Whilst in Guatemala, I became friends with someone who owns a large plot of land which hosts a community, a space for creative workshops and a number of holiday rentals. He was eager to get investment and take slightly haphazard business into a more successful business. I joined the meeting together with investors and owners. On the one hand I didn’t want to create a formal Liftoff in case the more creative members of the community got worried that it would become to commercial. I took a more discreet approach which was just to listen and ask probing questions to tickle out information that wasn’t being discussed. Although I tried not to facilitate, I did nudge the conversation back to the topic of what are we trying to create and what do we need to do to get there.
I didn’t use any formal materials. I mainly just used notes and did an indirect mini Liftoff. Although taking a very minor role, using sections of the liftoff, we are able to guide a conversation towards something fruitful and much more constructive than free undirected discussion.
It shows that something indirect can work and also in very creative areas.