201 - Thinking with Things with Jules Gilleland

Things—found objects, ephemera from the discarded world, are everywhere. A marble, a spoon, a coil of string. They’re forgettable and ignorable and they’re the magic ingredient that makes Jules Gilleland’s workshops work. Jules developed Things as a problem-solving tool, informed by design thinking, to help people connect the dots and capture their problems in a physical form. It’s a context-neutral learning through play, a way to tap into ourselves when we can’t rely on language, and a means of overcoming the challenges that refuse to budge. Learn all about Things, Jules’ story, and how a bit more visual thinking can make your workshops work even better. Find out about: What Jules’ Things are and why they can be so magical in workshop settings How the four principles of Collect, Connect, Capture and Communicate appear in Thinking with Things Why participants behaving like children is not such a bad situation How to get out of your head and improve your hosting by focusing on engaged participants How to turn a disparate pile of found objects into a problem-solving powerhouse Why Jules prioritises a remarkable ending to her workshops Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. Links Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube. Think With Things website Connect to Jules: On LinkedIn On Instagram On Facebook Any thoughts? Share them with us! Support the show 👉 What happens when being “professional” gets in the way of being human? My new podcast Unprofessionalism explores the rules we’re taught to follow at work, and what happens when we break them. Listen here: https://unprofessionalism.buzzsprout.com/ 👈