When we construct sessions for learners we should borrow ideas from a wide range of different creative industries. Harnessing the skills, tools and practices from a completely new field gives a group new perspectives and helps them make new connections between ideas. In this post I want to describe the process I have used… Read More Think, make and reflect like a board game designer
When we build worlds we populate them with characters, and give those characters challenges to allow stories to emerge. To create interesting stories, the world must fit the characters and the characters must fit the worlds. At the end of this post I will share an activity to help you design both. There are many… Read More Design for your heroes
I am fascinated by learning, by how we learn, by what might be going on inside my head and inside my mind, and how experimenting and making things might be at the root of all of these. I would call myself a constructivist educator. What is constructivism? This is a theory of learning that comes… Read More Learning through making has been a powerful force in my life
Here is a way to generate a new world that will get you started with world building: imagine that we start with a world just like our own and make a small change. It can be anything from a technological invention to a trend that sweeps across the globe. Write it down and then… Read More One small change can build a new world
I am still in the South West of France after Monday’s visit to Cognac and Hennessy’s Maison and today we went to Bordeaux’s flagship wine production museum Cité du Vin. It is interesting to compare the visitor experiences. Cité du Vin combines fantastic modern architecture with video, projection and interactive exhibits to present the whole… Read More A world of wine at Cité du Vin, Bordeaux
Yesterday I had the chance to visit Cognac and went to the Hennessy Maison next to the river in the heart of the town. Flagship stores and well designed factory tours are opportunities for brands to do world building and I took this tour with an explorers mindset and a critic’s eye. What did they… Read More How Hennessy builds a branded world for visitors in Cognac
I have spent the past week in Paris working for a client to support their digital transformation initiatives which are many and various. The client is a luxury brand and is well on its way in transforming what it does and how it does it. Our most recent project together has been exploring how data… Read More Taking a systems view of digital transformation
It’s nearly six months since I started to read, think and write about World Building and I’m increasingly getting questions about what it means for companies and brands. I’m not sure my ideas are fully formed yet but I want to suggest that there are two big areas: reimagining digital marketing and using future worlds… Read More How might brands use World Building to reach their customers?
Many worldbuilders are solo pioneers spending months or years crafting intricately detailed universes in which to weave narrative stories, use as the basis for table top or computer games or form the setting for a movie. My interest is in using the same techniques with groups and in a business or educational setting to help… Read More How to design and facilitate a world building session?
I’m a constructionist educator who believes we learn through making and reflecting on what we make. Traditional eduction and training often fall back on antiquated models of learning in which we expect people to remember what they have been told (with slides) and regurgitate it under test conditions. It is not just the traditional approach;… Read More Making things to bring your world to life