We can play at work with Rehana Tejpar

Facilitation in organizations is a field full of opportunities for play as well as obstacles to connection. To navigate an organizational field, a deep curiosity and nuanced approach are needed. In this episode Rehana Tejpar, founder of Bloom Consulting, lifts the curtain on the practices and philosophies underlying her work helping organizations become more human and free. -GUEST BIOGRAPHY- Rehana Tejpar is a facilitator, mediator and coach working with leaders and organizational ecosystems to support culture change towards equity, collaboration, organizational health and creativity. Since 2005, she has been playing with play-based learning and transformation through Theatre of the Oppressed, InterPlay, and more recently sacred clowning. She is deeply serious and deeply playful at once, believing in the need for strategies that include creativity & play as ways to open up the fields of possible transformations, and reconnecting our mind, body, heart and spirit. She is based in Tio:tia’ke/Montreal, on the shores of the Iroquois River and works with Bloom Consulting. -EPISODE SUMMARY- PRACTICES: Host a retreat to create a theory of change. Build an internal team to steward and champion a change initiative. Be a wise fool and practice not knowing. Share stories to naturally overcome any illusionary divide. Create a circle where everyone has an opportunity to speak from the heart and hear from one another is a safe structure. It is not a space for interruption or rebuttal. Often there is a question at the center. In a moment of feeling stuck, ask, ‘What is the next most graceful step?’ IDEAS: We can't lead people somewhere where we haven't gone. Nothing is supposed to be perfect - this is a legacy of white supremacist culture. Your way of being can also help an organization grow. It’s possible to have a shared purpose and to play at work. People trust solutions they are part of building. We can create participation for different parts of ourselves. A small group is a fractal of change and a place to practice our wisdom about change. Sacred clowning helps people not fall into dogma or a singular truth that would confine the unknown mysteries of the world. These clowns also spoke truth to power. The clown lets go of perfectionism, accepts offers, is deeply alive and in awe of the miracle of life. Connecting with one’s inner clown can be liberating because we are letting out our unknown desires. Playing games with groups helps the magic of life pour out of ourselves. There is a strong bridge between mindfulness and playfulness. Play stills our mind, pushes away distractions, and brings us to the present. When we see each other in our vulnerability and our imperfection there is an outpouring of love. There are obstacles and barriers to giving and receiving that love. Playing and risk taking can help shed some of the barriers to connection. We can work in partnership towards a dream of us being human and free. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.