Lee Devin and I taught the first NYC Artful Making course in June. We were thrilled with the results! What started as a quiet group of people quickly began to warm up, so much that by the end of the day, improvisation and iterations of The Mirror abounded without inhibition.

The course was like an ocean wave; starting out small and rippling, gathering momentum, crescendo by the end of the day and washed up pebbles on the beach. The participants started out small and rippling, anxious and unsure at first. Then, they gathered momentum and confidence by doing the warmups and having discussions about those exercises and other concepts that we were covering. The crescendo happened a couple of times during the day - I'd say during the "Silly Walk" and problem solving improvisation. At the end of the day, we were physically and mentally spent.

I can't begin to tell you how cool this experience was. I saw people CONNECTING. People LISTENING and FOCUSING on each other. People were finding their EDGEs and learning to be okay with that discomfort. It was amazing to hear developers say how they can recognize their edge and can learn to release into this. It was really cool to hear a group of 18 people helping solve a business problem without judgement or pushing away any ideas. It was truly an open environment of exchange and collaboration.

Something about this day struck me as.... well.... honest. The participants were nervous at first. As we started going through the exercises, there were jitters and laughter, but everyone went along with the ideas. After the physical and psychological warmups in the morning, the entire group was open to the new concepts that Lee and I began discussing. We all learned a lot through connecting on this very honest, basic human level. I felt that everyone in the room had respect for what everyone else brought to the table. We were all equal. We were all actors for a day, and we realized what hard work that truly is.

I truly see a need for this type of interaction everywhere I go. In just about every company, team, or heck - husbands and wives or families in general - people don't connect. They are moving too quickly, hustling and bustling about, not even stopping to answer literally when someone asks "how are you?". This course forced us to stop and pay attention. To listen. To humble ourselves. We didn't have time to be embarrassed or self conscious.

How does this apply to agile teams? What could acting exercises possibly teach us about business? Well, I ask you: isn't business all about carrying out someone's program or big idea? And then I ask: How can we possibly carry out a program or big idea without the ability to connect, listen and dream up big solutions to big ideas? And doesn't agile purport "individuals and interactions"? If so, how do we interact with people, but stay distanced, where that interaction is only superficial. I say roll up your sleeves, create a silly walk, do The Mirror and give true collaboration a go!