When people hear LEGO Serious Play Workshop, many imagine colourful bricks and playful team building. But anyone who’s experienced a session knows it’s much more than that. LSP (LEGO® Serious Play®) is a structured, hands-on methodology that turns abstract ideas into tangible models, unlocking deeper communication, greater collaboration, and smarter problem solving. LSP is an L&D method created by LEGO themselves.
In a world where so much workplace communication happens behind screens, in PDFs, or in back-to-back meetings, LSP breaks the mould — literally. Here’s why this method is fast becoming a go-to workshop tool for HR leaders, facilitators, and organisations serious about unlocking team potential.
What Is a LEGO Serious Play Workshop?
At its core, a Lego Serious Play workshop is not just “playing with Lego bricks.” It’s a facilitated session where participants are guided through a series of carefully designed challenges, each prompting them to build a hand-made model that represents a thought, idea, or real business problem. These 3D LEGO models become the basis for rich storytelling, dialogue, and shared insight.
In the context of Build Better Teams (Block by Block) with LEGO® Serious Play from Zing Events, this approach is used specifically to:
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Encourage deep communication within teams
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Align thinking on strategy and vision
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Uncover hidden assumptions or barriers
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Ignite creative and collective problem solving
Quite simply, it’s a workshop that lets teams think with their hands — and the impact of that can be profound.
Why LEGO Serious Play Workshop Is a Powerful Communication Tool
1. It Makes Thinking Visible
Most business communication relies on words — spoken or written. The LSP method adds a third dimension: visual and tactile representation.
When participants build a model to express an idea — say an organisational challenge, a customer journey, or a future strategy — something remarkable happens: abstract or complex thoughts become visible and discussable. Suddenly, everyone isn’t just sharing opinions; they are sharing models that others can see, touch, and interpret.
This shift from verbal to multi-sensory communication helps teams:
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Avoid miscommunication
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Surface assumptions that stay hidden in discussion
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Use metaphors that spark deeper understanding
Hands-on building stimulates both logical and creative thinking, giving access to insights that might not emerge in typical meetings.
2. It Levels the Playing Field
One of the biggest barriers to effective communication in organisations is hierarchy — the tendency for senior voices to dominate and quieter participants to stay silent.
In a Lego Serious Play workshop, that barrier disappears.
Every participant builds their own model — and every model gets shared. The facilitator ensures each voice is heard, and the physical act of building gives confidence to those who might not normally speak up. The result? More inclusive communication and richer insights.
This leveling effect makes LSP particularly effective in:
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Cross-functional workshops
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Leadership alignment sessions
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Innovation sprints with mixed teams
Everyone brings their perspective — and everyone’s ideas matter.
3. It Turns Stories Into Shared Language
Instead of talking in metaphors that only some understand (“I feel like we’re stuck in a box…”), participants create their own metaphors through Lego builds.
Once a model is built, the participant tells the story behind it — how each brick reflects their thinking. Those stories become shared language, bridging gaps between different departments or conflicting viewpoints.
Whether the topic is strategic planning, organisational change, or team dynamics, LSP helps teams build a common understanding rooted in visual metaphors.
4. It Deepens Engagement and Collaboration
Ask a team to sit through another presentation or a PowerPoint, and engagement will likely dip. Give them Lego bricks and a challenge? Engagement spikes.
The interactive, playful nature of a Lego Serious Play workshop brings teams together in a way that’s energising, not exhausting. The shared task encourages:
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Active listening
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Creative thinking
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Collective reflection
This kind of engagement isn’t superficial fun — it builds trust and meaningful collaboration that transfers to the workplace long after the session ends.
The Versatile Uses of LEGO Serious Play Workshop
A common misconception is that LSP is only useful for creative industries or product teams. In reality, its versatility is one of its smartest features.
Here are some of the areas where Lego Serious Play adds real value:
1. Strategic Planning and Visioning
LSP workshops can help teams clarify where they are now and where they want to go. By building models of current challenges and imagined futures, teams generate strategic insight that is both grounded and imaginative.
2. Leadership and Decision Making
Leaders often need to navigate ambiguity. Rather than debating hypotheticals, LSP enables them to build scenarios, explore consequences, and co-create decisions with their teams. This hands-on exploration leads to faster alignment and stronger commitment than traditional strategic meetings.
3. Problem Solving and Innovation
Because LSP encourages creative thinking and removes status-based barriers to speaking, teams can uncover insights and approaches that weren’t on the radar before. This makes LSP a brilliant tool for tackling tricky problems or generating fresh innovation pathways.
4. Team Building and Cohesion
Yes, Lego Serious Play is a team building workshop — but it works at a much deeper level than the usual icebreaker.
Rather than trust falls or quizzes, LSP builds shared understanding and narrative. Teams walk away not just having “bonded”, but having co-created something meaningful together.
5. Change Management
Change often fails because people don’t feel heard, or they haven’t truly processed what’s coming next. LSP gives teams space to articulate fears, hopes, and expectations through models — creating a shared language for navigating transformation.
DOWNLOAD This Introduction to LEGO Serious Play from LEGO
What to Expect in an LSP Workshop — The Zing Events Experience
A Lego Serious Play workshop with Zing Events is highly facilitated, visual, and engaging, designed to deliver actionable insights. Here’s how a typical session unfolds:
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Framing the Challenge
Participants are introduced to the goal — whether that’s exploring communication barriers, aligning on values, or solving a specific business challenge. -
Building Individual Models
Each participant builds a model representing their perspective on the challenge. -
Storytelling & Sharing
Participants explain their build — interpreting their model and connecting it to team and organisational goals. -
Collective Reflection
The facilitator guides discussion, drawing patterns, common themes, and areas of divergence. -
Actionable Outcomes
Models and insights are translated into practical steps teams can take back into their workplace.
Why Organisations Choose a LEGO Serious Play Workshop
Organisations that use LSP — from SMEs to global corporates — choose it because it’s:
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Inclusive: Everyone’s voice is heard.
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Creative: Ideas aren’t limited by words alone.
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Tangible: Models make communication visible.
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Insightful: You uncover things you didn’t know you didn’t know.
Final Thoughts — More Than Just Play
A lego serious play workshop is far more than a team activity. It’s a communication revolution wrapped in colourful bricks. By making thinking visible, giving equal voice to all participants, and fostering genuine engagement, LSP helps teams break down barriers, align on strategy, and tackle problems with collective intelligence.
For teams serious about improving communication and building long-lasting collaboration, there’s no better tool than the Lego Serious Play workshop. Whether you’re navigating strategic planning, team alignment, innovation, or organisational change, LSP delivers insights that stick — brick by brick.
