The peak-end rule says: people remember the experience at its peak and at its end. Wonderful when you can apply that to your presentation or keynote. Making sure the audience remembers your message or … you 🤓.

Here are 10 steps I used: 
1. Empathise carefully what your client wants and does not want
2. Allow a story(-line) to contain your message like a TedTalk
3. Use metaphors to carry your core message
4. Hand-draw these metaphors instead of choosing icons
5. Use the metaphors as slides instead of powerpoint
6. Merge story and metaphors 
7. Ask the audience for thoughts and follow-up questions
8. After a chapter in your story, test the audience with 3 questions (yes/no answers)
9. Activate the audience by instructing them to use their camera
10. Instruct the audience to throw their ideas on stage

“Once upon a time, this new type of people emerged. They called themselves: Discoverists. They are normal people like you and me. Most of the time you will meet them at #asr. They stand out by their curiosity and open-mind-attitude.

They love co-creating. They can do it anywhere, anytime and with anyone. Here you see them collaborating with the host of the Design Thinking Symposium: Saskia Faber-Bijland. After brainstorming and doodling on post-its, they chose the best combo of idea and doodle. 📸 Click! Picture sent to Saskia. But what to do with the rest of the post-its …?!

Just this.“

(Posted in April 2024 on Linkedin)

5 Insights to learn from Mama-kangaroo: How to keep a learning space safe? Interesting for you, íf you are a professional trainer, facilitator or changemaker 📣

1. eat well 🥗 so you have energy to keep your pouch warm and cosy
2. when threats emerge from the outside, push everyone and everything inside
3. push firmly 💪🏼: allow no doubts who is in charge
4. when ideas of thoughts diverge, let participants find an agreement themselves 💃🏼🕺🏿
5. when it is the time to go, tell the participants to clear the mess 🧹, usher them away and keep the pouch closed 🔒

Tell me, what insight did I miss?

(Posted February 2024 on LinkedIn)

Having friends who come to visit, is great. Sitting down, sip a tea, crack a 'stroopwafel' 🍪 is a small gift. Makes me grow 🤭

Listening and learning about physicality from Colin Skelton is one of my favourite things to do, when he is around. It helps me to reflect how to show up and lead people in creative processes. 

🤓 What did you recently learn from friends? Or what did you recently show friends and help them? I wonder. 

Enjoy the conversation with Colin. 🍵 Listen on Soundcloud. 

The Day-After SrumDayEurope2023. Reflecting and feeling very satisfied as a keynote speaker, conveying insights in the comparison of design thinking and agile. Using the story of the Princess and the Prince made it easy and quick to immerse learners in critical thinking about application. You know, it was an interactive, high paced workshop in WWJ-style. Because speaking is too dull for me 😋

But being a keynote-speaker also means manoeuvring oneself in the position of learner imho. I learnt about the 4H’s - Heart, Hunger, Honour, Humility. They were chosen to be the fundamental values to create Grab. And that lead to meaningful actions in the operations. "Writing down values is not the same as REALITY." 

But this does: Paying a waiting fee to the driver, if she has to wait for the passenger because the passenger is late. Or the other way around: pay a fee to the passenger, because the driver is late for any reason. Micro-actions matter in operations. And certainly matter to a valued driver, who can make his day (and economic situation) better. Every day. Makes you think, eh? 

If you are interested in ScrumDayEurope, read the post on LinkedIn here. 

Why not? I listened to myself again today. Would I remember the words, the messages and the persons I talked about 6 years ago?

A very big YES! 

Not only I remember every bridge and connection between the thoughts, I also feel recharged. Wow! I still stand with every word I said. 

I found the very heart of play.

Extremely grateful for the last 6 years of failing forward and having kept that 'very heart of play', safe. Having opened that for business. Whaahah! I mean, open for others to join, work and learn together.

Play at heart expresses itself in many, many ways. In words, in actions, in thought or in behaviour. I hope I may continu to show how to allow that playful heart to re-enter in life and work. Let's say for an other 6 years. 

Still. Stop dying, start playing. 

Een trainer is ook maar een student. Die af en toe iets nieuws leert. 

Daarom volg ik vanaf september een teken traning bij Dario Paniagua. Zijn slogan: 

'Kappen met die losse iconen. Maak tekeningen, die mensen doen stilstaan. En nadenken."

Dat wilde ik wel. Zo gezegd, zo gedaan. 

Mensen rennen rond als een kip zonder kop (een tekening waard!!). Je moet ze dus iets voorschotelen dat hun aandacht 'hijackt'. Onmiddellijk. 

Eén techniek is: maak je object menselijk. Ik heb hier van hersenen een verleidelijke dame gemaakt. Haar aangekleed in een jurk met ruches. De begeleidende zin was: 

Jouw groei mindset wil met jou kennismaken. 

De gehele post lees je hier op LinkedIn. En nu maar hopen dat mensen inderdaad even stoppen met scrollen, luisteren en zich inschrijven voor deze speciale training 🤭

さようなら Sayonara. Adieu. 再见 ZaiJian 😢 How to say goodby. Sneaking away is easier. Let go. Drop it. Just 1 second. Why all the efforts to design an ending? That would be a waste of time. But not for Wednesday Web Jam 🎊🎉💃🕺😂

Together with the Crew-Founders it has been a real blast to prep all the shows, perform. And deliver knowledge while exchanging experiences. Not only by ourselves. But with so many speakers! ❤️ 

Our villagers came from all over the world. Some stayed up late to watch and participate (Japan) and some got up early (San Francisco). Feeling that somebody is going the extra mile for our work, energy and wits is awesome!

I enjoyed a hilarious, interactive, playful LAST jam. May you get inspiration and ideas how to shut down, close, finish a process 🏁

Rewatch here on Youtube. Have your tissues ready!
 

A pile of cupnoodles. You can find it in Future Skills Academy in Haarlem, The Netherlands. A safe place, where you can unlearn. Where you can throw off all the knowledge and skills, that do not work for you anymore. Feels good? All that empty space? I hope so. 

Now what? Either learn future skills to prepare for the next future. Or ... eat cupnoodles 🥢🤭 Hihihi!

Let me explain to you. Having items and object that look and feel familiar to you, make you feel comfortable. Remember comfort food? Being somebody with strong roots in China, I sometimes miss Chinese/Asian objects that help me to feel at ease. (Do not worry, many different other objects make me feel at ease 😜) So building an academy in this space, I thought: let's bring something that can fill this gap. 

Let's do cupnoodles! 🥢

And not only cupnoodles and chopsticks .... also the story of the inventor of cupnoodles: Momofuku Ando. 

As a true inventor he did not give up. But kept looking for better ways to make it as easy as possible to have your noodles. This journey was long, but very fruitful (noodle full) at the end. Ando's last wish was to design and produce instant noodles for astronauts. He did succeed. 

Many remarkable moments add up to lessons in creativity. You can read in the Cupnoodles Museum.

Next time that you c slurp your cupnoodles, I hope you remember Momofuku Ando. And his famous synthesis: Human beings are noodle beings. May he inspire you during your creative journey 🥢

A Jam also celebrates its birthday. Why not? 🤭 Villagers are coming back to the WWJ Village. Get ready and enjoy the festivity. 

Rewatch this episode. Bring your own cake and drinks!

a song composed by dear friend Colin Skelton. For many times he was the Troubadour of the Wednesday WebJam Village. Listening to this personal song, moves my heart. Again.