 Hello everybody, this is Life Hansen from Spark Interaction and we have Paul Jackson and Andy Rich today. We have a smaller group today. I had forgot to press record on the last activity we did. But the activity, the focus of the day-to-day is about how to create meaningful connection, particularly as we are today on a focus on doing applied improv online. What kind of games can you do when you're in an online space that create meaningful connection? So the first one was a very simple one, kind of something you would do in a warm-up, sort of a icebreaker connector type activity. And it's a substitute for the typical how are you doing type question. And the question is what's it like being you right now? And the coaching that you'd want to offer people is to emphasize their senses, their sensations, their feelings, and maybe thoughts that are coming, but a short version of it. As improvisation is about becoming in the moment, we're not wanting people to check in with like, oh, this just happened or I'm thinking about the future, but really what's it like being you right now? And so when we did that, for example, I was sharing some of the things that I was seeing in my environment. I was sharing some of my feelings that I was feeling joy about connecting with some of my peers and friends. I was connecting about some of the sensations going on in my body, some tenseness in my belly, things like that. And we found, I liked how Paul reflected that there was a strange thing with the online aspect, that you start to sort of feel connected to your world, the other person's world, but also sort of this strange flat, I call it flatland, you know, you're sort of in the flatland world and looking at yourself and everybody else and it's kind of an interesting, it's an interesting thing. So that's what we're going to talk about now is sort of what some of our experiences were from doing that. If one of you wants to start, how was that for creating meaningful connection? How was that activity for you? Shall I go? It seems to me to be a really good example of an online activity that stands a good prospect of creating meaningful connection. I felt connected meaningfully with both of you. So in that test it works in a way that a lot of application of improvisation activities online really don't work for me. They seem like very poor second rate substitutes for what they're like in a room. This one, because of those extra dimensions that you mentioned, has a lot of texture to it and still allows for the meaningfulness of a conversation without anything artificially gimmicky getting in the way. Yeah. Was acknowledging that the technology is there and is part of the experience. Nice, thanks. How about you, Andy? I found it again interesting just because you were asking a question that was much more different than we normally would. The typical how are you doing leads into a lot of extrinsic things in terms of projects you're working on and things like that. So in this activity, A, it really forces you to quiet down and really take a moment to notice what's happening within yourself and your surroundings and start thinking about the impact there. It was good having somebody else in this case yourself doing it first because you set an example. Because I think if I just starting out, you're going to kind of be swayed. And then the feedback he gave me to actually stop myself and take a moment to notice my surroundings was helpful. Just a reminder to breathe was very, very helpful. I think that was pretty interesting. So I like that. I think I'm going to try that in our next meetings that we do. As I was thinking of what could possibly also be done. Maybe, again, maybe not an issue. If I'm looking into your room, perhaps there and something connects me to it. For example, I'm looking to my left, your right. I see that hat on the mannequin. Perhaps part of this might be to ask a simple question. That hat draws me to make me thinking, when do you wear that hat? And then that would then cause you maybe to share something else that will then draw further connection. It might be another thing that we could also do as I'm thinking. But I'm surprised by the activity. As you sit here and you start listening to the request, like, oh, this is going to be very touchy-feely. And then as you really allow that to break away and become part of the experience, you start to really see that, you know what? It really breaks down some barriers. And from now, from here, I can tell we can get into more details and discussion as to whatever else that we're doing. Love it. I love that idea. Matter of fact, I maybe even would suggest at some point we try and play with something around noticing what's in the other people's boxes, because that's the material you have to work with in an online space. I love it. We'll come back to that. One piece I'll add, I feel the same as you guys about the activity. I think a really hot topic right now, thanks, Renee Brown, and others is vulnerability and the connection that vulnerability creates. And so when I made a couple of vulnerable choices to share some of my feelings, you know, and I think if we encourage each other in the what's it like to be you right now and remind each other. Like you said, Andy kind of model this at first to actually go into that emotional space, you know, like, you know, I'm feeling some shame about this or I'm feeling a little insecure because I don't know people or whatever the feeling might be. I think that's a really beautiful way to create meaningful connection also. And it does it I experienced that as you guys shared some of, you know, your feelings as well. Hey, I'm glad that one worked. How about. Well, do we want to play with the thing that Andy just said and try and sort of almost maybe create a game out of that it could just be something like I. How about I have an idea unless one of you guys are already ready to go. Okay. So mine would be the prompt. I'm curious about. Or it could be I notice and I'm curious about now you don't actually ask the question yet you don't go into a conversation, but you just say you just kind of brainstorm and in a popcorn style. That's that prompt. So I might say I noticed a young lady in your room, Paul, leaving. And I'm curious, I'm curious who she was. Now you don't answer it. We just kind of keep. Suggestion for the world. By the way, by the way, that was his secretary. So you think. Oh, gosh, okay. So let's try that for a little while. I notice. And it's and I'm loving this game. And just popcorn. I notice and I'm curious without responding. I notice there are tons of books in your background, Paul, and I'm curious how many you've actually read. Yeah. Just popcorn also now that as I got a good look at Paul's area, I also noticed I saw the book as well and then I saw the file system on the back of his door. And I see a lot of information there and I'm curious as to how he keeps all that information organized. Explain the secretary. I notice a stroke. Oh, it went out of view. Keep it there. I notice some sort of creature on your something on your couch, Andy, that looks like us to me like a stuffed owl. And I'm curious what it is. I might have similarly stuffed objects on your wardrobe or cupboard that is just in the corner of the screen now because you adjusted the angles. That's harder to make out what they are. I'm curious as to what they were. I notice a sentence that I probably could read where it not for the placing your head that says meet me at above the window. I'm curious the rest of the sentence. Yes. Same here. I'm noticing again the hat and the series of hats now that I'm looking further and I'm wondering is that part of a collection and do you actually wear those hats. I'm noticing a bottle of what I imagine is olive oil. I'm curious about the quality of your cooking. I notice a circular thing. Oh, it might be a clock, a clock or a drum behind Paul's. At the top, I think it is a clock. Yes, now it's moving. And I'm curious to the time in London. There's a circular thing on Andy's wall that doesn't seem to be a clock. I'm curious as to what that might be. It's reminding me of a wreath. Yes. Yes, yes. It's causing me to have to wow how much influence my wife has in decorating our clothes. As I get back and I again really drawn into all of the books in Paul's room, I'm curious to how many of those are nonfiction and business related and how many of those are more for just indulgent joy. Yes, I'm curious about that too. I noticed the closed drawers behind Paul on the cabinet and I'm curious how many dead bodies are in there. So I like this, Nathan. I like this too. I think there could be a limit to the number of observations and that there should be a round of responses. Yeah. Let's do it. Permission for a round of responses anyway. Yeah, how about in timing these things would be would be really good obviously I think because we know we only have three there's sort of a feeling of a lot more ease around the timing so we'll just keep it going for now but let's say I've got a question or a suggestion I suppose so perhaps maybe even a next step with this would be as I sit and I look to the clock on Paul's wall and I'm curious about it. Would it make sense for me now to say to talk about something that connects connects me to it as to what was it that that made me look at it so now I'm seeing the wall I do the clock on the cabinet there. And now that's making me think wow we've been talking for quite a while this has been pretty an intriguing conversation. And maybe then the next step is I can even then pull something from my home that maybe kind of relates to it and for example I'm now we grabbing my cup of soda. And I'm realizing that I just almost all gone I don't you know what I mean just as another way to bring about and make these connections. I love it. And particularly with the theme of meaningful connection is really does then I mean there's a connection because you're saying it connects to me and makes me curious, but I love the yes ending of like. Yeah, let's let's let's try a little bit of that like we can new ones or the ones we've already said. Let's do the I was just doing the response round first. Well that's on people's minds. And then it allows the sub conscious to work and come up with the what's the connection that we're prompted by all that we know feel that we've established. Okay. Certainly. So here up some. You better. That was my assistant Emily who walked across and left the room. I think a better question than how many of these books have I read would be how many of these books have I written. They're in this room. They're all nonfiction. This being the office. So a lot of business books and books about arts stories, leadership and all that kind of thing. There's fiction downstairs. You're not going to answer how many you've written. Most of this is fiction as well. Six. Nice. Written. Written or co-written. Yeah. And it's a clock. Those are my responses. No dead bodies. What isn't what is in the cabinet. This one. Stationary. Uh huh. I do think I saw a couple of body parts though, but. I will say that the hats. So to our hats, one is a helmet. So one's a scooter helmet that I occasionally wear on my scooter. And yes, I do very occasionally wear the other couple hats, particularly. If I'm in an environment where there's going to be many people like Paul who will be making comments about my hair. Anywhere in the world. Well, I do. There wasn't, there was a training that I did in the Midwest where I was like, oh crap. This is not going to be a good idea to have some purple hair going. So I went and bought a hat. And it was one of those ones. Let's see the question about the oil. It is olive oil. It's a Rio Hanna extra virgin olive oil. So pretty good oil, but I'm not a great cook because I'm living on my own for the first time in my 49 years for the last two months. So I'm learning that. Well, that was totally presumptuous because I could have been cooking at home, but my ex was the primary cook. I don't know if I got other questions in my area. Did I? Those are the two main ones. Yeah, it's a satisfying questions. It's to allow you to respond whatever you were hearing in that. Got it. It's how I would conceptualize this round in this wonderful new game that Andy has proposed. So I guess the big questions for me was what was on the back wall to meet me at the guarding gate. This is my wife. Again, this is I'm in outside of the sclerium. It's just a room with a lot of bright light. Normally I'm working in my basement, but I find what I'm doing anything video wise down there. It's very, very dark. So this is the room where I have some influence, but not a lot. So it's really more about my wife line position. It's very, very garden themed in here. The stuffed owl is actually my dog, Blanket. She just recently before the call, I don't know if you can see her there, but she moved to her sunspot. But before she was lying on that, whenever I leave in the morning or my wife leaves and she sleeps on the top of that couch like a cat, my wife always covers her up with the blanket because she feels that you prefer it. And then usually 15 minutes later, my dog gets out of it. That's kind of what was happening there on that end of it. I think those are the main questions that were asked. I have a logistical question. So if you're doing this in a meeting, I mean, so this does take, it is a time commitment. So if you have a meeting of let's say five to seven people on the phone, would you use a timer and keep, because then all of a sudden you're, if you have the pressure of a timer that may take away some of the authenticity of the activity. I'm sure what would be your thoughts in there to be able to work in a little efficiently, but still getting this accomplished. So what I would recommend doing and the tricky part is the order because because we all see a different order of faces on our screen, but this is what how I would probably do it if I were to try it again is it would be simple observations. And it would, but it would go, let's say you did have a circle, it would just, it would go actually each person would take a turn. And, but otherwise, since you don't know what order to go in, the understanding would be sort of a popcorn style, but basically like each person go once. When it, what I'm liking what I would how I would try this next time is the phrase would be. I'm noticing blank. And I'm curious about blank. And it reminds me of blank from my life. And then, and then when it comes to the round that we just did, I would use a timer, I would say each person now has one minute or two minutes to say whatever you want in response to the questions that you got about your space. So that's how I do it. Well, I will let you know, because I'm going to, I'm going to have a, I have a web meeting next week, and I'm going to, I'm going to small group, small group. It'll be five people. I will, I'll try. I'll let you know how it goes where we got stuck and what went awesome. Great game. Thank you. Yeah. Thank you. Thank you, Steve and Andy and me for developing that as an example of co-creating a new activity. Yes. I think that we need to give Andy the honor of giving it a name. Oh, okay. What's that behind you? What's that behind you? Excellent. Congratulations, guys. We created what's that behind you? Yeah. Yeah. I've made notes of the whole of that, which. Thank you. We'll arrive as the Zoom chat for AIM. And could be in some way, give them to aim me to accompany the video that goes on to YouTube. Yes, I will do that. And I'll also repost the video in the notes in the group. Paul, do you have per chance a final activity that you would like to try out? Or I think you maybe said just to describe, if you have one, we could try that be great. But if you have one, you'd just like to describe that's a meaningful connection when that's fine too. Yeah, I'm only going to describe it because. Well, I need to leave the call in a couple of minutes. And so you may well already have done it. But I think it's in the same category of connecting people and that it can also work online without loss of its characteristics and qualities that it has offline, which is the story of your name. Which produced over an hour of really interesting discussions in a group of six participants in a storytelling workshop that I ran yesterday. Most people didn't know that did not know that activity beforehand and were not familiar with improvisation and invite people to share the story of their name. It's possible to do that. So the choices people make are indicative of how much or how little they want to reveal of what they think is significant. And in the storytelling workshop, which that one was, it's a story everyone can tell. Everyone has some story of their name and it starts showing whatever you want about structuring stories. So I did a part two later in the day of coming back to it and letting people use some structuring ideas to rethink the story of their name and pick maybe three beats of how it developed over time or how their emotions changed or something of that sort. That was simple and effective. Excellent. Thank you. Yeah, I think that's a very simple one and I like you said it's great because everybody has a name. You know, it's a great one for me right now because I, as I think at least Paul knows you know I've changed the pronunciation of my name back to the actual Danish pronunciation from leaf to life I'm fine when people call me leaf. I think of myself as both names but it provides that opportunity for me to kind of, you know, tell some of that and it definitely has a story beyond just the Danish pronunciation so cool. Excellent so Paul you were just saying you need to get going I think we got a really nice good, you know, three activities today. Is there any final comments anyone wants to check out with. I really appreciate the invite to doing this. Again, it meant my curiosity I'm hoping to do more more with you guys. And again, I really appreciate the invite. Excellent. You're welcome and I appreciate you joining and looking forward to the next one too. Good to me and great to see you again. Take care Paul, take care of life. All right. See you guys receive care. Bye bye.