Speelhistorie
‘Speelhistorie’, daar gaat de TED-talk van Wiro Kuipers over. De inspiratie daarvoor stamt indirect uit het boek ‘Play’ van Stuart Brown. Brown vraagt de mensen die bij hem te rade komen zich momenten voor de geest te halen waarop ze zich maximaal in spel voelden ondergedompeld – en moedigt ze aan dat soort momenten op te zoeken. Het omarmen van je speelhistorie om er je huidige leven en werk mee in te richten gaat uit van diezelfde intentie.
“Hoewel het ruim vier jaar geleden is dat ik dit verhaal vertelde, grijp ik er nog regelmatig op terug. Niet alleen in gesprekken, maar ook in LEGO-sessies. Zo is één van mijn lievelingsopdrachten voor ‘skills building’ om deelnemers te laten bouwen aan (een onderdeel van) hun ‘speelhistorie’. Dat levert áltijd goede energie, mooie verhalen en glimmende oogjes op.”
Vlak voor COVID19 ons in zijn greep kreeg vond TEDxTwenteU plaats, een lokaal evenement naar het format van de bekende TED-conferentie. Wiro Kuipers besteeg het podium om in een krappe 12 minuten (in het Engels) de waarde van ‘speelhistorie’ uit de doeken te doen. Ben je benieuwd waar onze intentie ’to make work feel like play’ vandaan komt? Onderstaand filmpje biedt daarop het antwoord. En: het stelt je een vraag. Want: wat is jouw ‘speelhistorie’ eigenlijk? En benut je die wel goed genoeg in je huidige leven?
Heb je geen tijd om te kijken? De tekst van Wiro’s bijdrage kun je ook hieronder lezen. (Scroll door naar onder de video.)
Wow! Take a good look around you… Can you believe that this beautiful place hosted boxing competitions, during World War II? This theatre is more than a century old. And apart from boxing it has always been a house of play. Dancers, actors, singers and other artists: they all performed on this stage. This theatre truly has a rich history of play… And so do you!
No matter where you come from, how old you are or in what circumstances you grew up: you played. For fun, but also with a cause. Your play history shaped you to grow up to the responsible, social, intelligent, emotional creature you are today.
By playing I practiced to stand, walk and talk. I discovered how communication, imagination and collaboration work. And I learned to think in scenarios, to deal with emotions and and to understand the dynamics of a group. You certainly did so too.
Until… Well… Do you recall what was the moment you stopped playing?? I do.
Play seems to have lost its value since I am an adult. And only recently I discovered how to re-ignite my playful mindset. I also learned how play can help me as grown-up as well. And you know what? My play history is my guide now. The insight into how my play shaped me, helped to make my career choices and to make my work feel like play.
Do you know what that means: play? Play is a voluntary activity that it is fun and gives positive energy. Play is more about the experience itself than it is about results. Furthermore play has its limitations in time and in space. You can be in and out of play. Play is not per se a physical nor a social activity. It can be imaginative as well. Coming up with a poem is a playful activity – as is reading a book or watching a game of soccer. One last thing about play is that it is seemingly without purpose.
However, when I look at ‘play’ from an evolutionary perspective, I clearly see the value of it. Therefore, I just look at how my body developed. As a newborn I was pretty helpless. Do you realize humans have one of the longest periods of youth compared to other mammals? Apart from that, one striking fact is the enormous amount of energy in your body that is used for your brain to function. The purpose of that is the development of intelligence.
I believe it took me nearly 20 years to develop my brain ‘fully’ and prepare it to attend university. Apparently that time was needed, but what did I do in the meanwhile? Mostly: I was playing. I am sure you did as well. Not just to kill time, but to learn. The longer your youth, the longer you learn. And the more your brain developed. By playing you learned to think. And you trained certain skills: physical as well as socio-emotional. Like finding your place in a new class. Or learning how to deal with your teacher’s well-meant advice.
You practiced those skills by constantly adapting to changing circumstances. By experimenting, trial-and-error, taking risks and imagining how you might play. Like playing with a balloon, a pile of rocks or wearing your grandma’s wedding dress. Do you recognize this? We are all players… Although playing might seem useless and frivolous, it has always helped us.
When I think of my own play history, I see a boy who used to play alone or in small groups. Most of the time I was creating. Building nice models using LEGO, reading books and writing stories. I loved to make my own music shows on cassette tapes, or develop dance music. I also used to draw and make puzzles a lot.
I played outdoors as well: soccer, with friends from the block, at our club or om my own – imagining brilliant last-minute winners. And I loved to climb. Trees, usually, but I also climbed over the fence of a bear enclosure, during a school trip in a ZOO. That still must be a vivid memory for the teacher I had back then…
I already mentioned I stopped playing around my 18th. Well… play was definitely over when I entered my first job, at a local government. I easily adapted to the role I was given. I dressed up, worked according to standard procedures, towards goals that were set by the management. I received promotions, worked at several organizations and produced good results, together with hard-working colleagues. Still… I realized something was missing: the feeling ‘play’ gave me!
Until the moment I finished an executive MBA, at one of my last employers. I did my thesis on how I ‘managed’ a change in our organization. I worked from the bottom-up, appreciative and in a creative way. Now, that was something different! I was in my element again: unlocking imagination, solving seemingly difficult puzzles. Not behind my desk, but in a more creative space, a ‘playground’ you could say.
Soon after that, I started my own business as a creative consultant. I had a few cool assignments and was happy to win a ticket for a business conference in Berlin. There I met this German guy, who seemed to do the same stuff as I loved to do. With one difference… He used this method called LEGO SERIOUS PLAY. It felt like being struck by lightning: Playing! In the workplace! That is what I wanted to do! At that very moment I decided to become a SERIOUS PLAY facilitator and I spent my savings to be trained.
That was nearly ten years ago. Since then I have helped thousands of people to make complex and abstract issues in their work clear and specific. By playing they tap into their imagination, they are fully engaged, and they are open to different perspectives.
And I? I feel like my younger self again. Working on my own or in small groups, using my imagination for new ideas, creating my own little wonder-world. Just like the old days. And doing some new stuff as well: I started playing drums and began recording a podcast. I also became a crew member of a hot-air balloon team.
In the last ten years I have learned so much by just following my curiosity and trying out new things. Embracing and honoring my play history really helped me to find my place in the world. It even brought me to this stage! And it does not end here: my play history continues!
Did you ever realize it takes about 10.000 hours to master a certain skill? I made this calculation… If I would have only played for 4 hours a day during my youth, that means I must have played for at least 25.000 hours – that definitely is a serious amount of experience!
I am a true master of play now… Are you a master as well? Have you also played a few hours a day? Congratulations! I hope you recall a beautiful play history. A history that was not just fun, but that was valuable because it shaped you into the person you are today.
What if you could re-ignite your playful mindset too…? Your work – or study – could also feel more like play! You could have more fun and get more energy out of the things you do. That makes it easier to just get started doing something that needs to get done.
And if you come across challenges? Then you are ready to handle them! Your play history will show that you have coped with change a dozen of times before. By being curious, trying out, using your imagination and your capacity to role-play. Truly empathizing with an issue and the people involved. So you can address those issues with an open mind, in a positive mood, aware of yourself and others. Fully engaged and ready to try something new.
Do you want to be a wind of change? Then just ask yourself this question: “What is my play history?” and see how it has shaped you. Look at your superpowers, your ways to cope with change and your learning preference. Tap into your play history and use and expand it for your current life and for the future…
Are you ready? Then let’s start playing again… now!
