The Company Road Podcast E56 Serious Business, Silly Games: Why Play is the Secret Weapon of Leaders - with Trudi Boatwright
"I call myself a playful experience, and I really lean into the experience because that is where the magic happens. And if you create the playful experience the right way, you can draw out unexpected responses and unexpected underlying culture issues, because the power is solving a problem with a problem."
- Trudi Boatwright
Trudi Boatwright is a playful experience designer extraordinaire. Trudi challenges the notion that solving problems has to be a boring affair. She argues that by embracing playfulness, we can unlock new levels of creativity, improve communication, and foster stronger leadership.
Trudi shares her fascinating career path, including her early experiences working in seemingly unrelated fields. She describes how she began incorporating playful elements into her work, even when it meant pushing boundaries. Trudi also discusses the challenges of introducing playfulness into traditional business cultures.
Ready to experience the transformative power of play for yourself? Listen and discover Trudi's playful challenge that will help you see your problems in a whole new light!
In this episode you’ll hear about
- The surprising origins of taking a playful approach in your organisation
- How workplaces have evolved over time
- How playfulness can solve problems (especially in communication)
- The truth about multitasking (and how to focus better)
- Tips to become a better listener
- How to make presentations unforgettable
- The undeniable benefits of a playful workplace
- Ways leaders can foster playfulness within their teams
- Challenges to overcome when bringing play to work
- How to be more playful at work (without being disruptive)
- The future of AI in the workplace and the importance of human connection
Key links
- Trudi Boatwright Website
- Trudi Boatwright LinkedIn
- E37 – Dara Simkin
- Royal Children's Hospital
- Dame Phyllis Frost Centre
- Tarrengower Prison
- The Elements of Play Toward a Philosophy and a Definition of Play BY Scott G. Eberle
- E46 – Chris Mitchell
About our guest
Trudi is a Playful Experience Designer who specialises in solving problems with play! Working within the intersection of applied improvisation, design thinking and experiential learning, she leans on her Masters of Design Futures and 20 years of experience as an arts practitioner to use her playful learning theory to boost communication and connection.
She is a professional speaker, coach, and writer, working within organisations and government departments to utilise play as a problem solver and leadership tool through workshops, activations, and keynotes. She creates immersive theatre through her theatre company, TBC Theatre, runs a menagerie household of kids, cats, dogs and fish and believes that playfulness has the capacity to solve some of our most wicked problems.
About our host
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