tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69401326989143040012024-03-18T03:58:59.893+01:00The Work•Play•Experience BlogAdam StJohn Lawrence.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01749137249223798984noreply@blogger.comBlogger143125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6940132698914304001.post-15968492944690614192013-04-19T21:02:00.001+01:002013-04-19T21:02:11.758+01:00Moving out...In future, I'll be posting on our <a href="http://www.workplayexperience.com/blog/" target="_blank">WorkPlayExperience website's own blog</a>.<br /><br />This blog will remain here as a resource, but there won't be too much new stuff here.<br />
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See you over there!<br />
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AdamAdam StJohn Lawrence.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01749137249223798984noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6940132698914304001.post-63588757955958517182012-06-27T14:51:00.003+01:002012-06-27T14:51:34.930+01:00Why we do what we do...<br />
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Some interviews with WorkPlayExperience</h4>
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If you like it raw, here's<a href="http://design-transitions.com/2012/05/workplayexperience-bringing-drama-to-service-design/"> a transcript of an interview I did with the Design Transitions site</a>. I talk about our work methods, and briefly discuss the Jams.<br />
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If you play it by ear, here is <a href="http://gov20radio.com/2012/06/govjam12-global/">a radio interview with Markus and I on Gov2.0Radio</a>. It covers our theatrical tools in a little more detail - especially what they meant for the Jams, and in particular the GovJam.<br />
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For the video stars, this is <a href="http://servicedesign.tv/presentations/show/636/9913">me talking to Service Design TV</a> in San Francisco. Some general thoughts on service design, and our toolset.<br />
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And for the iPodders out there, here's an <a href="http://business901.podbean.com/2012/04/30/insight-into-the-customer-experience-through-theater/">interview with Business901</a> about using theater to gain insight into customer experience.<br />
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(Bonus in German: <a href="http://www.cmm-magazine.ch/HR.aspx?aid=1057">Talking about creativity and play in Contact Management</a> magazine. )<br />
<br />Adam StJohn Lawrence.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01749137249223798984noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6940132698914304001.post-54697160130652089882012-06-19T09:46:00.000+01:002012-06-19T09:50:59.901+01:00<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9eJAiYXKDcZjT9Ez8RyvtFs8iLSf4a4SFxIUPQOwpwE23eXaOEAYzVMfWVpyi_q4TwlMXK0T424oeRy6ZMhNoesburTtiNesebGEKwfcCb1BPilT4ak3lfygKO0uVEvPLyGaKyxcuXQ/s1600/wpx_beatschweizer_BSZ4662.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: white; clear: right; float: right; font-family: georgia; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: left;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9eJAiYXKDcZjT9Ez8RyvtFs8iLSf4a4SFxIUPQOwpwE23eXaOEAYzVMfWVpyi_q4TwlMXK0T424oeRy6ZMhNoesburTtiNesebGEKwfcCb1BPilT4ak3lfygKO0uVEvPLyGaKyxcuXQ/s1600/wpx_beatschweizer_BSZ4662.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">Our session at the Service Design Network Conference in Cologne</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">By popular demand - quite literally - we'll be running our hit workshop at the </span><span style="color: #cc6633; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><a href="http://service-design-network.org/sdnc/germany12/">SDN conference</a></span></span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"> in Cologne this week. This time, it will be in German...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">We'll be talking about the theatrical tools we use in service design. We believe they are unusually effective, insightful, approachable and fun.</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"> A customer from a large German company comments:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9eJAiYXKDcZjT9Ez8RyvtFs8iLSf4a4SFxIUPQOwpwE23eXaOEAYzVMfWVpyi_q4TwlMXK0T424oeRy6ZMhNoesburTtiNesebGEKwfcCb1BPilT4ak3lfygKO0uVEvPLyGaKyxcuXQ/s1600/wpx_beatschweizer_BSZ4662.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: white; clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">"Speaking from experience with WorkPlayExperience - it's just amazing how the theater setting immediately creates a different mind set with the participants and thus makes them play, interact and learn more (and better)!" </span><span style="font-size: 11px;">(full quote <a href="http://workplayexperience.blogspot.com/2010/01/theatrical-tools-for-service-experience.html" style="color: #cc6633;">here</a>)</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Pic by Beat Schweizer</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">If you are thinking of coming, here is what you get for your 90 minutes.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">DOING, NOT TALKING</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">First, it will be very, very active. I don't believe that people learn much by listening, reading or being talked at, so in our session you will be up on your feet, trying things out.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">PURELY PRACTICAL</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">We will be sharing tools that we use successfully with our clients. They are real, they work. We hope you will adopt them.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">A DIFFERENT APPROACH</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">We use</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"> investigative rehearsal</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"> in service design work - and that is </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">not </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">the same thing as "practicing" or "roleplay" (which most participants hate, let's be honest). Rehearsal is an iterative, explorative process which taps both creativity and emotion. We'll be showing you how we lead participants into it (even the conservative ones), how we run a rehearsal, and how we use concepts like subtext and dramaturgy to take it to a higher level of co-creation.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><i>The spooky part of investigative rehearsal - and this is part of why theater works - is the way it connects tiny details of the customer experience to the entire service design architecture and indeed to the whole value set of the organisation. At first glance, it can look like a customer experience tool, but it is much more.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">This is an updated version of the workshop we gave in Berlin and San Francisco - suitable for people unfamiliar with our work. If we've tickled your fancy, <b>sign up early - each time we run this workshop, it sells out fast</b>. We'll see you on Friday morning.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">And if you have any questions, just </span><a href="http://workplayexperience.com/en" style="color: #cc6633; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">get in touch</a><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">. :)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 9px;">PS. <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Obviously</span>, there will be <a href="http://workplayexperience.blogspot.com/2007/01/look-at-meeeeee.html" style="color: #cc6633;">NO Powerpoint</a>. </span><span style="font-size: 9px;"><br />PPS. But there <span style="font-style: italic;">may</span> be chickens.</span></span>Adam StJohn Lawrence.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01749137249223798984noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6940132698914304001.post-12781305816966181722012-02-20T23:54:00.005+01:002012-02-28T00:29:56.404+01:00The Global Service Jam and the Flying Shark<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>Some things you can't say with Powerpoint</b></span><div><br /></div><div>So, back in October 2011 the nice folks at the SDNC conference in San Francisco gave us a session to talk about the Global Service Jam with the whole plenum of the Conference. Great - but what can you say in just 10 minutes? </div><div><br /></div><div>The Jam was en emotion, an experience, a space of play. How can you describe that in powerpoint slides?</div><div><br /></div><div>Well, you can't. So I gave them a 3-minute brainfake of facts and figures, and then got on to the real presentation. This is what we did.</div><div><br /></div><div><iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/30879446?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" width="400" height="300" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen="" mozallowfullscreen="" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/30879446">Adam Lawrence on Global Service Jam at SDNC11</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/netsaver">Thomas Schönweitz</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.</p>Thanks to everyone who made this possible, from Caspar Siedel the SD-Intern, to the Kansas Girlie Chorus and the Lawrence KA Shark-Wrangling Team. YOU are the Jam.</div><div><span><span></span></span><br /></div><div><br /></div>Adam StJohn Lawrence.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01749137249223798984noreply@blogger.com34tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6940132698914304001.post-7901970904921685892011-12-27T02:18:00.007+01:002012-10-22T23:33:19.373+01:00The History of the Global Service Jam<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>An interview with the Jam Initiators. </b></span><br />
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<i>Thanks to Sophie Renault of the Université d'Orléans for permission to publish her interview. We spoke to Sophie between the first Global Service Jam (March 2011) and the first Global </i><i>Sustainability Jam (October 2011).</i></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i>(Questions translated from French, all errors are mine.)</i></span></div>
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<b><i>How was the idea of the GSJ born?</i></b></div>
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Markus is involved in the <a href="http://globalgamejam.org/">Global Game Jam</a> movement. We loved the energy of this event and wanted to apply it to our area of interest: service design.</div>
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<b><i>Who is behind the GSJ?</i></b></div>
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The GSJ was initiated and coordinated by Markus Hormess (who had the initial idea) and Adam Lawrence of <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.workplayexperience.blogspot.com">WorkPlayExperience</a>, a German-based service design agency.</div>
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Markus is German with a background in theoretical physics and process design; Adam is British and has a background in psychology, marketing and theater.</div>
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We are a small agency who uses theatrical methods to develop services, mostly for large bluechip customers. One of our basic work philosophies is the theatrical working rule of "doing, not talking" - and this fit well with the idea of the Jam.</div>
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For the Jam, we kept our agency in the background and usually appeared simply as "Markus and Adam" - we wanted the Jam to be open, and if it were branded, other agencies would have been less interested in joining. Also, this way was more fun.</div>
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<b><i>What were the steps in the implementation of the GSJ?</i></b></div>
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The whole Jam was quite spontaneous and was done "between" our other work. A lot of it happened ad hoc.</div>
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We had been talking about the Jam idea for a few months, discussing it with a few people (especially <a href="http://www.edolounge.org/">EDO</a>, the experience design organisation in Switzerland) , but had no fixed plan except some rules ideas and a vague date. In October 2010 we were at the SDN service design conference in Berlin. In the last few minutes of the Member's Day, we spontaneously wrote up a flipchart with the idea and walked around, asking people to sign up interest.</div>
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<img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5690616781458972898" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3zgl4tlQL97CUfzidnxdp1MYQC7VXS65afX1F5XhWcaqAgcaCeKoOxR2ExBfflWOWB6QVf4JXUd-XQob9P-I-_INIIQlrZ-0ikYDpXrVRtCjYXSZ-0OEAa_ptNuGzT0Wl0QUpb4tK0w/s320/gsj11_launch.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 229px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; width: 320px;" /></div>
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In the next month, we spoke to several designer friends in several countries who agreed to run jams if it became real. At the ServDes Nordic conference at the start of December 2010, we decided to announce it. We put together a simple website and prepared a Twitter account. We asked the organisers for 5 minutes at the end of the conference and again held up a flipchart, announcing the date and webpage. We simultaneously tweeted the first handful of Jam locations. In the next few weeks and months, Twitter was the main recruiting tool.</div>
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<b><i>What are the strategic challenges of the implementation of such an event?</i></b></div>
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The Jam was not a strategic project, it was an invitation to play. This is how we usually prefer to work.</div>
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So the challenge for the jam was to make it fun, and easy to join. We emphasised the freedom of local groups to shape it as they liked, and the freedom of result formats within the jam. We tried to make it clear that it would be fun, hard work, and a little crazy.</div>
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As people joined, we tried to help them communicate their ideas with each other, and just make sure they had space to make them real.</div>
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On the practical side, though, the organisation of the upload platform proved a huge technical challenge. Several large-scale professional webhosting companies refused to host it, as they said it was too big for them. Finally, we had to build it ourselves.</div>
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<b><i>Can you explain the choice of "(Super)Heroes" as the Theme for the 2011 Jam? </i></b></div>
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The theme was chosen by Markus and I after a discussion between the Global Council (five local hosts from Australia, Korea, Turkey, Brazil and USA) and the two of us.</div>
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We wanted a theme which would be inspiring to people from any background or field - if they were interested in particular areas of service design, or particular development tools. This meant the theme had to be abstract.</div>
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Of our final shortlist of 4 themes, we liked the idea of Heroes with it's overtones of overcoming obstacles, empowerment, doing good, giving, and happy endings. We felt it was important to have a positive, emotional theme for the first Jam.</div>
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Some of us were worried about militaristic overtones of "Heroes", so we added the "(Super)-" at the last minute to keep it light, but used brackets "( )" to leave the options open.</div>
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<b><i>What are the strengths of the GSJ? And the weaknesses?</i></b></div>
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+ People had a lot of fun and worked very hard. We think this was because they felt the freedom, energy and playful atmosphere.</div>
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+ The Jam led to a lot of publicity for service design, and gave a lot of people the opportunity to try it out.</div>
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+ The Theme was very popular and effective.</div>
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+ The Jam gave people the opportunity to work side by side, and led to some permanent contacts - new work groups, friendships, projects. I think that the "doing, not talking" approach made this effect stronger than it would be at a conference, for example.</div>
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+ We built a great library of prototyping methods and designs, which is already the subject of academic research.</div>
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- Making the end results become real was not one of our main priorities. We were mainly interested in promoting service design, increasing contacts, sharing methods and building a library of prototyping methods. We think that putting more emphasis on end results would have "raised the stakes" and made people less likely to take part. But some participants would have liked to see more of the designs become real, and saw this as a weakness of the Jam.</div>
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- Many participants were very busy with their own projects and did not have the time or opportunity to follow the jam on a global level, or share ideas and experiences. Fewer Jammers used Twitter than we expected (this was the main channel for inter-Jam communication) so they missed out on interjam contact.</div>
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- We had some technical problems with our home-made upload platform.</div>
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<i><b>How do you define a "Jam"? Why did you choose this formula?</b></i></div>
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We think of a Jam as we know it from music. In a jam session, musicians come together to practice skills, learn new ones, challenge and build on each other's ideas, meet new people, and have fun. Perhaps some of the ideas will be carried forward, but that is not the main focus. Importantly, they do not come to talk about music, they make it. They are open to working with whatever idea comes along. If it goes wrong, it doesn't matter.</div>
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This is the feeling we wanted for the Jam - an emphasis on building something together, spontaneously, fast and dirty, with a low risk.</div>
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We think jamming is useful, educational, and fun. It is a good alternative to (and expansion on) what happens at conferences.</div>
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<i><b>Tell me about your other project, the Global Sustainability Jam?</b></i></div>
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The GSusJ is a sister event to the GSJ. Some GSJ Jammers felt they could have moved further towards real implementation of the projects if they could have researched and prepared before jamming.</div>
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We thought that choosing a general subject for a Jam (although not a specific theme) might give people this opportunity to prepare, without losing the spontaneous, creative atmosphere. It would also give us the opportunity to reach a new group of people - in this case the sustainability community - and introduce them to a design-based approach to creativity and problem-solving.</div>
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Out of this idea, the GSusJ was born. We chose sustainability because it is interesting, challenging, and always relevant.</div>
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We plan to have service design jams in March or April each year, and other, focussed jams in October or November. We will continue this cycle for as long as we have fun.</div>
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(Addendum: here's a presentation on the first Jam from the Service Design Network conference in San Francisco. <a href="http://workplayexperience.blogspot.com/2012/02/global-service-jam-and-flying-shark.html">Link</a>. ) <br />
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(Update: The Global Service Jam and Global Sustainability Jam in 2011 were followed by a Global Service Jam in 2012 with almost 100 cities taking part. A GovJam pilot organised in cooperation with the Federal Government of Australia in June 2012 focussed on public sector service innovation. The next Jam will be the 2012 Global Sustainability Jam on the first November weekend of 2012. www.globalsustainabilityjam.org )<br /></div>
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Adam StJohn Lawrence.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01749137249223798984noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6940132698914304001.post-54624341379856205392011-10-14T21:47:00.004+01:002011-10-14T22:09:49.663+01:00You have 48 hours to save the world.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVguIidHDLgh1yTp6y7uT-wilG2GV_gk0wqT9kk2yn5slAQ2E69mw6MJPlpn-Kq1n4Tn3zFtOcXX9aeUvtIvXicDj9iGRGFczRFfYrM4lTu_j-Vk2BCC5Z83yIKGIez64pdK2iN4YPfw/s1600/workplayexperience_doing.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 277px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVguIidHDLgh1yTp6y7uT-wilG2GV_gk0wqT9kk2yn5slAQ2E69mw6MJPlpn-Kq1n4Tn3zFtOcXX9aeUvtIvXicDj9iGRGFczRFfYrM4lTu_j-Vk2BCC5Z83yIKGIez64pdK2iN4YPfw/s320/workplayexperience_doing.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5663457643784491298" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >We're jamming again</span><br /><br />After nearly killing ourselves with 68* hours of continuous Jamming at the <a href="http://www.globalservicejam.org/">Global Service Jam</a> back in March, we are coming back for more.<br /><br />200 "Superhero" designs developed by 1200 jammers in 59 cities within 48 hours was so amazing, we want to try it again. And this time, it will be exactly the same, but different.<br /><br />The Global <span style="font-style: italic;">Sustainability</span> Jam will take place on the 28, 29 and 30 of October in around 50 locations all over the planet. We have a lot of folks who jammed back in March, as well as a whole bunch of new faces. <br /><br />It's fantastic to see Jams in regions which were absent or underrepresented at the last Jam - with Russia, India, the Middle East (Tel Aviv & Dubai) stepping up for the first time, and a big jump in the number of Jams in Africa and South America.<br /><br />Unlike the Global Service Jam, this new event is not exclusively aimed at <span style="font-style: italic;">service</span> designers and their pals. We hope to see 48 hours of jamming giving rise to designs for services, yes, but also objects, initiatives, networks, and things we haven't thought of yet. We'll be mixing the design crowd with the sustainability set - and the results should be gripping.<br /><br />If you'd like to spend a thrilling 48 hours under our eternal motto of "doing, not talking", we'd love to have you. Find out more <a href="http://www.globalsustainabilityjam.org/">here</a>. :)<br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size:85%;">* 48 hours for the Jammers, but 68 for us because of the time differences between NZ and SFO.</span><br /></div><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size:85%;">"Doing not Talking" image by Kirsty Joan of <a href="http://wearesnook.com/snook">Snook.</a> </span><br /></div>Adam StJohn Lawrence.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01749137249223798984noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6940132698914304001.post-1192010119838039652011-10-14T21:46:00.001+01:002011-10-14T21:47:27.111+01:00Newsbite2: Service Design in Information Technology<span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >(From a WPX press release)</span><br /><br />Global Service Jam initiators WorkPlayExperience presented jamming techniques at Informatik 2011, the computer industry's "class reunion" in Berlin.<br /><br />The workshop "Experience Innovation through Jamming" allowed delegates to experience firsthand the energy and focus of the Jam format.<br /><br />The session also included the first public presentation of academic research on the Global Service Jam by Michael Römer, Stefan Thallmaier and Hagen Habicht of the Center for Leading Innovation & Cooperation (CLIC), Leipzig Graduate School of Management (HHL).Adam StJohn Lawrence.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01749137249223798984noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6940132698914304001.post-39500143265941510092011-10-14T21:32:00.006+01:002011-10-14T21:45:49.888+01:00Newsbite1 : Educational Services<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(From a WPX press release)</span></span><br /><br />A personal interest in education and learning has blossomed into an important business field for WorkPlayExperience, the service design consultancy with a uniquely theatrical toolset.<br /><br />"We believe in learning by doing, and in crafting mental and physical creative spaces which allow students to discover their way forward", says Markus Hormess of WPX, who is also busy in the FabLab scene.<br /><br />His colleague Adam Lawrences adds, "It's great that we have been able to explore this field in several extensive projects with Swisscom and other major players, as well as in the planet-wide creative space of the Global Service Jam. Designing education is exciting, challenging and vitally important."Adam StJohn Lawrence.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01749137249223798984noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6940132698914304001.post-58184844312758883222011-02-27T22:22:00.005+01:002011-03-16T20:30:21.975+01:00Theatrical Tools in Service Design<span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >On Camera</span><br /><br />We've posted videos of our working methods before, but in German.<br /><br />For those of you without German skills, here we are in English giving a (super-accelerated) sample at the Service Design Network Conference in Berlin this summer.<br /><br /><iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/15969083" width="400" frameborder="0" height="300"></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/15969083">Beyond Roleplay - Theatrical Tools in Service Design</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/wearesnook">Snook</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.</p>Thanks to <a href="http://www.wearesnook.com/">Snook</a> for filming!Adam StJohn Lawrence.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01749137249223798984noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6940132698914304001.post-3581669504406034682010-12-05T12:09:00.003+01:002010-12-05T12:27:16.872+01:00Get hands-on at the Global Service Jam!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7nSa5vecQD1nt5dPEVeOPE23tsUC9wSSBMA1nQiz-JLXVU56wCuajYKwf8vcJvGAPDY6Uw7S7Xfn9u48m1jKycTJhTmE5utZn3iajpUEVYGLnrslSygVcGKjowVYvo6QKKzOWATOX2w/s1600/logo_big.png"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 163px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7nSa5vecQD1nt5dPEVeOPE23tsUC9wSSBMA1nQiz-JLXVU56wCuajYKwf8vcJvGAPDY6Uw7S7Xfn9u48m1jKycTJhTmE5utZn3iajpUEVYGLnrslSygVcGKjowVYvo6QKKzOWATOX2w/s400/logo_big.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5547157222286799330" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >48 hours to design a new service - be there!</span><br /><br />On 11, 12 & 13 March, 2011, people interested in service and customer experience will meet all over the globe. In a spirit of experimentation, co-operation and friendly competition, teams will have 48 hours to develop brand new services inspired by a shared theme.<br /><br />The Friday evening (local times) will see service designers, customer experience folks, students, professors, businesspeople, anthropologists, customers, hackers and actors converge on jam locations all over the world. After meeting up and warming up, they will be given a set of common themes for a brand new service. Based on brainstormed ideas, teams will form. Then it's time to get practical.<br /><br />The teams will have less than 48 hours to research, ideate, prototype (and iterate) their service using whatever methods they want to explore. A social media thread will make sure that all teams - worldwide - will know what is going on, and who is working on what. Groups will learn together, experiment, and bounce ideas and techniques around the planet.<br /><br />On Sunday afternoon, each team will upload their ideas in a digital, disseminable form, under a Creative Commons licence. (The idea remains yours, but the world will see how you made it).<br /><br />Sound like fun?<br /><br />Perhaps you want to run a local jam? Or perhaps you want to find other people local to you who might be interested? Maybe you just want to enjoy the buzz?<br /><br />Get on list at <span style="font-weight: bold;">www.globalservicejam.org</span><br /><br />Follow @GSJam and #GSJ11 on Twitter!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size:85%;">The Global Service Jam is a not-for-profit initiative by<br />Work•Play•Experience and EDO, the Experience Design Organisation. </span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Jammy logo by Jase Cooper. http://jasecooper.com/</span><br /></div>Adam StJohn Lawrence.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01749137249223798984noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6940132698914304001.post-45611076380869746522010-06-03T23:05:00.003+01:002010-06-03T23:17:13.794+01:00WorkPlayExperience live on stage<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuGiwm4qVMQ6wiflktFbC3J08Ts_lnp80GzAeXRz04_xvaBCcMVk0rP73NQKn72931PX0K8gNiILBty5MRgb4mkRRgI_H65ZmAUzlfzN9rJbXRe3B0pjEqlcwYZdzJv7cvRV7-q0Ex1g/s1600/Conference_Box_Schmal.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 97px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuGiwm4qVMQ6wiflktFbC3J08Ts_lnp80GzAeXRz04_xvaBCcMVk0rP73NQKn72931PX0K8gNiILBty5MRgb4mkRRgI_H65ZmAUzlfzN9rJbXRe3B0pjEqlcwYZdzJv7cvRV7-q0Ex1g/s320/Conference_Box_Schmal.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478673756069053282" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Tools session at the <span style="font-style: italic;">Service Design Network</span> conference</span></span><br /><br />It's great to hear that our session proposal for the <a href="http://www.service-design-network.org/content/welcome"><span style="font-style: italic;">Service Design Network's</span> 2010 conference</a> has been accepted by the organisers.<br /><br />The conference, entitled "connecting the dots", take place in Berlin on the 13th and 14th of October, with a Member's day on the 15th. Markus and I will be heading a session on <span style="font-style: italic;">theatrical tools in service design</span> - no schedule yet, but we'll keep you posted. <br /><br />Come and see us there!<br /><br />PS Great news - <a href="http://www.wearesnook.com/">Snook</a> ladies will be there too!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Conference graphic from the sdn conference site.</span><br /></div>Adam StJohn Lawrence.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01749137249223798984noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6940132698914304001.post-15541030739062036822010-06-03T22:27:00.006+01:002010-06-03T22:59:15.900+01:00WorkPlayExperience news<span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" ><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha9r6ubdA6xSqAuyo3trA_ghJOfUplJ5mv-UAen6gXVcRwJdfMbo45M4EXzf-Z0wyj9jR2Yl94iHA2x9i112xICSutb6xehe91W40MsbKKNrCTVz5LxW5iwiVpPrOZONhN3O4MbbeW4g/s1600/1439609638_04bbd3b80f_o.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 198px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha9r6ubdA6xSqAuyo3trA_ghJOfUplJ5mv-UAen6gXVcRwJdfMbo45M4EXzf-Z0wyj9jR2Yl94iHA2x9i112xICSutb6xehe91W40MsbKKNrCTVz5LxW5iwiVpPrOZONhN3O4MbbeW4g/s200/1439609638_04bbd3b80f_o.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478668128870541042" border="0" /></a>Why the hiatus?</span><br /><br />It's been a sleepy time on this blog recently, for a couple of reasons.<br /><br />The first is that Twitter has taken over as my main channel for sharing news and ideas. If you want to stay up to date, just follow me (<a href="http://twitter.com/adamstjohn">@adamstjohn</a>) and Markus (<a href="http://twitter.com/markusedgar">@markusedgar</a>) and you won't miss a thing.<br /><br />But the main reason is that our service experience consultancy and training business (<a href="http://www.workplayexperience.com/en"><span style="font-style: italic;">Work•Play•Experience</span></a>, named after this blog) has been keeping us very busy indeed.<br /><br />We've been lucky enough to win some <span style="font-style: italic;">very</span> exciting clients, and have been running sessions and giving keynote presentations over a significant stretch of central Europe. If you'd like to work with us, we'd love to hear from you.<br /><br />As a sample of what we've been up to, German-speaking readers can check out this <a href="http://blog.stimmt.ch/2010/05/customer-experience-alles-theater-cen-xchange-im-mai-in-der-buhnes/">little article</a> about a workshop for the Swiss customer experience group <span style="font-style: italic;">CEN-Xchange</span>. Thanks to Zürich service design crew <a href="http://stimmt.ch/">Stimmt AG</a> for the invitation!<br /><br />And here's the video from the article - showing Markus and I and one of the techniques we use for customer insight work.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/d9lya5mdLWI&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/d9lya5mdLWI&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;">(Depending on your settings, you might not see the whole width of the screen. Just doubleclick it to go to YouTube.)</span><br /></div><span style="font-size:85%;"><br />Video by the folks at Stimmt AG.<br />Men at work image by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/inside-south-africa/1439609638/">InsideSouthAfrica</a> at Flickr.</span><br /></div>Adam StJohn Lawrence.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01749137249223798984noreply@blogger.com93tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6940132698914304001.post-59092545708482722012010-01-30T00:07:00.006+01:002010-02-02T13:20:58.191+01:00Theatrical tools for service experience - an overview<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqNq7T2542JOveDcNKEG6usn2egzK2V8iJMjdPJYKk9U4IuPkSEkqQTLdCe7tWMQ1jdtue3vaNETjquZFsIu728bMVQ_jrFs5aSj74hmcmBDfOVX5yUxFgD1fBphoU8uveKMmHNiZsQQ/s1600-h/tools_svadilfari.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqNq7T2542JOveDcNKEG6usn2egzK2V8iJMjdPJYKk9U4IuPkSEkqQTLdCe7tWMQ1jdtue3vaNETjquZFsIu728bMVQ_jrFs5aSj74hmcmBDfOVX5yUxFgD1fBphoU8uveKMmHNiZsQQ/s200/tools_svadilfari.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5432312046391653314" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Top practical tips</span><br />Theater can give you powerful - and long proven - tools for service design and experience work. Our customers at Work•Play•Experience love them, and I've written about them over the years on this blog. Here are links to some of the best...<br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Rehearsal and service prototyping</span></span><br /><a href="http://workplayexperience.blogspot.com/2008/11/managing-creative-environment.html">Setting up a safe space</a> <span style="font-size:85%;">(forget this, and you can forget the whole thing)</span><br /><a href="http://workplayexperience.blogspot.com/2009/09/customer-interactions-and-rubber.html">Running the session</a><span style="font-size:85%;"> (why it's important to break the rules)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Powerful rehearsal/prototyping tools</span><br /><a href="http://workplayexperience.blogspot.com/2007/08/in-chair.html">The director's chair</a><br /><a href="http://workplayexperience.blogspot.com/2008/06/subtext-in-customer-contact-try-this.html">Subtext</a> <span style="font-weight: bold;">(top tip!)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Experience structure and timing</span><br /><a href="http://workplayexperience.blogspot.com/2006/12/boom-wow-wow-wow-boom.html">Perfect story structure</a> <span style="font-weight: bold;">(top tip!)</span><br /><a href="http://workplayexperience.blogspot.com/2007/06/starting-badly-on-purpose.html">Starting badly on purpose</a><br /><a href="http://workplayexperience.blogspot.com/2008/03/burning-contrast.html">Working with contrast</a><br /><a href="http://workplayexperience.blogspot.com/2007/03/timing-is-everything.html">Thinking about timing</a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Entrances and moving people through them</span><br /><a href="http://workplayexperience.blogspot.com/2007/05/stepping-between-worlds.html">Stage design lessons for entrances</a> <span style="font-size:85%;">(important for retailers & UX)</span><br /><a href="http://workplayexperience.blogspot.com/2007/01/doors-of-perception.html">When the backstage intrudes</a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >How to guarantee a hit</span><br /><a href="http://workplayexperience.blogspot.com/2007/08/big-three.html">The Big Three</a> <span style="font-size:85%;">(just for fun?)</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Tool pic by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/22280677@N07/2504310138/">Svadilfari</a> at flickr<br /></span></div>Adam StJohn Lawrence.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01749137249223798984noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6940132698914304001.post-63799162258313476862010-01-04T18:04:00.013+01:002010-01-04T19:47:43.654+01:00Different workspaces...<span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">...how </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Work•Play•Experience</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> gets down to business</span></span><br /><br />When we are boldly going where no service design agency has gone before, <a href="http://twitter.com/markusedgar">Markus</a> and I find it useful to have different spaces for different tasks.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Bridge</span><br />Adam's loft office - light, airy, equipped with a big table, grand piano and much stuff. Great for big ideas, strategic planning and long term thinking.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1AZTPc4oAvelXzcgSd0Lk8Pvp7DIcE00stGhLNNX3ers_biTIFZTshfDrgvxOTxU3qQNIsVUVhl2a2bONDV7wtdaf9wXlBG66qX66Qy4SM5Dt1wbUazBuGhBH3JVnxS-RQnDJh5ey-g/s1600-h/spocksbrain_026.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 235px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1AZTPc4oAvelXzcgSd0Lk8Pvp7DIcE00stGhLNNX3ers_biTIFZTshfDrgvxOTxU3qQNIsVUVhl2a2bONDV7wtdaf9wXlBG66qX66Qy4SM5Dt1wbUazBuGhBH3JVnxS-RQnDJh5ey-g/s320/spocksbrain_026.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422937864371544066" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Engineering</span><br />Markus' basement office - big screens, fast internet, mega printers and lots of toys. The ideal place to get down, dirty and into detail.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1wx-H0vvO6blUyRPiIaiHtCjAIjnB4hY8VH2YDUfGVB6OSX3BRakvQ-BcltSgGJXvJ4qKG7rGLBIvjo4Z4j69A9BDZFWd6pIqJRWo6LLQ9M3VU6DzK0KYJu0uKz8Iexrnl4u30Ukn9Q/s1600-h/star-trek-engineering.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 210px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1wx-H0vvO6blUyRPiIaiHtCjAIjnB4hY8VH2YDUfGVB6OSX3BRakvQ-BcltSgGJXvJ4qKG7rGLBIvjo4Z4j69A9BDZFWd6pIqJRWo6LLQ9M3VU6DzK0KYJu0uKz8Iexrnl4u30Ukn9Q/s320/star-trek-engineering.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422938149012085426" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /><br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />Ten Forward</span><br />For unstructured work and discussions, and for clearing up the bits and pieces; Ten Forward is any one of a number of cafés and bars with WiFi where we do most of our free form officework.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZYkKLF-7ZXOcxY6Vt3dSgnVL_ax4Wd9YBm36i5a22GPxDZct8C6v6TnxyyONJpsIeki9-zRHgEg9qQkrCldG4I2JZAXYt1g-SWWOEK2sLFLvEcbKQcbK8Zh1lpz_ItPav7M8erA0fZg/s1600-h/Relics_Ten_Forward.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 244px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZYkKLF-7ZXOcxY6Vt3dSgnVL_ax4Wd9YBm36i5a22GPxDZct8C6v6TnxyyONJpsIeki9-zRHgEg9qQkrCldG4I2JZAXYt1g-SWWOEK2sLFLvEcbKQcbK8Zh1lpz_ItPav7M8erA0fZg/s320/Relics_Ten_Forward.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422938714423313170" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /><br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Holodeck</span><br />As seen in <a href="http://workplayexperience.blogspot.com/2009/06/change-scenery-and-boost-innovation.html">this post</a>, the Holodeck is our outdoor working platform. Under the open skies and with a riverside view, it's unbeatable for creative work and getting into constructive conversations with strangers.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhZBeiYMDp3NbOU8UGaTcUN39AuPpKTn0iDjEhObRC9WFWeztuX0dwsX-bklk-R56NTlCdtmVU_Tng_juzLAUL6GR0Zqz4WdKhCWeUIOyEu1oSNjLkRuHKt22Hcvre1zuZlZC-MZaHjw/s1600-h/Holodeck.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhZBeiYMDp3NbOU8UGaTcUN39AuPpKTn0iDjEhObRC9WFWeztuX0dwsX-bklk-R56NTlCdtmVU_Tng_juzLAUL6GR0Zqz4WdKhCWeUIOyEu1oSNjLkRuHKt22Hcvre1zuZlZC-MZaHjw/s320/Holodeck.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422938243843813986" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Do you separate your workday? How?Adam StJohn Lawrence.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01749137249223798984noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6940132698914304001.post-73586329454599330982009-10-07T23:42:00.021+01:002010-08-21T10:03:06.414+01:00Top 10 Reasons why Powerpoint is like a bra<span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Yes, really. </span><br /><br />It drives me <span style="font-style: italic;">crazy</span> when people think of their Powerpoint* <span style="font-style: italic;">slides</span> as their "presentation". Really, truly crunchy-monkey-nut crazy. Today, I was so annoyed at this habit that I tweeted:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8DonE8JuYXWKt8oBPcNUg5UD6AQ9Tbg_K4AE1QMvjhtQgZRA5S4rJl5DZQXUX7hd6KW9Fu8yh3sEI8EvZLT6ad5eCmUmIBzQ71jlGQ8sfzO_LT_nyZy4Yj5jAVlYjOETl1_sWv3IMCA/s1600-h/Picture+1.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 367px; height: 79px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8DonE8JuYXWKt8oBPcNUg5UD6AQ9Tbg_K4AE1QMvjhtQgZRA5S4rJl5DZQXUX7hd6KW9Fu8yh3sEI8EvZLT6ad5eCmUmIBzQ71jlGQ8sfzO_LT_nyZy4Yj5jAVlYjOETl1_sWv3IMCA/s400/Picture+1.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389996295545166418" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br />The tweet rang bells with a few folks, notably <a href="http://finiteattentionspan.wordpress.com/">Chris Atherton</a>. Well, I do like to ring bells - so, for the list fetishists among you, here are...<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">The Top 10 Reasons a Powerpoint Slidedeck is Just Like a Bra. </span></span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:180%;" >10.</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> It is often used out of habit or insecurity - but there are plenty of situations where it only gets in the way</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:180%;" ><br /><br />9. </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">It's possible to send one by mail, but it is empty and lifeless, so why bother?</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:180%;" ><br /><br />8.</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> Technical troubles will occur at the most embarassing moments</span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:180%;" ><br /><br />7. </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Too much decoration can distract from content</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:180%;" ><br /><br />6.</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> It's certainly pretty, but do you really want someone else's design to cover up your uniqueness?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:180%;" >5. </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">People usually try to fit too much inside</span>**<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:180%;" >4. </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">People think they need the support, but forget it's a restriction too</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:180%;" ><br /><br />3. </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Given confidence, you will often make a bigger impact without one</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:180%;" ><br /><br />2. </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">You can borrow or steal someone else's, but it will never fit like your own</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br />and finally..</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:180%;" ><br /><br />1.</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> It may look basically similar, but you should NEVER confuse it with the Real Thing</span><br /><br />Folks, <span style="font-style: italic;">Powerpoint</span> isn't the presentation. <a href="http://workplayexperience.blogspot.com/2007/01/look-at-meeeeee.html">YOU ARE</a>.<br /><br />Got any more? Add them in the comments... Oh, and you should follow me on <a href="http://twitter.com/adamstjohn">Twitter...</a><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);"><br /></span>Reactions:<br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:85%;" ><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);"><br /></span></span><ul><li style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:85%;" ><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);">Linda Wu at SixMinutes comes back with</span></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:85%;" ><a href="http://bit.ly/Ghi53"><span style="font-style: italic;"> 32 Reasons a Powerpoint Slidedeck is Nothing Like a Bra.</span></a><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);"> Thanks Linda!</span></span></li><li><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:85%;" >You can also have <a href="http://excelpro.blog.sohu.com/134110539.html">this list in Chinese</a>, courtesy of ExcelPro.</span></li><li><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:85%;" >STOP PRESS! There is now even a Chinese <a href="http://bit.ly/9y71Uf">illustrated version</a>, I kid you not!</span></li></ul><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: right;">* <span style="font-size:85%;">Or Keynote, or whatever. I don't care. Slideware. You know.</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">** Oprah said 8 out of 10 ladies wear the wrong size, usually too small. And what Oprah says...</span><br /></div>Adam StJohn Lawrence.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01749137249223798984noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6940132698914304001.post-23215075390392271162009-10-02T19:20:00.009+01:002009-10-04T14:00:46.912+01:00Customer experience, the jazz way<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZydOT4FJRxZb3NCUpFP6LgKg336yxPH2-DR-eweH85Psa_zePO63Rs5AqyHTIDccZbey2zNuwlpOZKZzJc2FFUdfW26FebckpfGP7noN54SjSqbfTkYFRTHjNlwdRHb2r2A1UtYy-NA/s1600-h/PR_Bleckmann_Stockwell.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZydOT4FJRxZb3NCUpFP6LgKg336yxPH2-DR-eweH85Psa_zePO63Rs5AqyHTIDccZbey2zNuwlpOZKZzJc2FFUdfW26FebckpfGP7noN54SjSqbfTkYFRTHjNlwdRHb2r2A1UtYy-NA/s320/PR_Bleckmann_Stockwell.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388085724831242658" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Lessons for customer experience from a master of voice</span><br /><br />Over the last couple of days, I have spent a little time with three exceptional musicians: New York's Refuge Trio, made up of Theo Bleckmann, Gary Versace and John Hollenbeck. I was able to take part in a masterclass vocal workshop with Bleckmann, and several of his statements on singing - like so many showbiz ideas - offer excellent insight for customer experience practitioners.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >(We spoke in German, and all this is based on my brief notes, so all quotes are no more than "my best attempt" at capturing the meaning.)</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >The Master on backstage and frontstage</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">TB: "When you perform, it can feel like a flat film set. It's like behind me is nothing. But that's not true: the music and the energy is all around me."</span><br /><br />In experience design, we often think about frontstage and backstage processes - which is a useful distinction. But the interplay between backstage and frontstage is more complex than just boxes arriving from the storeroom.<br /><br />Theo's words reminded me that <span style="font-weight: bold;">the spaces behind the scenes and in front of the scenes share a common energy</span> - one which customers can sense, and staff can be motivated (or demotivated) by. Remember, the frontstage/backstage boundary is real, but it is permeable to more than just product.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >The Master on keeping on track</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">In one musical exercise, Theo had us hold one note while he played other notes. With notes that were further away, this was easy. But when he played the semitones - the closest possible notes - above and below our note, many of us found ourselves sliding off line.</span><br /><br />This common singer's exercise offered parallels to the world of motivation, as is being <a href="http://wenovski.ning.com/group/motivationaldesign">discussed</a> on Wenovski. Wildly different notes were easy to ignore, but the nearly-the-same notes were pure seduction. Similarly, it's not the grouch in the corner who will demotivate you - he's easy to ignore. Instead, it's the people who do <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">pretty much</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> the right things, but with a </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">little less</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> fire and passion for the customer. </span>Their path - the <span style="font-style: italic;">slightly</span> easier path that looks oh so <span style="font-style: italic;">similar</span> - is the dangerous one, as it tempts us to do just a <span style="font-style: italic;">little less</span>.<br /><br />It's the same with service design. "All the other companies all do it <span style="font-style: italic;">this</span> way - which is <span style="font-style: italic;">nearly</span> the same. Why don't we?"<br /><br />Answer: <span style="font-style: italic;">because you need to be exceptional.</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >The Master on intent</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">TB: "Know what note you are going to sing before you sing it. Intention is important - otherwise things happen out of fear or habit."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">I can think of no greater enemies to good customer experience than fear and habit. </span>Fear can be fear of trying something new, or fear of looking the customer in the eye and making human contact; habit is the innovation-killer of "we always do it this way". And fear and habit together are stagnation and boring or bad service.<br /><br />Theo's advice here is that <span style="font-style: italic;">intention</span> - knowing what we want to "sing" in <span style="font-style: italic;">advance</span> - is the best weapon against these two.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What "song" do you intend to "sing" to your customers?</span><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/31jAFxH2hzE&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/31jAFxH2hzE&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Photo by Amanda Stockwell from theobleckmann.com<br /></span></div>Adam StJohn Lawrence.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01749137249223798984noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6940132698914304001.post-8751198818896394522009-09-22T14:53:00.006+01:002010-01-11T03:00:31.546+01:00Customer interactions and rubber chickens<span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Why we use theatrical rehearsal techniques in service experience design</span><br /><br />If you have ever been to a <a href="http://www.workplayexperience.com/en"><span style="font-style: italic;">Work•Play•Experience</span></a> experience workshop or service design session, you will have noticed that it doesn't look like a normal training day, or even like a normal design space.<br /><br />It looks a lot like a theater rehearsal - just crazier.<br /><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;">Starting with a bang</span></span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRPBGFPsgY6yws_gSPk-1nRm_rrD_lrKwwwKquiTHtu1xEXo38MMBb9Qc6F0hUhTgTbaIxfTreZnggffd5QRP-wuh0_XHSTHLruBqBjk7fFB0OBUUA_Jn8-9GRWFw6v5xs0go9n9fGOQ/s1600-h/zoomar_rubberchickens.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 161px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRPBGFPsgY6yws_gSPk-1nRm_rrD_lrKwwwKquiTHtu1xEXo38MMBb9Qc6F0hUhTgTbaIxfTreZnggffd5QRP-wuh0_XHSTHLruBqBjk7fFB0OBUUA_Jn8-9GRWFw6v5xs0go9n9fGOQ/s200/zoomar_rubberchickens.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425293230359611922" border="0" /></a>The first thing you will notice is that the room is full of odd things, from rubber chickens to toy catapults, from wind-up flipping dogs to Bugs Bunny DVDs. And lots and <span style="font-style: italic;">lots</span> of chocolate. Immediately after you notice this (and just after your first chocolate rush), we will throw you into a high energy warm-up which soon has you laughing and sweating. Today will not be like a normal workday, that is clear. And the usual rules will not apply.<br /><br />This is a big heap of fun - but that is <span style="font-style: italic;">not</span> why we do it. Our first goal is to clearly break the rules you know, creating a “<a href="http://workplayexperience.blogspot.com/2008/11/managing-creative-environment.html">safe space</a>” which promotes creativity and encourages risk taking. This break with everyday routine is crucial to the success of our work, as it <span style="font-style: italic;">guarantees</span> more innovation, faster learning, more confidence and a willingness to try new personal behaviour patterns.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">Once more from the top...</span><br /><br />As the day progresses, we keep you on your feet - you will see very few chairs, and the ones you see will seldom be in use. “<span style="font-style: italic;">Doing, not talking</span>” is one of our guiding principles, so there's almost no frontal presentation (<a href="http://workplayexperience.blogspot.com/2007/01/look-at-meeeeee.html">we hate Powerpoint anyway</a>) and very little bookwork. Instead, you will find yourself “playing” through “scenes” again and again. And again. And again...<br /><br />We are exploring alternatives in an <a href="http://workplayexperience.blogspot.com/2008/03/artful-making.html">iterative innovation structure</a> just like the one used in the most successful software houses. Now and again, we will step in to draw your attention to details of body language, blocking, storyline, microexpressions, <a href="http://workplayexperience.blogspot.com/2008/06/subtext-in-customer-contact-try-this.html">subtext</a> and other verbal- and non-verbal aspects. You'll soon be sensitised to your unconscious effect on the customer - and the effect of your service process design - and will see it with new eyes.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Remember, a theater rehearsal is not just "practice". It is a way to actively and accurately model and develop any kind of human interaction. And it works best in a lively, fun-filled environment which gives plentiful opportunity to try new strategies, experience success or failure in a concrete, tactile form, and learn by doing.</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">No smart answers, just good questions</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX2DdN45zRYWYgnd7e8TWJWVw3IbI7A21x04wolwAmdjW5PJc0DovPePHucXrH9mBF58oLT7OxcShAHg2AGFbh71l_WHtIqJ9AZqXcrMMyJNyNFirqHjaFXR3jkA17lkokLfgRmqONaw/s1600-h/AmarandAgasiCandy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX2DdN45zRYWYgnd7e8TWJWVw3IbI7A21x04wolwAmdjW5PJc0DovPePHucXrH9mBF58oLT7OxcShAHg2AGFbh71l_WHtIqJ9AZqXcrMMyJNyNFirqHjaFXR3jkA17lkokLfgRmqONaw/s200/AmarandAgasiCandy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425295935323138514" border="0" /></a>It feels like <a href="http://workplayexperience.blogspot.com/2009/07/playful-design-wins.html">play</a>, but "Play" is only 33.3% of our name. We keep the energy level high, and laughter is never far away - most participants never notice that they are working very, very hard indeed. And the rich crop of ideas they develop are <span style="font-style: italic;">their own</span>.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">This is crucial. We cannot be experts on every business, so we don't try to be. Instead, we use theatrical tools to get great ideas out of your people - ideas that have been developed and framed by the participants themselves - not by “headquarters” or some unknown “expert”.</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">How it works</span><br /><br />As the day moves towards the final high-energy "BOOM!", you probably won't notice that the design of entire day was based on critical principles of psychology and dramaturgy. The playful atmosphere has promoted creativity and innovation. The deeply satisfying <a href="http://workplayexperience.blogspot.com/2006/12/boom-wow-wow-wow-boom.html">structure of the day</a> gave periods of high energy, periods of reflection and a stream of new experiences. Participants have pooled their expertise and experience, guaranteeing realistic and practical solutions. Their Buy-In is of course much greater, and the ideas have been prototyped and rehearsed already... so they are realistic, practiced, closer-to-home and YOURS!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">We really like this way of working, and we think you will too. At the very least, you are pretty certain to enjoy all the chocolate.</span><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Rubber chickens by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/zoomar/139506760/">zoomar</a> at flickr<br />Sweeties by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/theamarand/2989803597/">Amarand Agasi</a> at Flickr<br /></span></div>Adam StJohn Lawrence.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01749137249223798984noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6940132698914304001.post-3762707890396267482009-09-10T11:24:00.009+01:002010-01-05T15:56:26.026+01:00How to rehearse (or not) a presentation<span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Best of both worlds</span><br /><p><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">How a stand-up comedian rehearses for both flexibility and confidence.</span><br /></p><p>An over-rehearsed presentation - like an over-rehearsed show - can really stink. It can be so automatic that it loses touch with the audience. It becomes a polished set of actions and words and ceases to be two-way communication, a persuasive dialogue.<br /></p><p>On stage, we know that the comic aside - the gag improvised when the scenery collapses or a cellphone in the audience rings - is usually the biggest laugh of the evening. It's because the audience knows it was one-off, one-time, authentic creativity. So should we <span style="font-style: italic;">always</span> improvise?<br /></p><p>Usually, no. Bluffing your way through Shakespeare (or a complex presentation) on a wing and a teleprompter will not get you far. You need the confidence to know what happens next, the experience to get you through the technically challenging parts. And that only comes from practice. Lots of practice.</p><p style="font-weight: bold;">Hmm. So - we are in a quandary. Authentic, spontaneous flexibility, or calm rehearsed confidence? What to do?</p><p style="font-weight: bold;">The answer is this: you should not rehearse your <span style="font-style: italic;">presentation</span>, you should rehearse your <span style="font-style: italic;">presentations</span>. Plural.</p><p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeFkQGgihrvGaDZRRMJQpyvkWWhstUIRmGHhWP5qSdAFUZaDzT6WFpvwBpM7xw6fiqpyC2w3UH_DZeptoQ5AxTts3uVGTRCMedkTZTfNYTUFQOtYcXW8QyQfbdRhg_ais1y_OtnZQ6Og/s1600-h/headliner_2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 171px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeFkQGgihrvGaDZRRMJQpyvkWWhstUIRmGHhWP5qSdAFUZaDzT6WFpvwBpM7xw6fiqpyC2w3UH_DZeptoQ5AxTts3uVGTRCMedkTZTfNYTUFQOtYcXW8QyQfbdRhg_ais1y_OtnZQ6Og/s200/headliner_2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379792282267001058" border="0" /></a>When I'm developing a stand-up routine. I have many of my gag ideas on little index cards which I can add notes to, reshuffle, tear in half, or even eat in frustration. I will stand in a room away from the world (this <span style="font-style: italic;">is</span> embarrassing) and rant my way through the cards. I'll try every line ten different ways. I'll try ten different orders. I'll throw cards away, and dig them out of the bin. I'll try missing out <span style="font-style: italic;">this</span> part, and go off on a stream-of-consciousness tangent expanding <span style="font-style: italic;">that</span> section. I'll even try running the cards backwards - seriously, it can teach you a lot. </p><p>After a while, I don't need the cards much, and I can play with my material while jogging, driving, or screaming at the top of my lungs while zooming down the Autobahn on my motorcycle. (If you've ever seen a lunatic doing this, now you know it was me. It feels as mad as a brush, but it's <span style="font-style: italic;">very</span> effective.)*</p><p>At the end, I have not just rehearsed one routine - I have rehearsed dozens of routines based on basically the same material.<br /></p><p style="font-weight: bold;">This stand-up rehearsal technique works for presentations too. Play with the pieces and bang them together until you know every angle.</p><p>After a while, you will know what the <span style="font-style: italic;">best</span> order is. You can use it for your test audience. But you will <span style="font-style: italic;">not</span> be tied to that order...<br /></p><p style="font-weight: bold;">You will have all the <span style="font-style: italic;">confidence</span> you need, because you will have mastered your material. But you will also have the <span style="font-style: italic;">flexibility</span> you need. You will know that there is more than one path through the presentation, and that you can cope with anything.</p><p style="font-weight: bold;">Most importantly, you will be able to adjust your presentation with confidence to genuinely respond to the audiences signals - making it a real two-way exchange, not some polished performance that could have been done by DVD.</p><p>Have fun!<br /></p><p style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size:85%;">*Actually, a shouted rehearsal is a great technique. I know classical actors who rehearse monologues by shouting them from the beach into the ocean waves. Of course, this works best if you have a Victorian greatcoat and rather wild hair.</span></p><p style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Photo of some of my index cards by me.<br /></span></p><p style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size:85%;">(This post is based on a comment I made last year on <a href="http://www.tjwalker.com/">TJ Walker's blog</a>)</span></p><p style="text-align: left;">!!! More <a href="http://workplayexperience.blogspot.com/search/label/presentation%20technique">great showbiz tips for presenters here</a>.<br /></p>Adam StJohn Lawrence.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01749137249223798984noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6940132698914304001.post-79047881101884044722009-08-17T23:57:00.014+01:002009-08-18T20:12:00.058+01:00Cheat the seating for better presentations & parties<span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Leading the horse to water</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">If you went your presentations to be effective and your events to rock, you will need to think about </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">where</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> you let your audience </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">sit</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">. Here's why.</span><br /><br />Check out the first diagram below - it's the well known scheme of <span style="font-weight: bold;">where we ought to sit</span> in a classroom or presentation room. You know - the more front-and-centre you sit, the more information you retain and take home afterwards. Old news.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOzD9odSfNC0FzQzTz2kHuHjijwq9UCCYGTu_auTal0Sr20wOVnJfZWhENiPYXsKMy9TgFLsElTiu9VPhsr5unjXfguv573bUVR_2kXjfiw5NaSZHIi2ecVI5cK_Spdb9szIwGfMhUzA/s1600-h/remember.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 345px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOzD9odSfNC0FzQzTz2kHuHjijwq9UCCYGTu_auTal0Sr20wOVnJfZWhENiPYXsKMy9TgFLsElTiu9VPhsr5unjXfguv573bUVR_2kXjfiw5NaSZHIi2ecVI5cK_Spdb9szIwGfMhUzA/s400/remember.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371076777243980242" border="0" /></a>The second diagram, two paragraphs further down, has no hard research behind it. It's just my own experience from a gazillion shows, classroom lessons and presentations I have given over the years. It shows where people <span style="font-weight: bold;">want to sit</span>.<br /><br />When people come into a presentation, classroom or gala event (let's assume for now they didn't pay for their own tickets), they invariably <span style="font-weight: bold;">fill up from the back, and along the aisle</span>. It seems they are looking for a swift exit, or trying to avoid direct contact to whatever is happening at the front. Even the keen ones, unless they are die-hard fans, avoid the front row, preferring the midfield.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSoIZmhl6fdVbrDsGsQz39H0LMUeEVn76d1f9TkWJLR_uZ50tofhhaB0fa0MmIpEfgo57QmcoTEBC6DOh3eAmmendnuVr3SEQ38HhOOKTIA9l4f5j8eOgHZdsaEyymm1nJ9e-ifrUn1A/s1600-h/sit.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 363px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSoIZmhl6fdVbrDsGsQz39H0LMUeEVn76d1f9TkWJLR_uZ50tofhhaB0fa0MmIpEfgo57QmcoTEBC6DOh3eAmmendnuVr3SEQ38HhOOKTIA9l4f5j8eOgHZdsaEyymm1nJ9e-ifrUn1A/s400/sit.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371077177665402498" border="0" /></a><br />Now compare the two rooms - the consequence is obvious. Unless every seat is taken, <span style="font-weight: bold;">your audience will tend to sit in the seats where they will benefit <span style="font-style: italic;">least</span> from their presence, and your efforts as a presenter.</span><br /><br />And that is only the first downside of this trend.<br /><br />A successful presentation is all about atmosphere (you are there to shape emotion, remember?). <span style="font-weight: bold;">For a good, infectious buzz you need to have your audience up close and bunched together.</span> If they are all spread around the back of the room, you are going to be struggling to reach them.<br /><br />To avoid wasting both your time and the audience's, borrow these tricks from the hospitality industry.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">First, </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://workplayexperience.blogspot.com/2008/01/pack-em-in-tight.html">choose a room that is as tight as possible</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> for your predicted numbers. Then, encourage your audience to fill from the <span style="font-style: italic;">front</span>,</span> perhaps by:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"> - using pleasant soft lighting at the front of the room while the <span style="font-weight: bold;">rear rows and outer edges remain dark</span><br />- standing at the front of the room, <span style="font-weight: bold;">welcoming attendees there and offering them seats</span><br />- or, most simply and effectively, <span style="font-weight: bold;">reserving the rear rows</span> until the rest of the room is full. *<br /></div><br />The result of your audience management will be a better buzz and more effective use of everyone's time - a winner all round.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size:85%;">* the sneakiest way is to simply set up fewer rows of chairs than needed, then fetch "reserve" chairs from another room when it gets to standing room only. Wow, the event was a surprise hit! </span><br /></div>Adam StJohn Lawrence.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01749137249223798984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6940132698914304001.post-23407090413025756712009-08-13T17:52:00.008+01:002009-08-14T10:18:26.373+01:00Instinct helps you move people<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7RB5l3WKG9nWs-TBGmFwFFV8NuqQ8nQHxfpAhC4Cv34LrlCWLTURyjsVuHWZE5r5GDvW7xNT9hyphenhyphenut0TTtA0-l1LyGwWpEdJp958VwGQEkSbljgEGfU_wvNGthYyAT8GQxXqgnDKYVFg/s1600-h/greengrass.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 166px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7RB5l3WKG9nWs-TBGmFwFFV8NuqQ8nQHxfpAhC4Cv34LrlCWLTURyjsVuHWZE5r5GDvW7xNT9hyphenhyphenut0TTtA0-l1LyGwWpEdJp958VwGQEkSbljgEGfU_wvNGthYyAT8GQxXqgnDKYVFg/s200/greengrass.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369746322478759362" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">... so <span style="font-style: italic;">stop</span> thinking too hard</span></span><br /><br />Watching the extras to the Bourne films on the train, I came across this piece of advice which every service manager should take to heart.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >"Often when you are a director you are trying to free everybody from thinking too hard. Because if you think too hard, you're not instinctive.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />The power to move, the power to excite, the power to propel people - is instinctive.</span></span><span style="font-size:130%;">"</span><br /><div style="text-align: right;">(Paul Greengrass, Director)<br /></div><br />As a manager, what can <span style="font-style: italic;">you</span> do to free your people from thinking too hard? Remember, it's easy to make things complicated. Simplicity is dang hard, and freedom is scary.<br /><br />But you need them <span style="font-style: italic;">both</span> to engage customers and release creativity.Adam StJohn Lawrence.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01749137249223798984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6940132698914304001.post-76639479730039765472009-07-24T13:54:00.006+01:002009-07-24T14:37:29.510+01:00Playful design wins<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMkQtatPB6zcRt6OnwSm-bQFPSJImAKT-fkAZAkqdB91zw7khqsnGA9Ivg-z3YNkUn-ta3Hb7eMct4yQGi7NLeAKYTM_-WJHQDlbtb6FeJzsysgAU-5e5zPQeB_ll5hGFg5w1qFr_Itw/s1600-h/playhouse.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMkQtatPB6zcRt6OnwSm-bQFPSJImAKT-fkAZAkqdB91zw7khqsnGA9Ivg-z3YNkUn-ta3Hb7eMct4yQGi7NLeAKYTM_-WJHQDlbtb6FeJzsysgAU-5e5zPQeB_ll5hGFg5w1qFr_Itw/s200/playhouse.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362018577449311810" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Game-based approach to architectural design</span><br /><br />Here's a fascinating <a href="http://www.gamecareerguide.com/features/751/features/751/thesis_game_design_and_.php?page=1">report</a> on a new design methodology thesis by Christopher Totten.<br /><br />Totten used games as powerful tools in cooperative architechtural design projects. The games had two functions:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">A simple, self-designed board game </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">guided the design process</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> in a Cabal-type system:</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> "Three or four player/designers play cooperatively but each have their own piece on the board. Each of these players takes on a different design role .... rolling the die to move around the board and respond to the directions ... to make design changes, draw new cards, lose turns, or run playtests. "</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">At turns, the </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">actual building design</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> took place in Google SketchUp or Valve's Hammer Level Editor:</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">"Using a game engine such as Hammer allowed players to explore their buildings while they were designing them; since it lacks a traditional "orbit" tool but allows the in-program camera to be moved through the model with game controls; as one would move through a game environment ... "</span><br /><br />Mr T. reports three main benefits of this game-based approach:<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-size:180%;" >1</span> The board game / Cabal system helped <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">circumvent many of the social or group-dynamic problems</span> normally encountered in cooperative work.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-size:180%;" >2</span> The video-game design testing encouraged a <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">high degree of focus on the emotions and experience of the building user</span><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-size:180%;" >3</span> Playtesters also reported that their designs were different because <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">they felt they could make more creative moves while in the play environment</span><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"> </span>of the game. Their designs were more complex and stimulating than those produced with more traditional techniques.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">So, fewer arguments, higher user-centricity, and more exciting designs... sounds good to me. This is a great example of successfully using the power of play in a complex business environment. </span><br /><br />Adam<br /><br />PS I particularly liked this report on one virtual house:<span style="font-style: italic;"> "The playtesters conceived the house as a path of rooms that offered sporadic views to the landscape around the house, leading up to the ultimate reveal of the river on the large porch."</span><br /><br />Now, that sounds just like the <a href="http://workplayexperience.blogspot.com/2006/12/boom-wow-wow-wow-boom.html">narrative structure</a> of the next Hollywood blockbuster...<br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Play house pic by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/barnabywasson/325742276/?addedcomment=1#comment72157621806463142">barnabywasson</a> at flickr</span><br /><br /></div>Adam StJohn Lawrence.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01749137249223798984noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6940132698914304001.post-32563483019542803862009-07-21T09:13:00.006+01:002009-07-21T09:43:19.903+01:00Start by cheering up the customer<span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" ><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM2r8bRbQsT6VfDEnIEXBTrzIKlEucqoTDzFJYFT1x2ryvofh5APsde1oCGDWyQsOx6lsJX1uI0eNn3MEDK4Hc173iohW-PyiVRW_1Gvx82OLQig56lx3665TCkjsoYTGN5T2P8VsD_Q/s1600-h/happyface.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 159px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM2r8bRbQsT6VfDEnIEXBTrzIKlEucqoTDzFJYFT1x2ryvofh5APsde1oCGDWyQsOx6lsJX1uI0eNn3MEDK4Hc173iohW-PyiVRW_1Gvx82OLQig56lx3665TCkjsoYTGN5T2P8VsD_Q/s200/happyface.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360829668866649986" border="0" /></a>Starting out right</span><br /><br />David Zinger posted a nice <a href="http://appliedimprov.ning.com/profiles/blogs/9-improvisation-keys-from">overview</a> of his time with impromaster Keith Johnstone. There's a lot worth reading there, but I was especially struck by one side note:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-size:130%;" >Start by cheering up the audience.</span><br /></div><br />Now, replace "audience" by "customer" (that's one of my favourite hobbies), and we have some powerful medicine. If you set out to start every contact by "cheering up" your customer, you will automatically find yourself:<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">... being present in the moment.</span><br />If you are fully tuned in to the customer's feelings here and now, I promise you will not find yourself thinking about the stack of 27B-6 forms waiting on your desk.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">... empathising with the customer's expectations.</span><br />A customer comes to you with a particular emotion based on what they think is going to happen next. To cheer them up, you are going to have to read - and beat - that expectation.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">... caring about first impressions made by your site, location or appearance.</span><br />Everyone knows that first and last impressions are crucial. How do your physical surroundings (colour, light, signage, access) contribute to cheering up the next customer?<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">... being human.</span><br />True smiles can only work over a true person-to-person connection. Humour is the same. Without giving at least a glimpse of the person you are, you are not going to spread cheer. So be yourself - you might enjoy it.!<br /><br />So, here's a challenge: <span style="font-weight: bold;">cheer up some customers as soon as you meet them today</span>.<br /><br />And here's another: <span style="font-weight: bold;">cheer them up even more as they take their leave.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Happy face shot by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/litandmore/2188544310/">litanmore</a> at flickr<br /></span></div>Adam StJohn Lawrence.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01749137249223798984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6940132698914304001.post-57974519845006523072009-07-17T13:56:00.010+01:002010-02-11T02:07:03.222+01:00A Stand-Up's guide to presentation technique<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5ayhtAGArExW-SplheSw3laiyZHpYTwmft4Iz9ARAfhZ8g-wsbxxISl5uCUSixFCnslibM-wnY44Fmz_5yesIAQRyKmBwGgYvef22UWZdbmNEIP_-RtN-ZzjL4LGv4Md8nDZd8CzKGg/s1600-h/magic+lantern.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 173px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5ayhtAGArExW-SplheSw3laiyZHpYTwmft4Iz9ARAfhZ8g-wsbxxISl5uCUSixFCnslibM-wnY44Fmz_5yesIAQRyKmBwGgYvef22UWZdbmNEIP_-RtN-ZzjL4LGv4Md8nDZd8CzKGg/s320/magic+lantern.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359419082141462130" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">My personal top ten</span></span><br /><br />Business people love my presentation coaching. I'm an actor and stand-up comedian, so they find my approach refreshing as well as highly effective. Here, in a nutshell, is what I teach them:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-size:180%;" >10</span> Close the laptop</span><br />Do not plan your presentation by opening PowerPoint and typing your first bullet! Instead, spend time thinking about your audience. Who are they? What do they want? What do they already believe?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-size:180%;" >9</span> Throw out your material</span><br />It’s a huge mistake to start by collecting material. Don’t ask yourself what you have, ask yourself what your audience will need. Avoid facts and figures - choose powerful images, human stories and genuine emotion instead. These “soft” options are proven to be more effective than any hard numbers. And cut <span style="font-style: italic;">every</span> word that is not truly useful to your audience.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-size:180%;" >8</span> Take what’s left and cut it in half</span><br />Yes, in half, at least. You should never speak more than five minutes - three is better - unless the people are coming just to hear you speak or you are a paid professional speaker. (And if you think your presentation is “just five minutes”, it is probably about 12. Time it, you’ll see. ) Finish <span style="font-style: italic;">early</span> - they will love you.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-size:180%;" >7</span> Don’t start at the beginning</span><br />Comedians, rock musicians and James Bond start their shows with a huge bang, and finish with a bigger one. In between, they present a sequence of highlights, getting more impressive all the time. This “<a href="http://workplayexperience.blogspot.com/2006/12/boom-wow-wow-wow-boom.html">Boom!-wow-wow-wow-BOOM!!</a>” sequence is ideal for your presentation (and for any service process). So start with a really strong point - your second best one - then drop down and build up towards your very best “BOOM!” point at the end. Take questions at the bar.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-size:180%;" >6</span> Burn the beamer</span><br />Look, people’s eyes are attracted to light - it’s why we stare at the fire, the telly, the ocean - so if you use PowerPoint you are distracting from the real presentation - <a href="http://workplayexperience.blogspot.com/2007/01/look-at-meeeeee.html">which is not your ruddy slides, it is you</a>. Ask yourself: would Martin Luther King or JFK have benefited from bullet points?<span style="font-size:78%;"> (Er.. no pun intended. Well spotted, <a href="http://www.englishballet.de/">Ms Pollard!</a>)</span><br />(If you have a huge room, you might need a beamer. But use it to project live video of yourself, or for powerful images. Avoid wordy slides and lists - if your slide has more than seven words on it, you are in big trouble. And switch it off as often as you can. Hey, try the “B” key!)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-size:180%;" >5</span> Set yourself on fire</span><br />This is incredibly important - we look at light, so the brightest object in the room must be you. Get a spotlight on you, and get every other light in the room dimmed or switched off - including the beamer. <span style="font-style: italic;">Insist on this.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-size:180%;" >4</span> Don’t read</span><br />Never, ever, ever read your presentation. It sounds unnatural, and people need to see your eyes to trust you. Keyword cards are ok, but you won’t need to look at them because you have rehearsed so well. You were planning to rehearse (with a test audience) weren’t you? <a href="http://tobytripp.github.com/meeting-ticker/">How much</a> is the time of all the people in the audience worth?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-size:180%;" >-13</span> Do something crazy</span><br />Do something to surprise your audience. Give them a reason to remember you. For example - don’t hand out business cards, but <a href="http://powrightbetweentheeyes.typepad.com/">print your number on bundles of €5 notes</a> and throw them at the audience.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-size:180%;" >2</span> Get carried away</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">This is the big one. I don’t care how you slouch, how you stutter, how badly you dress and how much you fidget with your hands - </span><a style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;" href="http://workplayexperience.blogspot.com/2009/06/never-give-in.html">if you truly, utterly believe what you say, you will convince people</a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">. Be yourself and let your passion show. (And if you don’t feel passionate about what you are presenting, please <span style="font-style: italic;">go home and stop wasting our time</span>.)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-size:180%;" >1</span> Cancel the presentation</span><br />Presentations are there to <span style="font-style: italic;">persuade</span> - not inform. Use them to move emotions, and sway decisions. If you just want to <span style="font-style: italic;">inform</span>, then e-mails, articles, web based training, workshops or personal discussions are proven to be better. Too many presentations are information orgies. <span style="font-weight: bold;">So cancel them, and do some work instead.</span><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Magic lantern shot from <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/79874673@N00/150101764/">Magic Lantern Show</a> at flickr.<br />Article previously published in German in the <a href="http://www.franken-power.com/">FrankenPower</a> magazine.<br /></span></div><br /><br />Book your own presentation coaching <a href="http://thebusinesscomedian.com/Contact.html">here</a>.<br />You should follow me on Twitter <a href="http://twitter.com/adamstjohn">here</a>.Adam StJohn Lawrence.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01749137249223798984noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6940132698914304001.post-43605055949697401122009-06-30T12:37:00.007+01:002009-07-26T12:07:01.071+01:00Using elevators to impress<span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Giving captive audiences a lift...</span><br /><br />Elevators (or "lifts", if you're a BritSpeaker like me) are massively underused resources. Even in these days of fitness awareness, if your building has a people-lifter it will see a lot of use. And people in elevators are a <span style="font-style: italic;">captive audience</span>.<br /><br />So why not show how cool you are by entertaining them, like in this wonderful elevator artwork by Marcello Brambilla for the Standard Hotel in New York?<br /><br /><object width="400" height="230"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=5082155&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1"><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=5082155&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="230"></embed><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Remember, it's a fine line between entertainment and invasive advertising. Crucially, your audience here is a captive one - so you don't need to </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">grab</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> their attention. </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Coax</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> their interest instead, and take it slow - like Marcello Brambilla does here. Don't push product features </span></object><span style="font-weight: bold;"> - tell a <span style="font-style: italic;">story</span>. </span><object width="400" height="230"><span style="font-weight: bold;"> (It could be one featuring your product or service, but <span style="font-style: italic;">only</span> use it if it's worth telling in itself.) Or just choose something that reflects who you are, or reveals something about your people. </span><br /><br />And it needn't be a professional video installation either. What about just making your elevator the official company art gallery, with a different "artist" in charge each month? Your people will surprise you if you let them, I promise.<br /><br />My <a href="http://www.show-me-wow.com/">mother</a>, a teacher, always says "walls have to work". That's even more true when it's walls that people like to stare at. Who knows, you might even get them <span style="font-style: italic;">talking</span>...<br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Video via <a href="http://www.boingboing.net/2009/06/19/video-civilization.html">BoingBoing</a> and from <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br /></span></div><br /><br /></object>Adam StJohn Lawrence.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01749137249223798984noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6940132698914304001.post-55847779690882958322009-06-10T15:55:00.008+01:002009-06-11T01:49:52.037+01:00Change the scenery and boost innovation<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6PHLfE2B3r61NFuWqhr7Ju3wXqtw5mMv__2AG8OincEw-k2XVAWvvGdNEtW67Nec-7WYwdakM4QlOxKLYFRYNCEUGG1Cf2sqS-7TjmJG8_zCTb_wZr7yz0w2rF_lb9gfrz2aTs7Ex7A/s1600-h/08-06-09_1608.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6PHLfE2B3r61NFuWqhr7Ju3wXqtw5mMv__2AG8OincEw-k2XVAWvvGdNEtW67Nec-7WYwdakM4QlOxKLYFRYNCEUGG1Cf2sqS-7TjmJG8_zCTb_wZr7yz0w2rF_lb9gfrz2aTs7Ex7A/s200/08-06-09_1608.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345716766831941010" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Move the meeting to the Holodeck...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Want a cheap and easy way to boost the effectivity of your creative sessions (and in fact any meeting)? Just change the scenery.</span><br /><br />My collegue Markus and I felt like a change for our brainstorming session this week, so we headed across the street and into the park where the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F%C3%BCrth">local town</a> have provided this brilliant performance/meditation/party/picnic/<span style="font-style: italic;">being</span> space.<br /><br />A pen, a pad of Post-its, and our <span style="font-weight: bold;">meeting room</span> was ready. There were <span style="font-weight: bold;">no chairs</span>, so we kept thinking on our feet. We weren't alone - but <span style="font-weight: bold;">chatting to other space-users</span> kept the mood light and the ideas flowing fast. In the end, our latest plans for world domination benefited from the presence of a couple of bikers, a theology student, two old ladies, and a dog.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvWy1_tPjHdRus3tKaCCzia8Mxz5CNvwKzszcoFR7djQMgR_zYBV-KtyVTtt4QEpw_XCuXAVAzZjX318Kg4DnskcJRa0Sl2nI7jivb7GZSq6QRv2S2L8VNYo_SqlOEaCTdqlOE0MVYEg/s1600-h/08-06-09_1646.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvWy1_tPjHdRus3tKaCCzia8Mxz5CNvwKzszcoFR7djQMgR_zYBV-KtyVTtt4QEpw_XCuXAVAzZjX318Kg4DnskcJRa0Sl2nI7jivb7GZSq6QRv2S2L8VNYo_SqlOEaCTdqlOE0MVYEg/s200/08-06-09_1646.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345717912133536210" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Changing your physical surroundings is once of the best ways to</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> increase the output of creative sessions. So take your crew <span style="font-style: italic;">out</span> of that dang meeting room and hit the cafés, museums, parks and rooftops. You'll see the benefits fast, I promise.<br /><br />And perhaps your people might even <span style="font-style: italic;">look forward</span> to the <span style="font-style: italic;">next</span> meeting...</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Pics by Adam's ancient Motorola phone</span><br /></div>Adam StJohn Lawrence.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01749137249223798984noreply@blogger.com10