031 - Learnings from facilitating co-creation in the woods - with Meghan Preiss

In this episode, I talk to Meghan Preiss, a designer, researcher and corporate facilitator for RKS Design. Meghan works for corporate clients on service and product design and helps university students to use design thinking methods for finding their future career. She facilitates co-creation processes and supports groups in thinking outside the box.

Meghan was part of a project that invited participants for a co-creation workshop into the woods. In this show, she will share what she learned from this experience and also from the interaction between students, children and executive managers. 

As Meghan used to be a shy person, we start our conversation on what it takes to become a facilitator when you have a shy personality. The core of the episode is Meghan's experience of hosting workshops in the woods, bringing together professionals, college students and school kids for a co-creation experience. 

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Feeling inspired by the conversation in this episode? We can have our own - take a seat at my virtual table as part of a Mastermind Group.

Questions and Answers

[1:25] How did you get into co-creation and what fascinates you about it?

[3:43] How did you grow into public speaking given your shy personality?

[5:13] What would you advise a shy person who wants to become a facilitator?

[6:08] How do you deal with shy participants in your co-creation sessions?

[7:27] Would you give shy participants the opportunity to prefer beforehand? 

[8:12] If you had to summarise your vita into a hashtag - what would you be?

[9:47] What's the magic ingredient of a co-creation process?

[10:49] Would you invite students to workshops with clients? 

[14:56] What is the impact of low-tech set-up in nature on the co-creation process?

[17:41] What is it about the woods that makes co-creation easier than in a creative room?

[19:44] How would you bring the woods to the corporate world?

[23:42] What is your favourite exercise?

[25:42] How do you select the best ideas then?

[28:53] What is the main difference in the way teams of students compared to professionals select ideas? 

[31:49] Doesn't this awareness of budget constraints limit the creative thinking of groups?

[35:02] What can leaders learn from children in the co-creation process?

[36:40] Do you have a technique in mind to get rid of that fear of judgement?

[38:40] What makes a workshop work?

[41:41] Would you define roles to facilitate the co-creation session?

[45:00] Would you provide a group with guidelines on how to communicate?

[45:46] What would be the optimal group size?

[47:07] What would you like the listeners to remember from our conversation?

 

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Links to check

Podcast episode with Frans Scheepens 

Design