The Power of Play
Most of us were raised to think of play as a frivolous distraction from serious business. In this lively presentation, Gwen turns the work ethic on its head and shows how our success actually depends on play. With cameos from an irrepressible Labrador retriever, and an 80 year-old cheerleader, the keynote brings home why play is a superfood of behavior and the key to our success. We learn what makes play possible, what stops it, and the attitude and perspective that can make anything play.
The Future of Work is Play
Our world is changing. And fast. New workforce, new management practices, new demands on business. The drum beats for relentless innovation, greater agility, and more engagement. In this practical presentation, Gwen describes why play is to the 21st Century what work was to the Industrial Age, and how profit is linked to play. Audiences learn the difference between play washing and real cultures of play, leaving with seven (no, eight) steps for creating their own at work
Creativity
In this highly interactive presentation, the audience experiences first-hand how play is the shortest distance between a problem and a creative solution. They learn how to enter the “zone” alone and together. Drawing from chaos theory, neuroscience, and evolutionary biology, along with her experiences making Muppets, Gwen reveals how to access the mindset that is the secret sauce behind every great discovery and invention.
Mindfulness in Motion
In this highly experiential presentation Gwen builds on mindfulness research, taking the audience on a journey to discover how mindfulness not only makes us more playful, but how playing can cultivate mindfulness. She then leads the group in direct experiences of play as a dynamic meditation that enables us to surf through chaos with joy, grace, and leadership.
The Playful Leader
If the universe were a static, rigid collection of solid objects, then good leadership would be characterized by rigidity and control. But in fact, the universe is a fluid flux of messy, ambiguous, paradoxical, creative, full-on play. That means that good leadership is fluid, flexible, and playful. In this presentation, Gwen outlines the five habits of a highly playful universe and shows how, when we go with the grain of the cosmos, everything becomes easier.