Ever get tired of the mundanity of some DEI workshops? Simply sitting at a table and just… talking?
Important as these conversations are, I sympathize with the lack of excitement! That’s why today we will be exploring five examples of physically engaging activities that highlight the intersection of DEI and team-building—and best of all, these activities involve legos! (If you’re a kinesthetic learner, I’ve got a good feeling these activities will be adored by you.)
1. Self-Portraits
This activity is precisely what it sounds like: everyone will build a self-portrait using legos! Giving everyone 15-20 minutes is usually appropriate, and as leaders we must clearly establish that these lego self-portraits can be in whatever style our team members prefer. Literal? Abstract? A “self-portrait” should simply be a reflection of oneself—however we choose to interpret that! One person might focus on their physical appearance, another person might focus on their cultural background, another person might focus on their favorite hobbies, or anything else altogether.
A creative twist to this activity is to have individuals build their self-portraits anonymously, e.g. giving people small trifolds or bent pieces of cardboard to hide their builds and prevent others from peeping. Afterwards, employees can guess who each self-portrait belongs to and explain why they think so! The builders can then provide additional explanation as to why their portrait represents themself after the fact.
If it wasn’t obvious already, this self-portrait activity is intricately linked to DEI because it a) gives people an opportunity to uniquely express themselves (literally or abstractly) and b) encourages team members to make connections between one another and learn more about their colleagues. In the process, we create an inclusive environment where self-expression is explored and celebrated!
2. My Personal Identity
The concept of this activity is simple: using legos, individuals will “[b]uild a model that represents who [one is] today, which includes values, skills, passions, and… contribution to the team.” The key difference between this activity and the previous self-portrait is that where the self-portraits focus primarily on self-expression, “My Personal Identity” must involve a connection of one’s self to the team as a whole! When arranging this activity for a team, we might ask some variation of the following questions:
How would you title this piece?
What part of this design represents your personal values? Your work values?
Which part of this design reflects your private life?
What does each color represent?
Which part of this design reflects your skills in the workplace? As a team member?
I love this activity because it incorporates DEI by encouraging participants to connect reflections on their personal identity to their contributions as a team member. In other words, the process of exploring our personal identities becomes a celebration of the diversity amongst our team, from various cultural heritages to multitudes of educational experience and more! When it comes to demonstrating diversity of thought in the workplace, this activity couldn’t be more effective.
3. Builder, Looker, Runner
Searching for a hands-on activity that explicitly connects DEI with teamwork? Search no longer! “Builder, Looker, Runner” is a creative take on a team-building activity that integrates the core values of DEI.
For this activity, split participants into teams of three. Each team has a structure already built for them. Their task? To rebuild it! Simple, right?
Not so fast—within each group, “[o]nly the builder can build, only the looker can see the original structure and the runner serves as the middle man, taking instructions from the looker to describe to the builder.”
On its own, this exercise is one that encourages teamwork, unconventional thinking, and creative communication, all of which are implicit elements of DEI. After all, bringing together diverse perspectives inherently requires patience and communication to come to the best solution! Additionally, one of the core conceits in this activity is the fact that the builder, the looker, and the runner are of equal importance in successfully rebuilding the group’s assigned structure—on the most literal level, this activity could not be accomplished without equitable recognition of each role’s significance.
Consequently, there are also ways to explore the ramifications of inequitable treatment through this activity! Teams might be assigned random disadvantages; maybe one team’s runner has to hop on one leg, maybe one team’s builder can only work with their non-dominant hand, maybe one team’s looker can only glance at the structure for five seconds at a time. For this approach to be most effective, one team would serve as a control group with no disadvantages, showing how equitable accessibility between the builder, looker, and runner is the best way to guarantee success.
4. (Un)Building Biases
(The original activity that this section refers to was actually conceptualized with Play-Doh, but we’re reconfiguring it here to focus on legos with the rest of this blog’s theme.)
Imagine this: Pictionary, but with legos! Participants are split into groups of any number, and within each group everyone takes turns being the “architect.” As the architect, an individual draws a card and does their best to recreate whatever image on that card out of legos—all while their teammates throw guesses at them! Once the card is correctly guessed, another person becomes an architect, and the process repeats. The “winner” of the game would be the group that correctly guesses the most cards within a given span of time, e.g. 15 minutes.
How does this activity relate to DEI? you might be wondering—a fair question! Much like “Builder, Looker, Runner,” this activity requires communication, collaboration, and patience, all of which are instrumental to the implementation of DEI initiatives in any workplace. Beyond this connection, however, I encourage a version of this activity adapted to be specifically about unconscious biases.
In other words, instead of the terms on the cards being generic like “cat” or “house,” they can be different biases. And to ensure accessibility, these cards can include descriptions that give the architect a better idea if they aren’t too familiar with the term; similarly, the guessers might have a list of all the possible biases (and more, for extra difficulty!) if they are new to the topic, helping ensure they don’t have to pull guesses out of thin air. All in all, “(Un)Building Biases” offers a fun, engaging way to introduce participants to different unconscious biases and open doors for conversations about what we can do to overcome them!
5. Team Vision
Last but certainly not least, “Team Vision” is an activity where everyone works together to “[b]uild a model that represents [what] the team… want[s] to be.” In this process, the team must collaborate as they decide what and how they want to build, why it should appear a certain way, what value certain colored/shaped bricks will represent, and so forth. (Regarding color symbolism, consider how yellow might represent happiness, pink might represent dedication, green might represent financial success, etc.!)
This activity embodies the spirit of belonging within DEI, as “Team Vision” requires ensuring everyone has an equal voice not just in the final project but also in the vision for what this team’s future should look like. What better represents inclusion than giving every employee at the table a say in how they want their team’s future to grow and blossom?
And there we have it: five fun, physical activities that combine legos, team-building, and DEI. Dare I say that we are building an investment in DEI and teamwork through the construction of these lego projects…? What a robust foundation of diversity, equity, and inclusion to grow from!
Dima Ghawi is the founder of a global talent development company with a primary mission for advancing individuals in leadership. Through keynote speeches, training programs and executive coaching, Dima has empowered thousands of professionals across the globe to expand their leadership potential. In addition, she provides guidance to business executives to develop diversity, equity, and inclusion strategies and to implement a multi-year plan for advancing quality leaders from within the organization. Reach her at DimaGhawi.com and BreakingVases.com.
