If you’ve ever worked in a corporate environment or attended a corporate training, chances are you’re familiar with the human knot, the “build a tower using spaghetti and marshmallows,” and two truths and a lie.
While these activities can be fun, competitive and a welcomed break from the work day, they’re often centered more around play than purpose.
Rather than asking participants to fall backwards into the arms of their colleagues, Brick6 Creative builds epic team building workshops focused on collaboration, empowerment and building trust with the help of a timeless toy: the Lego.
Based on a methodology called Lego Serious Play, groups of up to 12 people are challenged to communicate with one another and work through problems using Lego bricks from specialized kits.
“Legos evoke imagination and learning in adults the same way they do in kids,” said Christian Kilpatrick, owner and founder of Brick6 Creative. “By building things, you unlock neurons in your brain that help you learn, retain information and enhance your presentation. Legos become the medium to tell your story.”
Brick6 workshops generally fall into two categories: learning about each other and learning from each other.
“If the goal is for a group to learn about one another, we might focus on a fictional problem that needs to be solved,” explains Christian. “For example, if you were trapped on a desert island, what would you want to have with you? How would you use those things? How would you escape? Each person would be tasked with building Lego models of what they’d bring with them, so teams can work through these problems with something tangible.”
Other courses may focus on an existing work situation or challenge. While these are still grounded in fun and collaboration, the activities tend to build trust as well.
“No matter what the goal of the course is, I won’t prescribe to you what to do,” said Christian. “Instead, I’m walking you through scenarios and asking you questions geared towards personal and team development. You’re the problem solver, not me.”
Whether Christian is asking a team to use Legos to explain a tool, a process, an outcome or even an emotion, he emphasizes that listening and communication are at the heart of a successful workshop and, ultimately, workplace culture.
“The people you have around you everyday are the ones you should be listening to,” said Christian. “If you’re not, that’s a huge red flag. If you can’t communicate, you’ll fail.”
Sometimes, to take a team to the next level, you just have to break out the Legos and play.
To learn more about Brick6 or to schedule a team building activity, visit https://www.bricksixcreative.com.