Up Makerspace Workshop Recap
After I trained in the LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® method, I was encouraged by my trainer, Kristen to “DSS” or “Do Something Soon.” The idea being that the sooner I practice facilitating a workshop using the LEGO SERIOUS PLAY method, the better I would retain what I learned during the four-day training workshop. And, DSS I did. I immediately scheduled a workshop at my go-to makerspace (Up Makerspace), and invited members to participate in a free, two-hour workshop.
For my first workshop, I’d say it went about as well as I could have hoped. I invited my friend and colleague, Christian Kilpatrick of Brick Six Creative to join me as a co-facilitator. There were a total of eight attendees, of which half were kids, and half were adults.
What went well
First of all, everyone had fun, and for a workshop with kids that in and of itself is a huge success. Even the youngest participants gave it their full attention, and were more than happy to take part in the sharing rounds. Second, everyone got excited about the LEGO SERIOUS PLAY method, and I got great feedback about why it is important to make things (fitting for a makerspace). Third, I got great experience, and learned some important things to do when planning a workshop, and some things to avoid.
What could have been better
The biggest flaw in the workshop plan was that it was not intended for kids, and some of the younger participants had a hard time. A couple of the questions didn’t make sense to the younger participants, and the building-from-instructions portion of the skill building was harder going than I anticipated — it took more hands-on support than I had planned for.
What I learned
Overall, we had a great time, and we all learned from the experience. If I had to do it again, I would probably do something just for kids, and something else just for adults. I would also build a little bit more flexibility into my questions, so that I could simplify the questions if need be.