Nobody relishes the prospect of a dull meeting, which is why, as a facilitator and trainer, I always try to bring an element of play into my workshops.
But play isn’t just a distraction from the “real business.” Sometimes, it is the real business. Creative, playful exploration often leads to more insightful and daring ideas. It helps us take risks, builds trust, and provides the buoyancy we need to bounce back when things get tough.
That’s why I love to include games in my sessions to lighten the mood. One of my favourites is lemon jousting—a simple game where you try to knock a lemon off your opponent’s spoon without losing the lemon on your own spoon. At Constructivist, for ease of procurement, we’ve adopted satsumas instead of lemons. The bonus? Participants get a tasty snack afterward.
Of course, this playful approach means that in the peripatetic life of a trainer, I often find myself travelling with some rather unusual props.
Which is how I ended up at the dentist’s, en route to a training course, hauling 120 satsumas.
👉 Find out more about the facilitation training I deliver at Constructivist.