Effective collaboration brings great joy. How the heck does it happen? In Part 2 of their two-episode conversation, Lisa, Ted, and Stanford colleagues Matt Abrahams and Adam Tobin (of the “Improvisationally Speaking” course) dive into what makes for joyful collaboration. Matt and Adam talk about what works well for them (1:24) before Adam playfully reveals [more…]
Monster Baby #81 Improvisationally Speaking (Part 1 of a Conversation with Matt Abrahams and Adam Tobin)
Speaking on the spot can be tough. And you can get better at it! In the first part of a two-episode conversation with Stanford colleagues Matt Abrahams and Adam Tobin, Lisa and Ted dive into the details of “Improvisationally Speaking.” We get to meet Matt and Adam (2:32) and then hear Matt’s stress-filled public speaking [more…]
Who Goes First on Zoom? Some Playful Tips for Facilitators, Trainers and Teachers
One of my favorite parts of teaching is getting students into dyads for in-depth interaction. Who doesn’t love a good pair share? That said, moving that classroom element into Zoom rooms—or any other online setting—puts a wrench in the works. This post will offer a few tips for how to deal with such wrench-tossing. It’ll [more…]
Monster Baby #67 Under a Mango Tree: A Conversation with Thiagi
“You don’t solve problems in life. You keep reconciling paradoxes.” –Thiagi Every now and then—if you’re lucky—you get to spend time “under a mango tree” in the presence of a true master. For Monster Baby Episode #67, Lisa and Ted had such a treat: chatting with experiential learning guru Sivasailam “Thiagi” Thiagaragan. Following few moments [more…]
Monster Baby #62 The Uniqueness Paradox
You are truly special. As is everyone else. Once more, the Monster Baby Podcast shows its affinity for paradox, this time diving into the topic of uniqueness. Ted and Lisa open with a check-in: Ted’s got lottery tickets for Hamilton and the pair struggles for Greek mythological references to describe their state of being (2:26) [more…]
Monster Baby #54 Life Unscripted: A Conversation with Dan O’Connor, Part 2
Improvisation takes care of all of who we are. In this episode, Lisa and Ted continue their two-part conversation with longtime improv stalwart and new author, Dan O’Connor. (If you haven’t heard Part 1, you might want to start there.) Dan discusses two of the “stickiest” concepts from Life Unscripted (1:09) and the trio discusses [more…]
Monster Baby #53 Life Unscripted: A Conversation with Dan O’Connor, Part 1
How do we break free from the stale scripts we’ve been living by? Lisa and Ted have a two-part conversation with longtime improv stalwart and new author, Dan O’Connor, to find out. Ted and Lisa welcome Dan by showing him a fresh version of his hot-off-the-presses book, Life Unscripted (1:57) and learn how he got [more…]
Monster Baby #44 What’s Your Status?
Ted and Lisa are working the levers of status: who’s got it, how it’s communicated, how we get good at playing with it—and more. On this, the Monster Baby Podcast’s 2nd birthday, our intrepid pair starts by giving away a scholarship slot for their upcoming Mindful Play, Playful Mind retreat (1:43) and then by getting [more…]
Facilitating Like a Boss: 10 Playful Tips for Mixing Groups, Smoothing Transitions, Choosing Partners, and Breaking Patterns
Teachers, trainers, facilitators. Heck–parents, babysitters, and camp counselors. We all know that skillful transitions can make a huge difference in the quality of the experience we’re trying to lead. If we can shift groups, find partners, change places and forge multiple connections in ways that are both playfully spacious and effectively efficient, we’re halfway home [more…]
Backstage at Hamilton!
I originally wrote this post on Facebook just to update my friends but later realized it might make a Ham-ful follow-up to my earlier blog entry about How I Fell in Love With Hamilton. I’m still in awe at the exquisite teamwork that goes into a production like this–and it was a treat to get to [more…]
