LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY®

Methods-Monday: LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® - Thinking with Your Hands in One-to-One Coaching

There are coaching moments when words are no longer enough.Thoughts remain vague, decisions feel internally contradictory, images are present but hard to grasp. It is precisely at this point that the unique power of LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® begins.

This method has been accompanying my one-to-one coaching work for quite some time. In an earlier blog post, I described in detail what LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® is and how the method works in principle. In today’s Methods Monday, I intentionally shift the focus to its application in individual coaching.

So the central question is: What actually happens in the coaching room when people begin to think with their hands?

LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® in the Context of Methods Monday

For me, Methods Monday is a space to not only explain coaching methods, but to make their impact in real coaching practice visible. LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® is particularly well suited for this, as inner themes take shape through building and become discussable – beyond words alone.

In one-to-one coaching, the act of building creates an additional focus in the room: a model.

It creates distance, opens up new perspectives, and makes inner processes visible. Often, it reveals more than words alone could express.

How I Use LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® in One-to-One Coaching

I use LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® especially when:

• topics are complex or emotionally charged

• decisions feel internally blocked

• thoughts keep going in circles

• goals or visions are still unclear

The method follows a clear yet open framework. After a focused coaching question, the building phase begins. Without overthinking, a model emerges – intuitive, spontaneous, personal.

In the subsequent conversation, the model is described, explored, and deepened. Meanings, connections, and inner dynamics become visible. What matters most: it is not an external interpretation that counts, but the meaning the model holds for the coachee themselves.

What Happens in the Coaching Room When Building Begins

As soon as building starts, the atmosphere changes. The pace slows down. The focus shifts away from purely cognitive thinking toward perception and inner experience.

Many coachees report that they:

• feel clearer

• gain access to inner knowledge

• are able to articulate things that were previously “just a feeling”

• discover new perspectives on familiar topics

The model acts like an external mirror. It stands between coach and coachee and enables a new, often surprisingly honest engagement with one’s own topic.

Typical Coaching Topics for LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY®

In one-to-one coaching, I particularly enjoy using LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® for:

• professional or personal decision-making processes

• inner conflicts or ambivalence

• questions of role and identity

• reorientation and change

• clarifying goals and next steps

No prior knowledge or special creativity is required. It is not about “building something nice,” but about authentic expression.

Why This Method Is So Effective in One-to-One Coaching

LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® connects head, heart, and hands.This creates a depth that purely verbal processes often cannot reach.

The method:

• makes the unconscious visible

• fosters clarity and focus

• supports sustainable decision-making

• strengthens self-awareness and self-leadership

• brings inner order to complex topics

Especially in one-to-one coaching, this creates a very personal and protected space for genuine insight.

Who Is LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® Particularly Suitable For?

This method is suitable for people who:

• think a lot but feel little

• long for clarity instead of further analysis

• are facing important decisions

• are open to new ways of connecting with themselves

It is particularly helpful for leaders, self-employed professionals, and people in phases of transition or change.

What matters most to me: LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® is only used in coaching when it feels right for the coachee – in the truest sense of the word.The method thrives on resonance, not technique. It is an invitation, never an obligation.

Conclusion

LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® is far more than a method in one-to-one coaching. It is an invitation to slow down, to look more closely, and to give inner knowledge the space it deserves.

Where thoughts are allowed to take shape, clarity often emerges where it was previously missing.

If you feel that words alone are no longer getting you any further,I warmly invite you to experience LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® in one-to-one coaching for yourself.

Let’s build, understand, and shape new steps together.

Yours, Johanna