Workshop strategy for change makers 💛

The next phase of your workshop is here and it involves 'worldbuilding'. By now, I think we all realize that knowledge transfer alone is not enough to create meaningful, lasting change. We need to actually experience a new way, in order to *feel* the depths of what's possible. ✨✨If unwanted aspects of the current world were to fall apart, what do you hope would rise to replace them? ✨✨ Can you offer a lucid, appealing alternative to the 💩 status quo? A vision to work toward? Wouldn't it be more fun to focus on that?

Wanna make a collaborative poem? The topic is 'Workshops as Worldbuilding'. Drop a word or few in the comments. 👇🏽 I used to write a lot of poetry when I was younger. I've been thinking about starting up again lately. There's something so evocative, and potent about poetry that an essay just can't hold a candle to. And I've got so many things I want to express! But... despite all that thinking about poetry, I haven't been writing any. 😅 Sooo, I'm grateful for the interactive poetry event with @arspoetica.us hosted by @flownspace I came across this morning. I gave the prompt 'Workshops as Worldbuilding', and a bit of context. Then, this poem was custom-typed (on a typewriter!) by @lisaannmarkuson within a few minutes. She did maybe 10-12 in an hour, but nothing seemed rushed. Such a cool experience to be part of. Just another reminder from the universe that we don't 👏🏽 need 👏🏽 to 👏🏽 do 👏🏽 everything 👏🏽 ourselves. Collaboration will often get us there faster, and with more joy and lightness. And as I was writing this all out, it got me thinking... What if y'all gave me some words and all I had to do was rearrange and add to them? 👉🏽👈🏽 I bet I could write a poem then. 😬 If you're into it, share whatever random word(s) comes into your mind when you think of "workshops" or "worldbuilding" and I'll take it from there. Comments would be easier for me to manage (all in one place) but DMs are fine if you're more comfortable with that. Anyway - cheers to building the world we want, playfully, and in community! 🍵 💛

Constraints are funny things. 👈🏽 On one hand: Constraints (by definition) *limit* our options. 👉🏽 On the other hand: Constraints can *expand* our possibilities. If you're saying "Wait... what?" I can explain... When you're building 'The World of Your Workshop' and you choose constraints that remove the possibility of people doing what we *usually* do, we think: "Welp! Can't do that, huh? Hmmmn...🤔" And then we open up and consider new options. This leads to our brain getting more comfortable with multiple different ways of doing similar things. Then we're not just locked into our defaults. We have choice. 🌱 Growth. 💃🏽 Play. ✨ Transformation. 💡 Exploration. 💛 Change. I'm so here for all of this. What world will you invite people into? What version of themselves might they create? By using games or creative constraints within your work, you help people to reveal, strengthen, and stretch into different aspects of themselves.

Slides 5 and 6 would make for some excellent journalling, just sayin'. 😉 By worldbuilding you can share information, yes. You can also share your vision for the world and resources to make it happen. Most importantly? You let people experience a taste of a new reality. 😘 👌🏽 (We explore these things in-depth in my monthly workshop, 'Beyond Expertise'.) When we choose to use workshops as a way to worldbuild, we: ✨ Clarify our vision ✨ Show others that this *thing* is possible ✨ Remind yourself it’s possible ✨ Try ideas out in lower stakes environment ✨ Can more easily learn and iterate ✨ Take a (much needed) break from the world-that-is ✨ Use our creativity ✨ Build a community of people with similar missions ✨ Strengthen our resolve ✨ Nourish our spirit What would you add? 👇🏽 Dominant culture is made up of the realities we've experienced over and over again. Once things are normalized, they’re more likely to become not-so-temporary. These “temporary” workshop realities can add up. 🔥 What are your thoughts? Questions? Lemme know if you want me to expand on some of this in a part 2. #workshopsasworldbuilding

If no-one would judge you as being "unprofessional" or "silly", what would you try out? For a long time, I resisted playing games in my sessions. As much as *I* wanted to, and knew it would be helpful, I figured people would laugh at me, and think I was a joke. I thought I needed to be super polished and serious all the time. (I got told - more than once - that I sounded like a newscaster. 🤦🏽‍♀️ Totally not how I actually am.) But, eventually I gave in and tested my assumptions. And now, workshop games are what I'm known for. It's a breath of fresh air. My sessions have a different energy because I let *myself* have fun. People who are the right fit for me tend to enjoy it too. So, I ask again unto thee: If it didn't matter how "effective" it was, what would you do just for fun? ✨ Dance break? Origami? 20 Questions? Karaoke? Colouring? What would feel like (ridiculous) FUN for you? 👇🏽

On a mission to change parts of the status quo that aren't serving folks. You with me? Lemme know: ✨ Does this feel relatable? ✨ What has your experience been? ✨ Is there a lingering feeling of resistance we can explore? ✨ Any words you might offer us? 👇🏽 Let's release *any* guilt around intentionally doing "less" during a workshop.