Organizational Development Consultant and Leadership Coach

Seven Techniques to Boost Creativity and Teamwork: #2 New Glasses

March 25, 2014

“Some of my group’s participants seem resistant to change and insist on looking at problems in the same old ways. Is there a simple technique that can help them snap out of their old habits and perceptions?”

2. New Glasses

What Is New Glasses?

New Glasses is a simple technique to help your meeting participants look at the meeting agenda’s topics through new eyes and to support them in leaving their biases and old perspectives behind. It is an instantaneous energizer and also serves as a good technique for the tactile learner.

New Glasses involves literally asking each participant to put on a pair of silly glasses to help him or her look at a problem or issue through new eyes.

When to Use New Glasses

  •  When you know participants have preconceived ideas about topics on the agenda
  •  When you lead a strategic planning, reengineering, or any other type of meetingwhere changes will be made

How to Use New Glasses

Before the Meeting:

1. Buy each participant in your meeting group a pair of silly glasses.These can be purchased at a costume shop or children’s toy store. Buy several varieties and wrap them up as presents.

OPTION: Don’t wrap the glasses up; instead, place them at each seat as they are.

During the Meeting:

1. Hand out the presents to all participants.

OPTION A: Distribute the presents after your group agrees on the meeting ground rules especially if you have a ground rule for thinking with an open mind.

OPTION B: Distribute the presents at any point during the meeting when the group will be challenged to look at the world through new eyes.

2. At the appropriate time,ask the participants to open their presents and give them a try. Explain their purpose. Tell them that the glasses will allow them to look at the world through new eyes. Explain that if, at any time during the meeting, the participants feel they are falling into old ways of looking at the world, they should put their glasses on. Or if they think that any other person is falling into old habits and perspectives, they may ask that person to put on his or her glasses.

Summary

New Glasses is a simple technique to remind your meeting group that they need to look at the topics at hand through new eyes.

Before the Meeting:

Buy every participant a pair of silly glasses and wrap them up as presents.

During the Meeting:

  1. Hand out the presents.
  2. Ask all participants to open their presents and give their New Glasses a try. Explain that the glasses are designed to help them look at the world with new eyes. The New Glasses are worn when anyone feels that he or she or any other person in the group is falling into old ways of thinking.

————————

NOTE:  If you would like to receive e-mail notification when I post additional techniques, please sign up through this link.   http://eepurl.com/KILan  You may unsubscribe at any time.

Leave a Reply