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How can you meaningfully engage with your participants in a virtual workshop?

Sashi Surendran — Thu, 14 May 2020 05:48:16 +0000

How can you meaningfully engage with your participants in a virtual workshop?

Australia

One of the major benefits of a face to face workshop is that it is engaging for people. We love how tactile the experience is and we try hard to design activities that get people drawing, building, even going for a walk.

As the whole world works from home, how can you keep participants engaged in a virtual workshop, when technology can get in the way?

At ThinkPlace we have run thousands of design workshops, bringing diverse people together to solve complex problems. Before the Covid-19 crisis, ThinkPlace had been using our online workshops, Airlabs, when face to face was not an option, such as engaging mining communities in remote Australia or running innovation processes with Australian public servants stationed overseas.

Since the Covid-19 crisis, ThinkPlace has been running Airlabs on a daily basis. In this series of blog articles, we discuss some common client concerns with online workshops and how you can help overcome them. In Part one, we talked about how to effectively design your online workshop

Once you have the ncessary tools in place, how can you bring real engagement. Let's delve deeper.

1st client concern: the technology will be a nightmare

We recently had a client with a high-profile project who was worried that an online workshop would be mired by technology glitches. In another example, a client told us that they weren’t tech-savvy and suggested we didn’t invite older participants who might struggle. And it’s true, no one likes hearing “sorry guys, we’re having technical troubles”

But there are lots of ways to make the technology much easier.

How to overcome it

1) Have tech support or moderator for your workshop

A superhero comes to save the day. Only this time, it’s a tech superhero. At ThinkPlace when we run Airlabs we always have one person (not the facilitator) in charge of technology. Not only does this person help design how the virtual workshop will work, tests the platforms, runs the checks, but on the day is 100% dedicated to managing the platforms, making sure they are working, participants know what is going on and have someone to reach out to if they need help.

This has been critical to our Airlabs running smoothly. It doesn’t have to be expensive, in fact this role makes sure the workshop runs smoothly and results in the outcomes our clients want.

2) Script rigorously

In a face to face workshop, it’s often possible (and desirable) to be a bit spontaneous. It’s so much harder to do that digitally. At least while you’re getting used to online workshops, make a detailed runsheet of instructions, with a lot more detail than you would for face to face workshops.

Make sure that each activity has a slide with detailed instructions for participants, so they don’t have to interrupt the whole group to ask questions. Unlike in a face to face workshop, you might not see people filling in the wrong template.

3) Practice run your session. Aim for twice

One of the keys to avoiding technology problems is to practice your session including going from one activity to the next and practicing break out rooms. Aim for two practice runs initially and consider inviting your clients. 

4) Limit the number of platforms you choose

For every platform, there is a hurdle in getting to know it. Limit platforms to two per session. One of the reasons we love Mural is that you can have one Mural board for the life of the whole project so clients and participants can come and go, building skills in a low-pressure environment. Choose a videoconferencing system that your clients are familiar with.

5) Open the session early

Open the session 30 mins before the workshop (no one likes waiting to log on and some people get confused). Tell people explicitly that they can join early and you will help them in that time to get familiar with the platform. At the beginning of your session, spend some time training people on the platforms and giving them opportunities to see how they work. For example, use a simple ice breaker that functions as a get-to-know-you and a learning experience.

2nd Client concern: How can you make it engaging?

Our clients often ask how an online workshop could be as engaging as a face to face one.

How to overcome it

1) Short activity-based sessions

Choose a platform that facilitates activities such as Miro, Stormz, GroupMap or Mural. Mural looks and feels a lot like an actual whiteboard. But it can be fiddly for participants to use (a common problem is to accidentally make a huge post it or to struggle to line things up). If you want a faster, easier user experience try GroupMap.

Aim for your virtual workshop to be 3 hours or less and keep each activity short, around 30 mins or less. The good news is that people are often faster at typing than writing out activity sheets so you’ll be surprised how much they can get done in that time.

Choose a platform like Stormz that allows break out rooms and integrates with videoconferencing platforms like Zoom. As you would do with workshops, join virtual break out rooms to reiterate instructions, see how people are doing with activities and ask if they need more time.

2) Get rapid feedback in the moment

Make sure you have really easy way for people to give you feedback on how the workshop is going. In person you’d be able to tell if someone looked uncertain or that they were about to ask a question. Give people the option to ask questions over the chat function or use a polling platform such as Slido to get feedback on whether people need more time or understand the instructions.

3) Pause more when facilitating

After asking participants questions, or before moving on to the next activity or conversation, pause for much longer than you would in person. This gives people time to put on their mic and overcome the formality of speaking via videoconferencing.

4) You need to work a lot harder to make sure people are staying engaged

As a facilitator in control of the technology you have a lot of power. Videoconferencing also creates formality and prevents people building rapport. This is exacerbated by technology that creates lags and delays in taking mics off.

Don’t just say “interrupt any time with questions”. You need to be a lot more proactive in asking people if they understand. Use your technology support to ask people in different ways (such as over the chat function or using a Slido poll)

3rd client concern: Looking at a screen is exhausting

Employers around the world are grappling with out to keep their staff healthy now that they are spending eight solid hours a day looking at a screen.

How do you limit screen exhaustion during your workshop?

We have already discussed reducing the length of the workshop and the activities. Here are some more tips,

How to overcome it

1) Don’t dismiss non-virtual activities

Don’t’ be beguiled by all the shiny online tools. Good old fashioned drawings and activities still work wornders. You just have to design them carefully so that you’re confident participants have all the materials at hand.

For example you could get people to draw a picture for a prototype or an ice breaker and send in a photo. Other options include short film clips.

In one workshop we did an activity to build people’s skills in prototyping by asking them to build towers using only paper, scissors and a ruler. The result was fun, memorable and skill building.

2) Where appropriate you can put activities up before and after a workshop

We think of a workshop as a time when everyone is together. But in the context of Covid some participants might have to step away to help their children with homework. A platform like GroupMap or Mural or Miro means people can contribute their thoughts before, during and after activities.

3) Allow breaks of 15 minutes

It’s much harder for people to concentrate on a screen, 5 minute breaks don’t cut it. Allow at least 15 minutes for people to stretch their legs, get some fresh air and allow their eyes to reset.

In one recent example we ran yoga exercises for participants during breaks.

The wrap

With a bit of creativity and hard work you can make an online workshop very engaging. Think carefully about how you are going to get participants to build rapport and don’t dismiss a hands-on ice breaking activity.

Make sure your virtual workshops are short and sharp to prevent people being distracted from all those emails and messages.

We find that if a workshop is fun, interesting, fast paced and short, people will stay engaged and you’ll get great content for your client.

Part 3: How to make virtual workshops safe? Coming soon...

You can find out more about Airlabs here.

View our Airlabs guide

Get in touch about airlabs:

Australia: +61 2 6282 8852 | airlabs [at] thinkplace.com.au (subject: Airlabs%20Enquiry)

New Zealand: +64 (04) 472 1212 | info [at] thinkplace.co.nz (subject: Airlabs%20Enquiry)

Singapore: +65 9046 0340 | info [at] thinkplace.com.sg

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The power of constraints - What do you not want to go back to?

Sashi Surendran — Thu, 07 May 2020 05:28:54 +0000

The power of constraints - What do you not want to go back to?

New Zealand

At ThinkPlace, we think a lot about paradigms: set of beliefs and values widely held across societies around how systems work. These paradigms are often built around tradition, the path of least resistance, what has worked in the past, and the will of those in power, and they are the basis of how our systems form.

Shifting paradigms offer the greatest opportunity to transform a system, yet the deep-seated and widespread nature of these beliefs can often make them seem like immovable truths that are impossible to uproot.

However, as Donella Meadows puts it, “there’s nothing physical or expensive or slow in the process of paradigm change. In a single individual it can happen in a millisecond. All it takes is a click in the mind, a falling of scales from the eyes, a new way of seeing.”

Why does that matter right now?

We are entering a period of monumental societal resistance. Over the past months, we have begun to question the nature of our paradigms - especially around the way we work, why we work, how we define progress, and the role of global governance - due to the massive external constraints caused by this pandemic. We risk returning to the status quo if we do not continue to be purposeful and thoughtful in what we do and why we do it.

As a designer, I am a huge believer in the power of constraints to drive creativity and innovation. Rarely pleasing at the start, and undoubtedly very painful in this current situation, constraints nonetheless enable humans to do their best work. They provide focus, clarity, and the force to generate creative solutions to solve real problems. When framed and perceived appropriately, constraints can reset established thinking.

We are currently sitting in a window of opportunity; an interesting combination of scale, rigidity and immediacy that has sparked extraordinary action globally.

In a matter of months, corporations have shifted to entirely remote work, companies are humanising and embracing social purpose and governments are showing that we can actually make a dent in homelessness. All massive shifts that we thought would take 5-10 more years.

Contrast this with climate change, a truly unprecedented constraint, that is imminent but lacks the tangibility and immediacy of a pandemic response. For us to innovate, adapt and step up, we need to add self-imposed constraints to our world and the way we think much before the threat is at our doorstep.

So, where does this leave us?

In New Zealand, the sound of construction has started to fill the air and cars have taken back the streets. We are very fortunate to be currently trending towards control of the virus within our borders and return to a more ‘normal’ way of being. The constraints are loosening, which in itself is not a bad thing. This was the goal from the outset and why we all did our part to limit the spread.

As we enter the long tail of the pandemic, it is crucial to remember not just what we will regain, individually and as a society, but also that which we do not want to go back to.

This is an opportunity to think creatively in the face of extreme limitations and address deep-rooted paradigms. It’s a time to question accepted ways of thinking and being and transform our systems to be fit for now and the future. It is entirely possible, and we are currently proving that. The only thing that could stop us taking this further will be ourselves.

As we will begin to remove constraints from our lives, the temptation to revert to old ways will be overwhelming. Our memories will fade quicker than we expect. It is easier to default to what is known and comforting - returning to our offices, activities, events and the malls. But is it the best choice if you believe in systems and a way of living for an equitable and sustainable future?

Self-imposed constraints are our best hope to transform ourselves and collectively transform our world.

At ThinkPlace New Zealand, we have become a closer team, using the restrictions as an opportunity to collectively redefine a new way of working and permanently changing our practices for the better.

Beyond the benefits of travelling significantly less and using way less paper, forced remote working is levelling the playing field in many ways both internally and externally. We have innovated to create compelling experiences to connect people more deeply across the world. Power dynamics have been upset for the better and introverts now have a stronger voice. We aim to maximise inclusion and equity in all that we do. The digital realm is no exception.

Our remote working learnings and processes are here to stay and will enable us to deliver more value with our partners and a create a more human workplace. Embracing opportunity in disorder is a hallmark of ThinkPlace and by framing constraints as motivating challenges, we help to drive breakthrough change.

Going forward

By using limitations to expand our thinking, this pandemic has proved beyond doubt that progress for people and planet is possible. It was never about the time, but just our willingness to step up.

We must impose the right kind of constraints on ourselves, before the world does it for us. We should not let the learnings of this time slip through our fingers as we transition out of full lockdown.

Reflect on what’s important to you and impose consequential constraints that align with those values to innovate a better future for yourself, your family and everyone. What are you not willing to go back to?

A societal pause is an extremely rare opportunity to reboot and reimagine our lives. Carry this gift with you for as long as you can. It came at a great cost and it is one we hope not to receive again any time soon.

Most of us will emerge from the lockdown periods brimming with new possibilities. At ThinkPlace, helping our clients make great choices is business as usual.

If you need help, reach out to us. We’ve rapidly adapted our practice to new ways of working when we can’t meet face to face. We look forward to joining you in the new future!

Get in touch

info [at] thinkplace.co.nz

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How to make your online workshops better than face to face

Sashi Surendran — Mon, 04 May 2020 02:10:36 +0000

How to make your online workshops better than face to face

Australia

Remote working is the new normal. But how can you make workshops remote when they are typically tactile?

How can you avoid a video conferencing talkfest where the loudest voice dominates?

Since the Covid-19 crisis, ThinkPlace has continued to run Airlabs on a daily basis. In this series of blog articles, we discuss some common client concerns with online workshops and how you can help overcome them.

The first client concern: will it work for me?

As the Covid-19 crisis was breaking one of our clients wanted to cancel an upcoming workshop, fearing that face to face was the only option for an effective workshop.

And it’s true, digital workshops risk becoming like a video-conference at the UN, with each person standing up to say their piece rather than working together to build something new. This tendency could be compounded by delays in mics coming on and off. The result risks looking like a long formal meeting of “he said” “she said” that goes nowhere.

How to overcome it

1) Work with a seasoned facilitator

Have you ever walked out of a workshop and been completely energised and engaged by the facilitator? This doesn’t happen by mistake. Facilitation, like any skill is honed over years of practice, figuring out what works for what audience. Online facilitation is no different, you need to work with people who know how to deliver engaging digital sessions which meet their intended purpose.

2) Choose a platform that facilitates activities

Just because it’s videoconference, it doesn’t have to be all talk and no activity. There are platforms like Miro, Stormz, GroupMap or Mural that help online collaboration. In a recent workshop with healthcare workers, the first activity was the drill into the challenges faced by hospitals and patients. We chose Mural, an online whiteboard where people can write on virtual post-it notes and group them in themes just like they would in a face to face workshop.

If you want a faster, easier user experience (with slightly less flexibility but a huge range of pre-made templates) try GroupMap. With GroupMap, participants simply type responses in the fields you design and then can move, group, vote on them.

At ThinkPlace, we carefully choose our platforms depending on client needs and activities.

Example of a GroupMap template: the Lean Canvas

3) Use break out rooms to get people working in small groups

You will maximise the output of your whole workshop if you create small breakout rooms, preferably each with a facilitator.

Creating virtual breakout rooms can be cumbersome over videoconference. A platform like Stormz that integrates with Zoom helps create small sub-groups within a zoom call who can each work on the same activity.

Try and have a facilitator for each room, particularly if you don’t know the personalities in your rooms. If you don’t have enough assistant facilitators, you could check in on each room, making sure people understand instructions and see if they need more time.

4) Chunk your session into small parts

Design workshops are often an action-packed day in length. This simply won’t work in a digital context where people have children or other caring duties. Aim for 3 hours or less. Similarly, in a workshop we might have activities that are 20 to 30 minutes each. That’s too long for someone to keep engaged online, even in a breakout room. Keep your activities short, around 20 mins or less. The good news is that people are often faster at typing than writing out activity sheets so you’ll be surprised how much they can get done in that time.

The second client concern: will it be expensive?

Clients might be concerned that a virtual workshop will be expensive with extra platforms and extra staff to manage the technology. Working with a facilitator means clients don't have to pay ongoing monthly fees for online platforms, rather costs for platforms will be paid just once.

The good news is that often an online workshop is cheaper:

Virtual workshops can be a lot larger than face to face ones, meaning you get more inputs and can run fewer workshops

They can also be quicker – done right you can get 50 people typing fast into fields and not having to walk around the room sticking up post it notes
The write up after a workshop is often a lot quicker and sometimes very minimal as clustering can be completed as it’s developed
And of course, there’s no travel and no catering!

The third client concern: what if we are prevented from using some types of technology?

It’s critical that you are technology neutral.

At ThinkPlace we work hard to be technology agnostic; we are not aligned with a particular whiteboarding or brainstorming platform.

Some clients won’t use zoom for security reasons, in which case Microsoft Teams calls or Cisco’s WebEx are better solutions. Some clients want to integrate with Microsoft Teams to keep all their project work in the same place, for this Mural is excellent, the integration is seamless.

We pick and choose platforms to suit our clients’ needs and they range from the highly technologically savvy through to very basic – for example you could just use a good old telephone for conversations to supplement a platform like GorupMap.

The most important thing to remember is that form should always follow function. Ensure your goal or desired outcomes are crystal clear and then work backwards to decide what technology you should use to achieve this. At ThinkPlace we have a wealth of knowledge on specific tools and are happy to discuss your needs.

The wrap

Virtual workshops like Airlabs can be just as effective (and sometimes more effective) than face to face workshops if you run them well.

Choose your platform carefully to facilitate activities and your client can watch as participants quickly write out content, draw pictures or make recordings.

If you want your virtual workshops to work for a large range of clients, don’t tie yourself to a particular platform and always be willing to go low-fi, even a phone call can be matched with online activities.

Part 2: How can you meaningfully engage with your participants in a virtual workshop

You can find out more about Airlabs here.

View our Airlabs guide

Get in touch about airlabs:

Australia: +61 2 6282 8852 | airlabs [at] thinkplace.com.au (subject: Airlabs%20Enquiry)

New Zealand: +64 (04) 472 1212 | info [at] thinkplace.co.nz (subject: Airlabs%20Enquiry)

Singapore: +65 9046 0340 | info [at] thinkplace.com.sg

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A message from ThinkPlace Singapore during COVID-19

Sashi Surendran — Mon, 27 Apr 2020 01:50:38 +0000

A message from ThinkPlace Singapore during COVID-19

Singapore

Office spaces around the globe look empty and abandoned. Circuit breakers, lock-downs, Dorscons or Level 4s - whatever you call them, they have changed the way we are currently living and working.

At ThinkPlace Singapore, working with people is at the core of our business, as it is with many other consultancies and agencies. We are used to engaging with clients (and each other as a team) on a daily basis. Our valuable face-to-face time has disappeared, replaced by zoom links and digital whiteboards.

We wanted to share a bit about how we are working, both with our clients and as a team, to maintain our high standard of work and energy from our homes.

How are we staying connected?

We’re injecting a bit of fun where possible! Lunch Masterchef challenges, creating team poses with our videos on Zoom, nominating team members to lead us in stretching exercises – it’s the laughs these small activities generate that keep our morale up.

We have our videos on, every time. This helps us continue building rapport with our clients and one another. It also means our communication is much more like the real thing. You can read body language and get visual cues to help conversations feel more natural.

We’re approaching everything with (more) empathy. Whether it’s parents with small kids at home, technology challenges, or hot days with no air conditioning in the ‘home office’, everyone is struggling with something. Along with it being a cornerstone for a design researcher, practicing empathy with each other during this unusual time is vital.

How are we staying on track?

We’ve digitised all the physical tools we use in the office to help us plan our work. While Monday morning all-team stand-ups used to involve spending time together in front of the huge planning wall with post-its in hand, we now spend that time together remotely. Project planning and progress walls are housed in Trello and we’re capturing key information and documentation in Airtable (a more friendly form of excel).

We’re scaling up our digital services, exploring new tools for collaboration. Even though we’ve always offered different online services, we are prioritising upskilling these by testing new technologies and programs that will improve our services while we work from home. Many of these tools will be useful even when working together in person becomes a reality again.

We’ve created digital templates and new processes to optimise our work online. We are developing and sharing templates across the global ThinkPlace network to build on each other’s work, continually iterating and improving our content. Being part of a global team of more than 130 ThinkPlacers across 8 offices means we have a huge network of colleagues to share ideas and learnings with.

What can you expect from us?

We are in this together. We will continue to support our clients remotely, maximising our time together while working effectively apart. We can help you to learn new online tools and methods to get the most out of working from home. Where useful, we’ll also share templates and tricks for online collaboration that are working well for us.

We’re available anytime to help. You can bounce ideas off us, sound out your problem statement, shape up a project or just talk about how we’re coping through these unusual times. We’re here, just an email, phone call or video link away.

You can also reach out on advice on how to shift co-design workshops, consultation workshops, research, user testing or training online, or to use our Airlabs service to stay connected to your ecosystem and to the people you are trying to help.

Get in touch today.

+65 9046 0340 | info [at] thinkplace.com.sg (subject: Airlabs%20Enquiry)

Stay safe and healthy,

Debbie Ng
Principal

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Four key lessons for digitising a co-design workshop

Sashi Surendran — Fri, 24 Apr 2020 06:17:40 +0000

Four key lessons for digitising a co-design workshop

Australia

As many of us are currently learning, engaging with others digitally presents new and different challenges from traditional face-to-face connection. It can be difficult to navigate how to transition from an in-person session to a digital engagement without losing the dynamics and impact of your original session.

We know this from experience. In March, ThinkPlace worked with an international insurance company to host an online social innovation workshop for over 20 people from their Australian and New Zealand division. The session was originally planned to take place in-person, but as the COVID-19 crisis rapidly escalated, our partners quickly transitioned to exclusively working from home, and we had just a few days to adapt the workshop to an online format.

Designing this transition was not without its challenges, but thanks to the team’s hard work and preparation, the online workshop was a great success. We’ve brought together the four key lessons about conducting digital workshops that we learnt from the experience: the biggest challenges we faced, and how we overcame them.

Designing the workshop for the most technologically challenged users

The challenge:

When you’re running a workshop where participants are co-located, it’s easy to explain exercises, answer questions and make sure that everyone is on the same page. Working in a digital environment, however, this becomes a lot more difficult. In addition to assisting your participants to understand exercises and workshop content, you now also need to assist them to communicate and express themselves using new digital tools – which if not handled properly can really disrupt your workshop.

How we overcame it:

• To make sure the workshop went smoothly on the day, we first held a dry run of the workshop with members of the ThinkPlace community who hadn’t used the online tool before. This gave us a grounded insight into the friction points our participants might face with the online tool and enabled us to make sure we were giving clear and useful instructions.

• We predicted that our participants might have trouble logging onto the software that we were using as many hadn’t used it before. To ease this, we developed a simple and visual step-by-step guide demonstrating how to set up the software. We circulated this to participants 24 hours before the workshop so that they had time to familiarise themselves with the process.

• In addition to the guide, we dedicated one team member to act as tech support throughout the workshop. When a participant had troubles with the software, our tech support person was about to take the participant into a virtual breakout room to resolve the issue. This meant that the main session was able to continue without disruption, and the participant was able to join back in once ready.

Designing tech issues into the workshop

The challenge:

Even when all participants are experienced and comfortable with the software you are using, it’s highly likely that you will still run into technical difficulties that can disrupt the flow of your workshop. In a face-to-face workshop, moving participants between activities is simple - but in a digital setting, transitioning between activities and tools places extra burden on your technological tools and is the prime time for disruptions to arise.

How we overcame it:

• When we conducted our workshop dry run, we found that it took some people longer than others to join breakout groups because of the speed of their internet connection. We advised participants not to begin important conversations in breakout groups until all members of the group were present.

• In our role as facilitators, we made a point to check that every participant was connected and comfortable in whichever digital space we were in before commencing the activity.

Considering the pace of the session when designing workshops

The challenge:

As a facilitator in a face-to-face workshop, it’s your job to keep monitoring the temperature of the room and speeding up or slowing down the session where appropriate. This can be a lot more difficult to do in a digital environment when digital technologies are mediating your connection to the participants. It’s important to keep in mind that digital workshops may be more challenging for participants, as they are learning how to use new digital tools on top of being expected to engage new mindsets and participate in new activities. People also have shorter attention spans when communicating and collaborating in a digital environment.

How we overcame it:

• When the workshop was going to be a face-to-face session, we had planned to conduct it over one whole day. Moving it to a digital environment, we decided to break it up unto two different session across two different days. This enabled participants to remain engaged throughout all of the activities despite the different medium. Even then, however, we did receive feedback in the first session that participants felt their flagging towards the end of the session.

• We allocated more time for each activity than we had originally planned. This meant that there was buffer time in each activity to accommodate for difficulties with technology and other frictions associated with online collaboration.

• Much as a facilitator would around a physical workshop space, we had our facilitators move through the different breakout rooms to check in on different groups. This was a great way to gauge the pulse amongst the group and make better decision about when to move between activities.

Changing the way to break

The challenge:

Breaks in a workshop are an important time for people to give their brain a rest and reset. In a face-to-face workshop, short and sweet breaks are normally ideal to provide this reset time without ruining the flow and energy that can build up throughout a session. In a digital environment, however, you need more from yours breaks. They need to not only provide a cognitive break, but a physical one too - sitting on a chair and looking at a screen uninterrupted for extended periods of time is unhealthy and uncomfortable.

How we overcame it:

• Based on feedback from our first session, we added in more frequent 10-15 minute breaks into our workshop. This was enough time for participants to grab a coffee, a bite to eat and reset their brain so that they could be fresh for the next activity. As part of a digital engagement, the more frequent breaks boosted the energy of the workshop rather than interrupted it.

• It became clear as we progressed through the first session that during the breaks participants were not necessarily getting up and moving around, as is healthy and energising. We designed guided breaks into our second session where we facilitated stretching and short stints of yoga to give people the best opportunity to reset their body after an extended period of sitting. We found that these breaks were also a nice camaraderie-building opportunity for participants working remotely.

• We didn’t skimp on breaks. We quickly saw how important breaks were to maintaining the energy of the workshop and contributing toward a quality output, so we decided not to skip them or shorten them even if we were running short on time. Throughout the workshop, if we were ever running over, we chose to adapt our activities to make them a little shorter rather than cutting time from the breaks as we might were tempted to do.

It might be tempting to simply copy-paste your plan for an in-person workshop into a digital format, particularly if you do not have a lot of time to pivot to a digital engagement.

But as we’ve learnt, it’s vital to change your workshop design and engagement strategy to consider the dynamics of digital engagement. Incorporating these four key lessons into your digital workshop can ensure that you are still providing an engaging experience that will generate high-quality outputs.

Please reach out to us if you would like advice on how to shift co-design workshops, consultation workshops, research, user testing or training online, or to use our Airlabs service to stay connected to your ecosystem and to the people you are trying to help.

You can refer to the downloadable pdf below for more information for you or your organisation.

View our Airlabs guide

Get in touch about airlabs:

Australia: +61 2 6282 8852 | airlabs [at] thinkplace.com.au (subject: Airlabs%20Enquiry)

New Zealand: +64 (04) 472 1212 | info [at] thinkplace.co.nz (subject: Airlabs%20Enquiry)

Singapore: +65 9046 0340 | info [at] thinkplace.com.sg" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">info [at] thinkplace.com.sg

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Appreciating health workers in the COVID fight isn’t ‘nice’: it’s a moral duty

Sashi Surendran — Thu, 16 Apr 2020 07:11:30 +0000

Appreciating health workers in the COVID fight isn’t ‘nice’: it’s a moral duty

Australia

What are our moral duties to frontline COVID-19 health workers? Supplying PPE, training, adequate clinical support and (if they fall ill) enhanced care, certainly. But we also have a duty to recognise, applaud and tangibly thank them for their efforts, the risks they are taking, and in some cases, their sacrifices.

Doctors, nurses, ward assistants, chaplains, cleaning staff, are at risk of being stigmatised for their role in the C-19 fight. We saw this during SARS and Ebola, and we are, distressingly, seeing it now.

But we are also seeing amazing recognition and support. In some countries (like Italy, Spain and the US), they get daily applause from houses and balconies near their home or hospitals.

In Victoria, Australia, the Government has made accommodation available to them free of charge if they need to self-isolate so they can reduce the risk to their families, while in Western Australia, you can buy a meal for tired clinicians online, which is then made available to them by a mobile food truck parked outside their hospital, all delivered under social distancing arrangements.

In Singapore, almost 2,000 people have signed an online petition whose intent is simple: to say thank you to and to appreciate frontline health workers. One respondent posted: "The frontline healthcare staffs are our guardian angels. They are the ones helping to keep us safe and healthy, despite the risks they face. Appreciate and respect them. Thank you for your commitment and dedication!"

In the UK, the NHS has made it easy for people to volunteer and support NHS and its health workforce, and have launched a dedicated mental health helpline for health workers so that they can have 24 hour phone or SMS support.

And on, and on.

It's hard to overstate the importance of this. Every government, community and person should think about how we can go about the simple, moral duty of embracing, rather than stigmatising, the people who are putting themselves at risk in this fight.

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COVID-19 will change co-design and engagement…perhaps for good

Sashi Surendran — Wed, 18 Mar 2020 06:02:21 +0000

Australia

COVID-19 will change co-design and engagement…perhaps for good

Topics

Co-design and innovation

Staying connected to the community is going to be different - for a few months at least.

In a matter of weeks, we have seen the COVID-19 pandemic disrupt some so-common-they’re-almost-invisible norms of societies around the world. Handshaking has wound down, strategic shopping has ramped up in ways both good and bad, and gatherings have become sparser.

Workplaces who have never even considered work-from-home arrangements are shifting staff from offices and cubicles into studies, lounges and kitchen tables, at speed.

In this atmosphere, the need to co-design, conduct research and test with ideas with users and communities has never been more important. But, over the last few weeks, you’ll know from experience that workshops are understandably attended with a sense of trepidation, and every errant cough or sniff is like a small shot of adrenaline to nearby participants.

What we’ve learnt from Airlabs

ThinkPlace’s Airlabs service is our 100% online workshop/research capability - was never intended as a response to a pandemic situation - we didn’t even name it until recently. But over years, we’ve used it in complex and sometimes sensitive policy spaces to convene groups, for the purposes of building insight and breaking through on hard problems.

When we designed Airlabs, we considered how we could replace elements of ‘physical conversation’ with new, natural-feeling ways of interacting, engaging and building a shared journey. It wasn’t always about one-for-one substitutions, but about “reimagining the workshop” or “reimagining the research session”, with technologies that let us do things you couldn’t do otherwise.

We worked hard to make experiences feel equitable and inclusive for all participants, to create engaging moments of insight, generating and using data and thinking generated in-workshop immediately and creatively.

New norms had to be created for virtual break-out spaces, tools like polls, back-channel conversations and ideation had to be woven in seamlessly. When using Airlabs to engage people experiencing vulnerabilities, we had to think about how we created authentic social safety and a sense of empowerment for everyone linked in.

We needed to think about breaks differently, and how people could be energised or just given some space to think and move around within the Airlab process.

The result has been a service that’s engaging, intense when it needs to be, compassionate when it needs to be, and that feels both very different and very natural at the same time.

Public good relies on, and emerges from, connection

From our early days, we have held the belief that bringing together many voices, with different expertise, interests and lived experience, is an essential part of solving complex societal problems. The business of government may skip a beat in the next week or two, but then it will have to go on and take on challenges that are not just novel, but potentially unimaginable even a few weeks ago.

We think co-design and user engagement should, and can, help chart the pathway through the pandemic, and for the work of government that must continue despite it.

We’re here to support you

As we are all trying to work through the COVID-19 disruption to continue delivering important services and functions to the Australian community, ThinkPlace is, and will remain, open and ready to support you.

You can refer to the downloadable pdf below for more information for you or your organisation.

View our Airlabs guide

Get in touch about airlabs:

Australia: +61 2 6282 8852 | airlabs [at] thinkplace.com.au (subject: Airlabs%20Enquiry)

New Zealand: +64 (04) 472 1212 | info [at] thinkplace.co.nz (subject: Airlabs%20Enquiry)

Singapore: +65 9046 0340 | info [at] thinkplace.com.sg" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">info [at] thinkplace.com.sg

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Dream of a better New Zealand society? Let's make it happen

Sashi Surendran — Fri, 28 Feb 2020 01:42:47 +0000

New Zealand

Dream of a better New Zealand society? Let's make it happen

Topics

codesign

Our world is complex, and change is hard… but not impossible.

The age of IoT, Big Data, Artificial intelligence, Robotics, Sharing Economy, etc otherwise known as Industry 4.0 is real and happening across our country in industries and our private lives.

Do you want to be part of making the change you want to see in our society? Do you want to work with us to envision Aotearoa New Zealand Society 5.0 - more equitable, sustainable and productive? Together, we can continue to evolve and build our collective wellbeing.

Japan and several other countries are already thinking about these very questions. As a society, we can ‘drift’ into this future and it will happen to us or we can be very intentional and navigate to it. In an increasingly more connected age of technology, we can become even more disconnected or we can do something about it.

To work on this challenge, ThinkPlace New Zealand is standing up a Society 5.0 design coalition. Together we will realise a vision of Society 5.0 where we resolve social challenges by incorporating the innovations of Industry 4.0 into the fabric of our social life.

Who could be in the coalition?

A group of 20 likeminded people with a mandate for leading change from 10 organisations who want more for this country and all of its people. A group who are willing to invest a small budget and some time to join us to seek an answer to the question we have posed.

Are you someone who cares about our social support for vulnerable people?

Are you someone who cares about our environment and planet?

Are you someone who cares about the wellness and health of our people?

Are you hungry for greater momentum?

Are you building industry 4.0 and also want bigger outcomes for this country?

How we will do this?

The work is a collaborative system design dropping out organisation specific initiatives that you can take into your own organisation’s strategic planning.

At ThinkPlace, we are a passionate group of subject matter experts in the areas of complex systems, human lived experiences and behaviour, organisation strategy and convening collaborative conversations.

The work will be informed by

A clear view of the current system and its flaws
A large-scale deep dive research project with New Zealanders
Merging qualitative and quantitative insights along the views of a number of subject matter experts across complex systems, human insight and behaviour change, organisation strategy and Industry 4.0.

What are the outcomes?

You will get a grasp of our society as a complex system and the possible initiatives you could explore to achieve your organisation’s outcomes and better equity, productivity and sustainability in Aotearoa Society 5.0.

Collectively, you along with other partners in the coalition will be able to see each other’s initiatives, minimising duplication and maximising collaboration so that we can use this country’s scarce resources more effectively and efficiently.

As current (and future) leaders of this country, you will get a holistic view of bi-partisan pathways to a better future.

Why work with us?

We don’t just bring complexity to the table but embrace it to have breakthrough conversations, surfacing what is and what could be. Our expertise lies in understanding people’s behaviour and needs, navigating areas of uncertainty.

Whether it’s world leading behaviour change to save lives, turning around a historically disadvantaged community or a new paradigm for environmental stewardship in NZ, we build partnership, confidence and hope by creating action pathways.

If you need to make your case with your organisation leaders, start the conversation today with a downloadable pdf below.

aotearoa_society_5.0_design_coalition.pdf

The investment is $40,000 per organisation and eight days in coalition working sessions spread across six months.

I’m leading this work and will be joined by three of my senior colleagues.

Get in touch with me if you want more info or to reserve two seats at the table.

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Here for the Magic...A co-designer's journey

Sashi Surendran — Wed, 26 Feb 2020 02:56:58 +0000

United States

Here for the Magic...A co-designer's journey

Topics

Co-design

Design can feel messy, chaotic even. But in the end it is worth it. As designers we know this because we have seen it work, time and again. But explaining the design process and the feelings that accompany it to the uninitiated can be another thing entirely.

It’s a common experience. You’re in the throes of a divergence phase during a co-design workshop and you hear the vaguely frustrated, slightly exasperated, and sometimes frantic cries of “Where is this all leading to?”

Yeah. You know those times.

Managing the highly dynamic, ambiguous, and ever-flexible human-centred-design process is practically a designer rite of passage. But communicating the value and merits of such a process can pose a number of challenges, particularly in those instances where our co-designers don’t have the benefit of experience that we as facilitators may possess.

So why do we argue so much for the value of design? Why do we continuously advocate for a novel, trying, and at times, downright uncomfortable process over something more traditional, formulaic, and safe?

I would propose that we do it for the magic.

You know what I’m talking about. That proverbial lightbulb that goes off as a co-design participant begins to connect the dots in a larger pattern she had never before considered, when a client realizes that their strategy didn’t work not because of a lack of competence, but because it did not take into account a crucial cultural component.

When your participants walk in with a laundry list of their assumptions, prejudices, and safe, formulaic targets of what they “should” be doing and leave with a newfound vision of the impact their sector could have which surpasses every one of their expectations.

Getting to these moments can be far from easy but it is important. And as human-centred designers it’s also important to realise that the areas where we can make most impact can often be those where the people we wish to collaborate and co-design with have least experience with our methods.

In an attempt to make sense of this inherently uncertain process and to illustrate the co-design journey towards attaining these magic moments, I presented the following model from The Wealth Hike during a recent collaboration co-design workshop on behalf of Breakthrough ACTION Guinea, where the design team was attempting to strengthen collaboration among local community health agents and formal healthcare providers to increase synergetic action while amplifying their collective impact.

Comfort zone

Where we all begin. Our favorite place to be. Everything is safe and predictable. Participants understand how to work and what is expected of them. They can shine in front of others and bask in the glow of commonly shared norms, beliefs, and opinions.

How to spot it: Confident responses, use of previously-created systems and frameworks

In Guinea this looked like a steady stream of raised hands, lots of talking, and focusing on small, easy-to-control outcomes such as how something is phrased rather than messier big-picture critical thinking challenges.

Panic zone

This zone is characterized by the making of excuses, participating in complacent group think, and doing everything possible to regain control by “outsmarting” or reverse engineering the design process. Most prominently, it is characterized by self-doubt as participants begin to question if they are doing things “correctly”. It can be an intensely personal zone and one which every designer must navigate.

How to spot it: While all co-designers react differently, you can typically register the panic zone through periods of silence, resistance to providing responses, and tendencies to fall back into what they know and are aware of.

In Guinea, panic zone moments were filled with silence, participants arguing with facilitators over how activities were conducted, and resistance to provide concrete and actionable responses even when pressed.

Learning zone

After some time sludging through the discomfort of the panic zone, things slowly (or sometimes suddenly) begin to come into place. Mindsets begin stretching as designers start viewing things from novel and unexpected perspectives. The root issues impeding progress and some of the entrenched barriers to growth begin to come into view as well as a better understanding of how best to position solutions towards optimal impact.

How to spot it: Participants in the learning zone may begin taking a step back to view the bigger picture, challenging each other’s safer ideas or proposals, and reiterating the process and how each set of sequential activities was designed to lead the group to this point.

In Guinea, the learning zone moments occurred when people became vulnerable and open to speaking about some of the deeper entrenched and systemic issues that occur as well as some of the intangible forces guiding them such as jealousy, lack of trust, and fear.

Magic zone

Also known as the growth zone, this is the grand crescendo that ushers in the deepest insights, the strongest pattern recognition, and the downright impressive synthesis as problem definitions, ideas and prototypes reach their fullest potential. This zone requires no description; when you’re in it, you’ll feel it.

As facilitators, watching others go through this process can be challenging, and yet the moment the magic comes into play, immensely rewarding. For here, lies the true value of design, uncertainties and all.

By normalizing each of these phases as necessary and commonly experienced in order to attain those truly insightful moments of realization, you as a designer make what can sometimes feel like a lonely and foreign experience, one in which all participants involved feel they are part of a larger community of learners making just as many false starts, missteps, and iterations.

So, forget about predictability and certainty.

I’m here for the magic.

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A global honour for empowering young women

Daniel Silkstone — Thu, 19 Dec 2019 04:30:50 +0000

A global honour for empowering young women

Australia

When we look at the challenges that face our world, and some of the longstanding behaviours that created those challenges, there can be little doubt that empowering girls and young women is an important part of the global solution.

As part of its commitment to pursuing action on the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals ThinkPlace works to advance gender equality globally.

That’s why we are honoured to be the major sponsor and curriculum provider for the Girls Leadership Network, an ongoing program in Canberra, Australia that helps young women form a network of like-minded peers, develop leadership skills, and learn from inspirational speakers.

And we are incredibly excited to see the network, its founders and the incredible work it does honoured by a prestigious Han award from the Government of Finland.

FINLAND AND GENDER EQUALITY

Finland has recently appointed a 34-year-old female prime minister, Sanna Marin. The other four parties in the government coalition all have female leaders – three of whom are also less than 35 years old. Finnish society has been built with the concept of equal opportunity as a guiding principle.

A strong advocate internationally as well as at home, Finland actively supports individuals and groups working towards an equal future. The Embassy of Finland has just presented The Girls Leadership Network, with the nation’s Hän Award – making the network the first ever Australian recipient, and only the 17th worldwide.

WHAT IS THE Hän AWARD?

In June 2019, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland launched a campaign to show appreciation for the valuable work that is being done around the world to advance equality in society. Finland has presented special recognition – a Hän Honour to individuals and groups around the globe who are committed to advancing inclusivity in society. You can read more about the other honourees here.

WHAT IS Hän?

The award is named after Hän, a special, gender-neutral pronoun used as part of Finland’s written language since the year 1543. Its use, commonplace in Finland and celebrated internationally, is a powerful example of how language can positively impact on gender and other forms of inequality. Male, female or non-binary in identification, anybody can be referred to by the pronoun. Using Hän in official discourses of government and business helps underscore that opportunities and rights apply equally to all.

MORE ABOUT THE NETWORK

ThinkPlace provides design thinking coaching and resources to the Girls Leadership Network as well as donating its studio space to host regular classes.

Tis the inclusive Finnish pronoun that stands for equal opportunity.

As part of the program, young women are also encouraged to create their own initiatives. One such program is Girls Run the World – created by the then 19-year-old co-founder of TGLN, Asha Clementi, and 18-year-old Imogen Brewer-De Nicola, a TGLN inaugural participant.

The pair built upon an initial collaboration with the Embassy of Finland in 2017 to launch a broader program for young women. Girls now have the opportunity to experience life and leadership experience with a number of embassies.

For Finland, network participants helped design an itinerary for a Finnish trade mission. For Canada, they took over the embassy’s social media for the day. For Thailand, they created a plan to encourage voting Thai citizens living in Australia during ng elections. These initiatives and many more drive learning and created positive mutual value.

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