside. You do that work internally. And when you do, you spend a lot less time kicking your own ass. I mean, people kick their own asses constantly, you know? And it's like, I'm starting to understand why is that? And what's happening there, and how do you appreciate that you're doing that, but also let it know that you don't have to do that in order to be smart or in order to be productive, et cetera. So that is like the biggest step is to befriend all of your constellations on your map. And then from there, it's like flying, you know? It's like, there's nobody in the way. There's nobody in the way. I mean, there's life; there are institutions of life that are designed to oppress people. Those things are still there, but the way that we relate to them is very different, and that's why it feels so liberating. Closing Jorge: Well, that seems like a really good place to wrap it up. I'm sure that folks listening in are going to want to learn more. Where can they go? Sunni: Oh, they can go to deepselfdesign.com. And you're also helping me. Remember that I need to create these little tools that... I always create tools and methodologies. So, deepselfdesign.com is definitely the home page. And also, sunnibrown.com has a lot of content on it. They can follow me all over social media too. Jorge: Just not while you're camping. Sunni: Yeah, no way. You'll never see me on that. Yeah, no, that's me and mother earth when that's going on, for sure. Jorge: Well, fantastic. Thank you so much for being on the show. Sunni: Yeah, Thanks for having me. It's nice to see you. Jorge: Yeah, same here.

Sunni Brown   Sunni Brown is a social entrepreneur who has been named one of the “100 Most Creative People in Business” and one of the “10 Most Creative People on Twitter” by Fast Company. She is the best-selling author of Gamestorming and The Doodle Revolution, a keynote speaker, expert meeting facilitator, book coach, and dedicated Zen student. Her TED Talk has drawn more than 1.6 million views and her work has been featured in The New York Times, The New York Post, The Wall Street Journal, Time, and WIRED, as well as being featured twice on CBS Sunday Morning and on The TODAY Show. Her forthcoming book is called Being Confident: In Any Situation and When it Matters Most. Watch the TED talk and learn more about Sunni's work on her website and Instagram account: https://youtu.be/7fx0QcHyrFk  https://sunnibrown.com/ https://www.instagram.com/deepselfdesign/     SUPPORT THE PODCAST   This show is brought to you by the Visual Thinking and Sketchnoting Boot Camp Udemyonline course developed for you by Yuri Malishenko. This unique and highly practical signature course will teach you all the necessary elements that you need to employ visual thinking for your profession. You will learn how to draw simply and use sketching techniques to take visual notes, facilitate group discussions, and communicate your ideas with clarity! By the end of the course, you will have completed a unique do-it-yourself workbook that you will carry around as a reference and inspiration for your future ideas!   With the help of the course, you will boost your thinking and communication skills as well as improve your productivity and effectiveness. By purchasing the course you get lifetime access to almost 7 hours of high-quality video instructions with numerous assignments close to real life.   You can sign up for the course here:   https://www.udemy.com/course/visual-thinking-and-sketchnoting-boot-camp/?

In this episode, Adam and Dave chat with game based learning enthusiast and entrepreneur Jon Spike. Jon and the boys discuss post-secondary tech challenges, Jon's project Gamestormers, and things that make them tingle. For more info and show notes, visit https://podcast.edtechdistilled.com/show.html?a=1628780370850 "Slow Burn" and "Cold Sober" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

Our capacities are at an all-time low.   Between the pandemic and politics and injustice–not to mention our already overflowing lives and schedules–we have access to far fewer resources for staying calm, beating back anxiety, or holding space for others.   It's in times like these that leaders like you need to know what trips you up--so you can take better care of yourself and continue to lead those who depend on you.   Knowing what trips you up requires a lot of curiosity and deep respect for feeling out of sorts, but so often, the message to keep cool and never let others see you struggle shuts down any curiosity about what is at the root of inner struggle.   Staying calm and showing up with care is exhausting--especially when the world is on fire. You don't want to stop… but it's tough!   Now, I know everyone is used to hearing about “triggers,” but I like to use a different term-- trailhead.   Trailheads, according to the founder of Internal Family Systems Dick Schwartz, are an emotion, image, inner voice, thought, physical sensation, or impulse that, when brought into focus and followed, often leads to a part of our inner system that is in distress.   Understanding our triggers and trailheads is a path to knowing ourselves better and provides us with direction on what we need to create and informs our body of work.   My guest today built an incredible career based on following her triggers and trailheads.   Sunni Brown is a social entrepreneur, best-selling author, story architect, and book coach.   Her TED Talk has drawn more than 1.5 million views and she is the author of Gamestorming and The Doodle Revolution, forthcoming book–Being Confident: In Any Situation and When it Matters Most.   Sunni has developed a company that has a powerful cultural impact on how we learn and work. She has started this movement based on the data offered from her own personal triggers and trailheads.   Sunni has redefined what it means to arrive as she deepens her awareness of her inner system.   Listen to the full episode to hear: What the Doodle Revolution is and why is this type of visual learning so important The impact doing this type of work has had on Sunni personally and what happened when she followed her rage How she integrates Internal Family Systems into her visual and design work And how to get curious and befriend your trailheads and triggers instead of shaming and exiling them   Learn more about Sunni Brown: Deep Self Design Twiiter @SunniBrown Facebook @SunniBrownInk Instagram @SunniBrown Gamestorming: A Playbook for Innovators, Rulebreakers, and Changemakers The Doodle Revolution: Unlock the Power to Think Differently   Learn more about Liisa Sorsa: ThinkLink Graphics Instagram @thinklink_graphics   Learn more about Rebecca: rebeccaching.com Work With Rebecca Sign up for the Weekly Rumble Email   Resources: Internal Family Systems The Unburdened Leader Episode 2: How Self-Leadership Saves You From The Relentless Drive To Succeed with Richard Schwartz

SPONSORED BYThis episode of the Sketchnote Army Podcast is brought to you by Paperlike, a screen protector for the iPad that makes drawing with the Apple Pencil feel like paper. Paperlike's Nanodot technology offers the paper-like friction you want with the clearer screen visibility you need. This new surface even improves drawing precision — and reduces arm fatigue. It's the closest you'll get to paper on a digital screen. Buy yours today!PaperlikeRUNNING ORDERIntro: Who is Dave?Dave's entry into gamestorming and visual thinkingHaving a plan and being willing to toss it when things changePractice and experience makes our work look lie magicWhat is gamestorming?Open, explore, close — the heart of gamestormingGamestorming principlesSee one, do one, teach oneDave's Gamestorming A-TeamDave's Tools3 tipsOutroLINKSGamestorming BookGamestorming websiteGamestormning Group on LinkedInDave on TwitterDave on InstagramDave on LinkedInDave's EmailTOOLSHeavyweight 5x8 (A5) index cardsHeavyweight 11x17 (A3) card stockScotchBlue Painter's TapeConcepts for iPadMiroThe Sketchnote IdeabookYuri MalishenkoBill KeaggySketchnote Army Slack3 TIPSBe boredPractice through analysisTry new stylesCREDITSProducer: Alec PulianasTheme music: Jon SchiedermayerSUBSCRIBE ON ITUNESYou can subscribe to the podcast through iTunes.SUPPORT THE PODCASTTo support the creation, production and hosting of the Sketchnote Army Podcast, buy one of Mike Rohde's bestselling books. Use code ROHDE40 at Peachpit.com for 40% off!

Gamificação consiste na aplicação de elementos de jogos, tais como avatares, pontuação e fases em atividades de trabalho, com o objetivo de tornar essas atividades mais motivadoras. Além da gamificação, existem diversas abordagens que incentivam que os colaboradores de uma organização divirtam-se enquanto trabalham: sala de jogos, gamestorming, jogos sérios e decoração personalizada. De um modo geral, a brincadeira no ambiente de trabalho contribui para que as pessoas se sintam mais à vontade para se expressar, permitindo que ideias inovadoras aflorem tanto em conversas formais quanto em informais. Por outro lado, permite também que venham à tona conflitos e tensões que precisam ser superados. Esta palestra mostra como usar a brincadeira em seus diversos formatos para tornar o ambiente de trabalho mais divertido, inovador e, ao mesmo tempo, sincero. Slides Palestra apresentada na Celepar por ocasião da criação de uma diretoria de gamificação. Áudio Gamificação e brincadeira no ambiente de trabalho [MP3] 40 minutos Transcrição Gamificação é uma aplicação de elementos de jogos em atividades que não visam necessariamente o entretenimento. Você pode até se divertir ao participar dessa atividade, mas não é esse o foco. A diversão e o prazer servem como meio para motivar as pessoas a fazer produzir alguma coisa, criar alguma coisa ou fazer alguma coisa. Um bom exemplo é o Duolingo, um aplicativo para aprender línguas que aproveita seu conhecimento da língua materna. O aplicativo propõe uma série de desafios práticos de uso da língua que se parecem com jogos. O desafio é resolvido sem a ajuda de outras pessoas para avaliar. O sistema avalia o usuário através da média das respostas dos demais usuários. Na medida em que o usuário vence o desafio, ele acumula pontos e ganha medalhas que demonstram o seu nível de conhecimento daquela língua. A gamificação do Duolingo serve para resolver um problema clássico do aprendizado: refletir sobre o próprio aprendizado e distinguir o que já se sabe do que falta saber. Apesar de ser um excelente exemplo, a gamificação do Duolingo não pode ser aplicada em todos os domínios do conhecimento. No caso das línguas estrangeiras, o conhecimento já se encontra bem mapeado. Em contraste, existem inúmeras áreas do conhecimento que não dispõem de sistematização e mapeamento suficiente para definir uma escala de progressão e critérios precisos de avaliação. Outro exemplo interessante é o FoldIt, que também aproveita um domínio do conhecimento onde existem estruturas bem conhecidas: a síntese de proteínas artificiais. Os engenheiros genéticos já sabem muitas coisas sobre o enrolamento de proteínas, porém, eles não conhecem todas as combinações possíveis e seus efeitos. Novos enrolamentos podem ser úteis para criar drogas para o tratamento de doenças atualmente incuráveis. Visando explorar as combinações, pesquisadores de diversas Universidades estadunidenses criaram um jogo online internautas colaborarem com a pesquisa de drogas, criando modelos de proteínas e testando sua performance num ambiente simulado. As explorações dos internautas já contribuíram para a cura de diversas doenças, como por exemplo, no mapeamento de proteínas do vírus HIV. O terceiro exemplo é um tanto diferente: trata-se da gamificação de processos de trabalho. O planejamento participativo da Agência PUC realizado em 2017 pode ser considerado um planejamento gamificado. Na PUCPR, a Agência é responsável pelo processo que parte de uma ideia de um pesquisador, passa por uma patente e chega num negócio ou em uma startup. Decidimos usar jogos no planejamento participativo para incluir dezenas de pessoas no planejamento do futuro da Agência de uma maneira divertida e organizada. Por incrível que pareça, a gamificação não tem sua origem nos países capitalistas. Os primeiros sistemas que implementaram a gamificação (com outros nomes) surgiram em países socialistas, no intuito de promover uma espécie de competição artificial entre empresas governamentais e trabalhadores. Cada entrega dos trabalhadores era mensurada e acumulava pontos. Quando atingia certo nível, o trabalhador ganhava uma medalha ou um prêmio, tal como um pacote turístico de férias. Porque a gamificação surgiu nesse contexto? Numa sociedade socialista existe uma grande ênfase na colaboração; cada um trabalha e faz a sua parte para construir uma grande sociedade. Não há a necessidade nem o incentivo para criar mais valor do que seus colegas. Uma pessoa que inova não pode acumular capital a partir do valor gerado, sendo assim, não há incentivos para inovar. A história é conhecida e a União Soviética acabou, em partes, indo ao colapso no final dos anos 1980 devido a esses problemas. Eu acredito que o principal problema, na verdade, foi a burocracia excessiva causada pela falta de inovação. O servidor público segue uma série de regras sem se perguntar por que faz isso, ou seja, sem perceber o benefício do serviço público ao cidadão. Isso acontece porque o sistema de recompensa não focaliza no objetivo final, que é atender o cidadão, mas sim na competição interna socialista que não garante benefício direto ao cidadão. A gamificação não resolve problemas se for aplicada de maneira simplória. Ela precisa ser muito bem pensada a partir das motivações que as pessoas têm. O trabalho na sociedade capitalista também possui problemas graves, porém, muito diferentes da sociedade socialista. A ênfase é na competição. Desde cedo, somos incentivados por nossas famílias a competir, por exemplo, nos esportes e a colaboração acaba sendo um valor secundário. A competição é mensurada por resultados quantitativos de nossas atividades, tal como a quantidade de gols numa partida de futebol. Medidas quantitativas, embora ofereçam feedback rápido do trabalho, não geram sentido satisfatório. Diversos experimentos gerenciais apontam que aumentos salariais não motivam os trabalhos a aumentarem a qualidade do trabalho. Por esses e outros motivos, a qualidade na sociedade capitalista acaba ficando em segundo plano em relação à quantidade. A qualidade do trabalho está ligada ao afeto, emoção e sentimentos. É preciso sentir para perceber a qualidade, porém, em ambas as sociedades, isso não é incentivado. Existe um preconceito tanto na sociedade capitalista quanto na socialista de que trabalho não deve dar prazer. O trabalhador deve sofrer durante o horário de trabalho e se quiser sentir prazer deve fazer isso somente fora do horário de trabalho. O problema desse preconceito é que as pessoas não se realizam fazendo o trabalho pois não obtém prazer do mesmo. No caso de trabalhadores de programação, é comum que eles só sintam prazer em projetos pessoais feitos como hobbie nas suas casas. A linguagem Processing é muito utilizada por programadores que gostam de criar arte a partir de códigos, um prazer que é rechaçado em fábricas de software. Na PUCPR nós temos um ateliê de software que incentiva, ao contrário, que os estudantes tenham prazer programando aplicativos para dispositivos móveis e, desse modo, gerem inovação. Uma empresa que tem demonstrado publicamente essa ligação entre prazer e inovação é a Google. Apesar de existir há duas décadas, o ambiente de trabalho ainda é leve e descontraído. Quando um visitante adentra uma sede da Google, não tem a sensação de entrar em um escritório tradicional, mas sim numa Universidade ou em um parque de diversão. As pessoas amam trabalhar no Google e isso não impede a empresa de ser lucrativa. Existem diversas maneiras como as pessoas obtém prazer no trabalho. As pessoas podem gostar de interagir com colegas, resolver problemas complexos que ninguém consegue, criar coisas inovadoras e realizar propósitos motivadore (fazer algo que se gosta ou se acha importante). Por outro lado, a dor é inerente ao trabalho, seja ela de natureza fisiológica ou psicológica. Por exemplo, a pressão dos colegas pedindo para você fazer coisas que você não sabe ou não tem tempo suficiente para fazer bem feito. O resultado disso costuma ser as inevitáveis falhas e frustrações. Quando as pessoas tentam prevenir falhas, elas costumam entrar em conflito devido à dificuldade de prever o que vai acontecer. A pior de todas as dores talvez seja a falta de significado do trabalho ou a consciência pesada de fazer algo que não se concorda ou se acredita. O prazer e a dor são inerentes ao trabalho, porém, nem sempre as empresas canalizam estas emoções para algo produtivo. Jogos, brincadeiras, gamificação e outras abordagens lúdicas servem para canalizar o prazer e a dor para obter resultados de trabalho. Essa canalização, entretanto, não é simples de ser estabelecida. Tomemos como exemplo novamente o planejamento participativo da Agência PUC. Começamos o processo reconhecendo e discutindo de maneira transparente os problemas que a gestão enfrenta. Para organizar essa discussão, utilizamos um jogo chamado Lancha descrito no livro Gamestorming. Gamestorming é a utilização de jogos para apoiar processos parecidos com brainstorming. O jogo da Lancha propõe que os jogadores listem problemas através da metáfora da "âncora que impede a organização de deslanchar". Além de organizar o feedback sobre problemas, o jogo cria uma situação em que as pessoas podem falar mais abertamente o que pensam. Se por acaso alguém não gostar do que ela escreveu ou disse, ela sempre pode dizer que estava brincando. Essa é a grande vantagem do pretexto de brincar: é possível ser ousado e crítico sem correr o risco de ofender alguém. Por mais exagerada que seja a expressão no jogo, ela coloca em evidência as relações afetivas que estão em jogo. Isso é útil por que, em situações de incerteza, as emoções acabam delineando a tomada de decisão. O jogo, na verdade, evoca tanto o pensamento racional quanto o emocional. No Hospital de Clínicas do Paraná, eu tive a oportunidade de testar o jogo O Hospital Expansivo que desenvolvi como parte da minha tese de doutorado. Durante a sessão de jogo, os profissionais de diferentes áreas do hospital encenaram conflitos reais que acontecem no dia-a-dia, porém, a partir de um papel diferente do que eles desempenham no dia-a-dia. Isso deu a eles a oportunidade de sentir o que o outro sente, ou seja, exercitar a empatia. Uma situação específica me chamou a atenção: quando administradores do hospital se uniram no jogo para montar um cartel de empreiteiras e minar a licitação de construção do hospital simulado no jogo. Os demais jogadores protestaram rindo, apesar de reconheceram depois que a situação acontece na realidade. O pretexto de brincar ajudou-os a examinar o problema pela perspectiva do empreiteiro. Diversos outros conflitos reais apareceram no jogo. A grande vantagem para os profissionais que participaram foi perceber que a origem dos conflitos não está nas relações pessoais desenvolvidas no ambiente de trabalho, mas sim nas estruturas e processos que organizam de maneira inadequada o trabalho. Mesmo que as pessoas mudem de papéis, o conflito entre os papéis continua existindo. Outra vantagem do pretexto de brincar é imaginar e examinar situações completamente diferentes da realidade. Esse exercício pode trazer insights indiretos sobre como transformar algo. A situação imaginada não seria possível, porém, alguns de seus elementos podem ser adaptados para torná-la possível. Dinâmicas de teatro são excelentes para trabalhar relações de trabalho, pois as pessoas se soltam e fazem ironias, comentários sarcásticos e propostas desafiadoras que, apesar de aparecem como brincadeira, sempre tem um fundo de verdade. Quando os participantes levam a sério a brincadeira e percebem que ali há algo mais do que real, elas conseguem aproveitar o máximo do potencial inovador do brincar. Uma vez assumida a dor e o prazer como parte do ambiente de trabalho, algumas coisas que eram consideradas impossíveis se tornam possíveis. Isso porque o possível e o impossível são delineados pelas nossas emoções, mais do que pela razão. As pessoas evitam fazer o impossível pois temem a dor e preferem o possível porque acreditam que o prazer está garantido. Porém, no processo criativo, é possível transformar uma dor num prazer e, com isso, tornar o impossível no possível. Por exemplo, num treinamento que realizei na empresa M4U em 2009, estimulei a equipe de design a criar um controle remoto para a televisão digital, apesar da empresa nunca ter investido em hardware. A dor de não ter um produto próprio (na época apenas produtos white label) foi encarada com coragem pela equipe. O prazer de projetar aquele controle remoto consolidou uma maneira mais criativa de trabalhar, posteriormente aplicada aos serviços existentes da empresa. A longo prazo, sentir dor e prazer juntos faz as pessoas sentirem-se parte de uma comunidade. Na Apple Developer Academy, um programa de desenvolvimento de aplicativos que temos na PUCPR, os estudantes têm prazos muito curtos para desenvolver aplicativos móveis. A pressão obviamente provoca dores diversas, porém, gera também aprendizados similares aos que acontecem no mercado de trabalho. Para compensar a dor, organizamos diversos eventos recreativos no horário de trabalho, como, por exemplo, o Cosplay Day de Halloween. Esses momentos de descontração são fundamentais para os estudantes sentirem-se parte de algo maior. Temos também na PUCPR a Hotmilk, uma aceleradora de startups. O espaço da Hotmilk é colorido e despojado, estimulando as pessoas a ficar mais à vontade para trabalhar e brincar. Espaços como esse estão se tornando comuns em grandes empresas, porém, eles não garantem que as pessoas sejam criativas. É preciso que se assuma o prazer e a dor como parte do processo criativo. Se as pessoas assumem isso, elas se tornam então predispostas aos estímulos do ambiente criativo. Quando as pessoas estão predispostas, basta ter os estímulos na hora certa. O brinquedo ajuda a criar um pretexto para que as pessoas explorem ideias de maneira espontânea. Por exemplo, na Apple Developer Academy temos caixas de Lego à disposição dos estudantes. Numa situação específica, eu e mais uma monitora e um estudante experimentamos o uso de Lego para facilitar a comunicação sobre a arquitetura de um software. Chamamos isso de Lego UML. Essa criação espontânea não teria acontecido se não houvesse a disponibilidade de um material para experimentar rapidamente a ideia, no caso, o Lego. Apresentei, até aqui, diferentes abordagens para o ambiente de trabalho: gamificação, jogos, brincadeiras e brinquedos. Agora falarei sobre suas diferenças em relação a uma questão fundamental: o motivo por trás da atividade. Jogos tem motivos extrínsecos; as pessoas jogam para fazer algo. Já brincadeiras tem motivos intrínsecos; as pessoas brincam porque gostam de brincar. O brinquedo, por sua vez, é a materialização de um motivo em estado latente. O motivo latente da caixa de Lego na Apple Developer Academy é a externalização de ideias, porém, ela pode servir a outros motivos. A gamificação é parecida com o brinquedo, porém, materializa motivos de maneira menos explícita em regras de negócio ou de interação que fazer parte do trabalho. Vale ressaltar que a gamificação não funciona quando existe um motivo negativo que anula o motivo latente. A gamificação pode ajudar as pessoas a fazerem algo que elas já querem fazer e não estão conseguindo fazer, porém, ela não pode motivar as pessoas a fazerem algo que elas não querem fazer. Somente um outro motivo pode motivar ou desmotivar uma pessoa. A pergunta inicial da gamificação não é como motivar, mas sim o que motivar. Identificar os motivos que estão desmotivando as pessoas e criar motivos capazes de superar a desmotivação é uma tarefa complexa. Mas o que seria um motivo? Na Psicologia Histórico-Cultural, um motivo é um objeto que pode satisfazer uma necessidade ou um desejo. Este objeto não precisa ser físico. Se a necessidade for fome, o objeto pode ser uma banana, porém, se o desejo for a curiosidade, o objeto pode ser uma informação. O objeto será o ponto central da atividade enquanto existir a necessidade e o desejo. Baseada na Psicologia Histórico-Cultural, elaborei um método de mudança organizacional baseada em jogos. Na primeira etapa, uma equipe que tenha dificuldades em trabalhar junto joga um jogo que faça emergir os conflitos associados às dificuldades. Na segunda etapa, a equipe reflete se os conflitos jogados existem também fora do jogo. Dos conflitos surgem ideias para superar as dificuldades, a terceira etapa. Por fim, seleciona-se uma dificuldade mais profunda que não foi tratada e cria-se um jogo customizado para a situação. O ciclo se repete até que os conflitos sejam vistos como consequências das barreiras entre departamentos e da falta de motivação individual e coletiva para trabalhar em conjunto. O método foi testado pela primeira vez no Hospital de Clínicas do Paraná em 2015. O primeiro jogo jogado foi O Hospital Expansivo, já mencionado. Na reflexão de debriefing, os profissionais do hospital identificaram conflitos de motivos relacionados ao planejamento das ações do hospital. Além disso, foi levantado um conflito relativo ao incentivo coletivo para colaboração e a cobrança individualizada. Na próxima sessão, propus alguns jogos adaptados do livro Gamestorming para lidar com os conflitos identificados. O segundo jogo foi, portanto, o Mapeamento de Stakeholders, que serviu para identificar quem estava envolvido com os conflitos. Na primeira parte do jogo foram listados os papéis e, em seguida, foi feita uma votação ponderada com adesivos sobre os papéis cujas motivações não eram bem compreendidas pelos participantes. Os papéis mais votados foram trabalhados no jogo Mapa da Empatia. No centro do desenho está o rosto do papel. Ao seu redor são separadas regiões da folha para acrescentar post-its sobre o que o papel está pensando, vendo, fazendo, sentindo e escutando. Qualquer pessoa pode acrescentar post-its e depois é feita uma reflexão para avaliar se o grupo desenvolveu empatia pelo papel. Na próxima sessão chamamos pessoas que desempenham alguns dos papéis e pedimos que elas avaliassem as suposições do grupo. Muitas delas eram preconceitos que impediam o desenvolvimento da empatia pelo papel. Após os esclarecimentos e devidos ajustes no mapa, a pessoal que desempenha o papel discutia com o grupo como superar o preconceito. Na foto vemos uma médica residente amassando e jogando fora post-its com preconceitos e acrescentando novos com suas próprias perspectivas, em cor diferente. A quantidade de cor original é um indicador da empatia dos jogadores antes da interação com a convidada. O preconceito desconstruído é a visão dos gestores de que o médico residente está motivado apenas com sua formação e não com o bem-estar do paciente. A médica residente mostrou que seu papel faz muitas ações pelos pacientes, porém, nem sempre visíveis à administração do hospital. Jogamos também o jogo Lula. Partindo de um tema central, no caso Planejamento, são derivadas perguntas (post-it amarelo) e respostas (post-it laranjas). Qualquer pessoa pode perguntar e responder através de um diálogo silencioso e visual. O resultado é uma exploração rápida e produtiva de uma série de questões que costumam ficar no ar. Ao final, foram elaboradas ações concretas para transformar o planejamento. Os próximos jogos foram elaborados com base nestas ações. O Radar de Prioridades é uma maneira de avaliar colaborativamente diferentes atividades a partir de critérios em comum. No caso, foram avaliadas as especialidades cirúrgicas (ortopedia, urologia, neurologia, etc.) em relação a critérios como repasse do SUS, interesse de pesquisa, recursos necessários e outros. A vantagem fazer esse gráfico em um jogo ao invés de colocar os dados numa planilha e gerar um gráfico de teia é a possibilidade de trabalhar com estimativas coletivas. A participação de várias pessoas aumenta a força da estimativa, porém, ficou claro para os participantes que era necessário reunir os indicadores sobre cada um dos critérios, algo que ainda não tinha sido feito. O último jogo que jogamos foi o Planejamento de Cenários. Criamos um gráfico de quadrantes baseado no cruzamento de dois indicadores: taxa de cancelamento de cirurgias e fila de pacientes. Cada quadrante representa um cenário. No canto superior direito é o cenário chamado pelos participantes de ?tragédia atual?, em que a taxa de cancelamento de cirurgias aumenta junto com a fila de pacientes. No canto inferior direito está a ?melhoria contínua? com o aumento da fila de pacientes e diminuição da taxa de cancelamentos. No canto inferior esquerdo está a ?utopia? da diminuição dos dois indicadores e no canto superior esquerdo há um cenário logicamente impossível (se não há pacientes, não há como cancelar as cirurgias). Os resultados alcançados por esta intervenção foram muito satisfatórios. Os conflitos pessoais foram superados e as pessoas voltaram a se falar e resolver problemas de maneira amistosa. Colocar-se no lugar do outro foi essencial para essa mudança. Isso gerou também uma maior motivação para melhorar os processos de trabalho. Considerando os exemplos aqui apresentados, pode-se afirmar que jogos, brincadeiras e gamificação contribuem para superar conflitos de motivos em organizações. Existem outros benefícios destes recursos, porém, este foi o que me apresentou evidências mais fortes. O propalado aumento de motivação é, na verdade, uma falácia. Jogos e brincadeiras não motivam a trabalhar por si só, senão que ajudam as pessoas a criar motivos mais fortes do que aqueles que estão paralisando sua atividade. Esses novos motivos são capazes de resolver o problema da falta de motivação que, a meu ver, não é um problema de ausência de motivos, mas da existência de motivos que se. O motivo capaz de superar o conflito não vem dos jogos, mas dos próprios jogadores. O jogo, o brinquedo e a gamificação são estruturas que ajudam os jogadores a materializar motivos mais fortes. Estas intervenções são complexas mas tem poder para disparar mudanças drásticas em qualquer organização. Feito com Keynote Extractor.Comente este post

Who is on the show: In this episode, we host Dave Gray. He is the founder of XPLANE and author of multiple books including Liminal Thinking. Why is he on the show: He is a visual artist and uses agile, iterative techniques like Visual Thinking, Culture Mapping, and Gamestorming to get people engaged and involved in co-creating clear, unique and executable business strategies. His latest book - Liminal Thinking, talks about a core practice for connected leaders in a complex world. What do we talk about: In a free-wheeling conversation, we speak about How did he come about writing his book "Game-storming" with Sunni Brown and James Macanufo and his experience of writing the book Empathy Map and he shares a story about a session where he used the map and how it impacts people Why is it so difficult for people to empathise with others? How did his book "Connected Company" come about and what it was all about (Digital Transformation), which led to the question about how to make the transformation? How this led him to his latest book - "Liminal Thinking" The entire conversation around belief and how critical it is for internal transformation What are some of the most simple of things that if done can have significant impact on our lives? The ability to sit back and observe oneself as a third person is a meta ability that can help us bring about significant changes in our own lives. How could one go about developing this ability? Is there a connection between being in the moment and visual thinking? Something that was surprising and interesting while researching for the book - "Liminal thinking". Who does he considers the most inspiring person and why? What is it that you see in the world that blows his mind? What is the biggest limitation of humanity? Why? What does his creative process looks like? What are his routines that support his creativity? What gives him joy or how does he rejuvenate himself? Where does he get creative ideas from ? What is his learning habits? How does he continue to evolve and grow as a person? Book Recommendation: History of Illuminated Manuscripts Making Meetings work What he thinks is obvious but people miss all the time (The answer will definitely surprise you). What is one thing he wants you to do as soon as you finish listening to this conversation? Liminal thinking talks about learning six principles and nine practices. These nine practices of liminal thinking can be summarised as three simple precepts: Get in touch with your ignorance. Seek understanding. Do something different. Here is a video where Dave explains the Pyramid of Beliefs from his book and you can find a summary of his book here. How can you connect with him: You can follow him on twitter @DaveGray and his website is http://www.xplaner.com.

In the first episode of the second season, I talk with Dave Gray, founder of XPLANE and the visual thinking leader who introduced me to using visuals as a practice and a way of thinking. SHOW NOTES Dave Gray - http://xplaner.com XPLANE - https://xplane.com Lascaux caves - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lascaux The Sketchnote Workshop - http://sketchnoteworkshop.com XPLANE Strategy Activation - http://www.xplane.com/services/strategy-activation.html Selling to the VP of No - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00X0436E0/therohdesignwebs Marks and Meaning - http://xplaner.com/marksandmeaning/ Gamestorming - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0596804172/therohdesignwebs The Connected Company - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1491919477/therohdesignwebs Liminal Thinking - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1933820462/therohdesignwebs Sharpie Extra Fine Point - https://www.amazon.com/Sharpie-Permanent-Markers-Extra-Fine-Point/dp/B00006IFHZ/therohdesignwebs Index Cards - https://www.amazon.com/Unruled-Index-Cards-White-Pack/dp/B0016P4A5Y/therohdesignwebs Moleskine Xtra Large - https://www.amazon.com/Moleskine-Classic-Notebook-Extra-Large/dp/B015NG44EI/therohdesignwebs Visual Note Taking at SXSW - http://austinkleon.com/2010/05/10/visual-note-taking-101-sxsw-panel/ Apple iPad Pro - http://www.apple.com/ipad-pro/ Apple Pencil - http://www.apple.com/apple-pencil/ Microsoft Tablet PC - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Tablet_PC Surface Pro 4 - https://www.microsoft.com/surface/en-us/devices/surface-pro-4 Surface Pen - https://www.microsoft.com/surface/en-us/accessories/pen Concepts Pro - http://concepts.tophatch.com Visual Thinking Basics - http://xplaner.com/2012/12/07/visual-thinking-basics/

Dave Gray of Gamestorming fame joined us in Stockholm to share some stories around principles of agility. Patterns to guide you rather than dogma to rule you. Does your organisation have a culture that’s capable of being agile?  How do you survive in an agile environment and within connected teams?

Welcome to episode #335 of Six Pixels Of Separation - The Twist Image Podcast. Innovation is something desperately and constantly needed in marketing. Thankfully, there are innovative thinkers like Dave Gray around to help us out. He is the author of two excellent books (Gamestorming and The Connected Company), and is currently the SVP of Strategy at the Dachis Group. In full disclosure, I was most interested in speaking with Gray after reading The Connected Company and did not even realize that he was also the author of Gamestorming. The truth is that social media has changed more than the marketing part of business (hence, the burgeoning term, "social business"). It's going to take discussions - like the one you are about to hear - and lot more c-suite actions for all of us to better understand how this all comes together. Enjoy the conversation... Here it is: Six Pixels Of Separation - The Twist Image Podcast - Episode #335 - Host: Mitch Joel. Running time: 45:35. Please send in questions, comments, suggestions - mitch@twistimage.com. Hello from Beautiful Montreal. Subscribe over at iTunes. Please visit and leave comments on the Blog - Six Pixels of Separation. Feel free to connect to me directly on Facebook here: Mitch Joel on Facebook. or you can connect on LinkedIn. ...or on twitter.  Six Pixels of Separation the book is now available. CTRL ALT DEL is coming in Spring 2013. In conversation with Dave Gray. The Connected Company. Gamestorming. Follow Dave on Twitter. This week's music: David Usher 'St. Lawrence River'. Get David's song for free here: Artists For Amnesty. Download the Podcast here: Six Pixels Of Separation - The Twist Image Podcast - Episode #335 - Host: Mitch Joel. Tags: advertising podcast blog blogging brand business book dachis group dave gray david usher digital marketing facebook gamestorming itunes marketing marketing blogger marketing podcast online social network podcast podcasting social media the connected company

During the lunch break of day 2 here at UXLx 2012 Per and James talked to Dave Gray, one of the co-authors of Gamestorming and one of the workshop holders here yesterday morning. As well as talking to Dave about his workshop and preparation for it, we also got a few tips of gamestorming techniques...