Team Ziksana put our superhero capes and thinking caps on to take our beloved PlayTank to a new level this June. We partnered with Protector Brewery to bring a not-so-ordinary networking event to San Diego industry leaders, professionals, and clients- an evening we dubbed “Playful Networking.” Through this event, we were honored to host over 100 diverse professionals for a fun-filled evening of connection and exploration.
Using all we know about the science of play at work, our team designed an experience for attendees to make connections that are more powerful than just exchanging business cards. We curated a carefully balanced mix of self-guided play stations and Ziksana-facilitated games to foster a night of fun, easy, and authentic networking.
If you weren’t able to join us, here are 2 lessons from PlayTank: Playful Networking that you can bring to your office:
- Are your team members more motivated by getting things done? Or by finding new ways of doing things?
Using a Giant Jenga set, we asked players to choose their preference to play a Productive Game (to build the tallest tower), or a Playful Game (to build the most creative tower). We asked: are you a Productive Hero motivated by getting things done? Or, are you a Playful hero, motivated to find new ways of doing things?
Key Takeaway: When you know your employees’ preferred motivation style, you can make sure you’ve got the right people in the right roles. Plus, diverse teams are smarter, so building teams with different motivations can break up workplace homogeneity.
- Are your employees inspired to play – to go above and beyond?
Opportunities for unexpected fun can bring a new perspective to our expectations. That’s why we taped a hopscotch course for folks to play their way to the sign-in station and into the brewery. We used self-guided play tools to assess how many people were energized and enthusiastic enough to play without prompting, which helped us read the energy in the room to create the conditions for people to connect.
We also created a play station for Doodling to give people permission to play, a leading factor to create a culture of innovation. Doodling has also been shown to enhance recall and activate unique neurological pathways, leading to new insights and cognitive breakthroughs.
Key Takeaway: Give your employees tools to create energy and enthusiasm. Inspire people to express themselves more freely and to reconnect personally with your company’s why. We recommend conducting your own Hopscotch Experiment in your workplace to gauge how playful people are feeling.
We changed up our usual PlayTank event to make this Networking event more valuable for HR professionals by giving self-guided playful tools to show you how to activate energy and enthusiasm in your teams and leaders.
Want to find out how playful and productive your team really is? Schedule a quick 15 min call today for a FREE! Company Culture Diagnostic tool.
