Innovation Workshops for Teams

Should you try Google’s famous “20% time” experiment to encourage innovation? We tried this at Duolingo years ago. It didn’t work. It wasn’t enough time for people to start meaningful projects, and very few people took advantage of it because the framework was pretty vague. I knew there had to be other ways to drive innovation at the company. So, here are 3 other initiatives we’ve tried, what we’ve learned from each, and what we're going to try next. 💡 Innovation Awards: Annual recognition for those who move the needle with boundary-pushing projects. The upside: These awards make our commitment to innovation clear, and offer a well-deserved incentive to those who have done remarkable work. The downside: It’s given to individuals, but we want to incentivize team work. What’s more, it’s not necessarily a framework for coming up with the next big thing. 💻 Hackathon: This is a good framework, and lots of companies do it. Everyone (not just engineers) can take two days to collaborate on and present anything that excites them, as long as it advances our mission or addresses a key business need. The upside: Some of our biggest features grew out of hackathon projects, from the Duolingo English Test (born at our first hackathon in 2013) to our avatar builder. The downside: Other than the time/resource constraint, projects rarely align with our current priorities. The ones that take off hit the elusive combo of right time + a problem that no other team could tackle. 💥 Special Projects: Knowing that ideal equation, we started a new program for fostering innovation, playfully dubbed DARPA (Duolingo Advanced Research Project Agency). The idea: anyone can pitch an idea at any time. If they get consensus on it and if it’s not in the purview of another team, a cross-functional group is formed to bring the project to fruition. The most creative work tends to happen when a problem is not in the clear purview of a particular team; this program creates a path for bringing these kinds of interdisciplinary ideas to life. Our Duo and Lily mascot suits (featured often on our social accounts) came from this, as did our Duo plushie and the merch store. (And if this photo doesn't show why we needed to innovate for new suits, I don't know what will!) The biggest challenge: figuring out how to transition ownership of a successful project after the strike team’s work is done. 👀 What’s next? We’re working on a program that proactively identifies big picture, unassigned problems that we haven’t figured out yet and then incentivizes people to create proposals for solving them. How that will work is still to be determined, but we know there is a lot of fertile ground for it to take root. How does your company create an environment of creativity that encourages true innovation? I'm interested to hear what's worked for you, so please feel free to share in the comments! #duolingo #innovation #hackathon #creativity #bigideas

Neurodiversity 101: Making meetings more neuroinclusive Meetings are meant to bring people together to share ideas, make decisions, and build connection. Yet, for many neurodivergent colleagues and often for others too meetings can be overwhelming, confusing, or simply unproductive. Have you ever been to a meeting and wondered why you were there or what was expected of you? Whether online or in person, more inclusive meetings benefit everyone. They create clarity, structure, and safety for diverse thinkers to contribute meaningfully. Here’s how to make meetings more neuroinclusive: 1. Clarity before you start Share the purpose, agenda, timing, and who’s attending where possible in advance. Make clear if attendance is optional or essential and what preparation, if any, is expected. Sending materials early gives everyone time to process and plan. 2. Structure supports inclusion Outline how questions will be handled and what turn-taking looks like. Minute key actions and share them promptly. End by explaining what happens next. Predictability reduces anxiety and ensures accountability. Be aware of the 'quiet ones' in the room and ensure everyone can participate. 3. Inclusive communication Use clear, plain language avoid “acronym fests.” Pause regularly to check understanding and invite clarification. Remember, silence doesn’t mean disengagement; some people need more time to formulate ideas. Some people may need time after the meeting to come back with their responses too. 4. Online inclusivity Show participants how to use platform features like captions, transcripts, or chat. Encourage written contributions and offer the option to keep cameras off to reduce sensory load/allow movement/ or just not seeing your own face all the time! Provide recordings or transcripts afterwards so people can review at their own pace. 5. Make space for every voice Avoid putting people on the spot. Allow time after the meeting for those who prefer to reflect before responding. Remember: the “quiet ones” may hold the most valuable insights. **Small changes, big impact Microaggressions — such as dismissing someone’s idea or using “humour” that excludes can and do erode trust. Inclusion grows when meetings feel psychologically safe and respectful. Neuroinclusive meetings are not just a “nice to have.” This is a universal design concept in action. They are cost-effective, efficient, and fair improving engagement, retention, and creativity. When everyone can contribute in their own way, we get better decisions and stronger teams. 🟣 Inclusion isn’t about changing people. It’s about changing the conditions so people can thrive. Can you add any other ideas of what works too?

My top inclusion tip? Offer flexibility. It sounds simple, but it's a very powerful best practice. Here's why. I'm blind with 5% of my vision remaining, and I've advocated for high color contrast for years as an accessibility best practice. An example of high color contrast is a black background with white text on top or a white background with black text on top. I learned about high color contrast in the field, and it's an accessibility standard. Then I found out about Irlen Syndrome from comments on my social media. I learned that high color contrast (especially a white background with black text on top) doesn't work for those with Irlen Syndrome. This blew my mind. I also heard from my community that some people preferred a color combination that I advised against: a pale pink background with white text. This all served as a reminder that no one best practice works for everyone. Implementing flexible options is the best way to improve inclusion and accessibility. This applies to anything we do as individuals or organizations. Communicating information? Try to share it in multiple ways, such as written, verbal, and visually in a diagram. Designing a social event? Create different zones with lower lighting and brighter lighting, areas without speakers, different types of seating, and a range of activities. Leading a virtual training? Allow participants to participate in multiple ways such as using the raise hand button, typing in the chat, unmuting (at specified facilitator-led moments), and more. What are your thoughts on this? Does this resonate? #Inclusion #Accessibility #Disability

Inclusion isn’t optional when it comes to strategy work - it’s actually how you get to better strategy. One of the most effective ways I’ve seen teams unlock inclusive strategy development is through LEGO Serious Play. This is what we’re currently having a lot of fun with at UNICEF UK to develop our next three year strategy. It works because: - Everyone contributes by design. It’s not a workshop where the loudest voice wins. Everyone builds, everyone shares, and everyone gets heard. - It supports different thinking styles. You don’t have to be the fastest talker in the room to shape the outcome - people can communicate through models, metaphor and story. - It makes the invisible visible. Assumptions, risks, tensions and dependencies show up in the builds so the group can work with what’s really going on, not just what’s easiest to say. - It reduces jargon and increases clarity. When you have to “show it”, strategy becomes concrete, shared and easier to act on. - It creates a story people can retell. The models become anchors for a narrative: who we are, what we’re up against, what we’re choosing, and what we’ll do next. For me, the biggest shift is that strategy stops being something that gets presented to people and becomes something that gets built with them. If you’ve used LEGO Serious Play (or other hands-on facilitation methods) in strategy, I’d love to hear what you noticed. #strategy #leadership #inclusion

Making the right choices when event planning can be the difference between being inclusive or not. Here are five simple, free choices you can make that can help… Choose to tell people your food options in advance. This helps people plan around allergies, dietary requirements, cultural needs, or just personal preference without stress on the day. It also avoids people having to ask awkward questions or go without food altogether. When people know what to expect, they can focus on the event rather than whether they’ll be able to eat. (Nothing strikes more fear in my heart than someone saying “that looks like something chicken-ey”) Choose to send an attendee list in advance, to everyone attending. This gives people a chance to prepare socially, which can make a huge difference for neurodivergent attendees or anyone who finds networking difficult. It also helps people identify who they want to speak to and reduces the pressure of walking into a room full of unknowns. For some, that preparation is what makes attending feel possible in the first place. Choose to send all presentations in advance, or use QR download codes on the day. This allows people to access content in a way that works for them - whether that’s using screen readers, adjusting formatting, or simply reading ahead. It also takes pressure off needing to process everything in real time, which isn’t accessible for everyone. Having materials to refer back to improves understanding and inclusion for all attendees. Choose to stick to your meeting agendas and don’t sacrifice lunch or break times for over running sessions. Breaks aren’t a luxury - they’re essential for energy, focus, and wellbeing. Skipping them disproportionately impacts disabled people, parents, and anyone managing health needs or fatigue. Keeping to time shows respect for people’s needs and helps everyone engage more fully throughout the day. Choose to make using microphones mandatory, not optional, and don’t let speakers speak without them. Not everyone can hear clearly, even in smaller rooms, and relying on volume alone excludes people. Microphones also support those using hearing aids, live captions, or recordings. Making this a firm rule removes awkwardness and ensures consistent access for everyone in the room. Spoiler, even if you think you have a loud enough voice, you don’t. Any others you’d add?

Have you noticed that there’s no shortage of ideas for improvement in organizations yet change is slow. The real challenge is that many ideas get swallowed up—lost in the noise. ⚠️ Without a clear process to prioritize, test, and follow through, people's ideas never see the light of day. They become casualties of poor communication, unclear ownership, or a lack of structure to move them forward. 💣 And of course...this leads to frustration among employees who feel their contributions aren’t valued. So- here's some tips for setting up the right environment for #innovation. ✔️ Be curious and ask people for ideas ✔️ Invite creativity by giving people time to think ✔️ Provide structures and systems for processing ideas ✔️ Use structures and systems to plan for implementation ✔️ Encourage bold moves and resilience (risk assessed of course) ✔️ Be decisive around actions, responsibilities and timeframes ✔️ Continually learn, refine and improve based on feedback AND Build innovation into the day-to-day and week-to-week rhythm of work through intentional routines and habits. Do this through: ✔️ Daily Innovation Standups or Huddles for a quick overview ✔️ Encouraging Gemba Walks to spark improvement discussions ✔️ Weekly Innovation Meetings to get into more detail ✔️ Monthly Review Meetings for assessing progress, and approving new initiatives. ✔️ Quarterly Planning to align the review of ideas with strategy ✔️ Including in 1:1s and asking about ideas for improvement and updates in regular check-ins How does innovation happen in your organization? Leave your tips below 🙏 ________________________________________ I'm Catherine McDonald- Lean Business and Leadership Coach. Follow me for insights on lean, leadership, coaching strategy and organizational behaviour.

🎯 Inclusive Meetings Don’t Just Happen — They’re Designed with Intention 📌 The loudest voices shouldn’t be the only ones heard. 📌 Have you ever left a company meeting feeling unseen or unheard? Maybe you couldn’t follow along without captions. Maybe your input was never invited. Or maybe the conversation felt centered around one culture, one time zone, one perspective. Here’s the truth: inclusion doesn’t happen by accident—it’s designed through intention and awareness. 🧩 Four Steps to More Inclusive Meetings and Events 1️⃣ Create Multiple Ways to Engage → Share agendas and questions in advance. → Use polls, chat, or collaborative docs for input before, during, and after. → Allow asynchronous participation across time zones. 2️⃣ Integrate Accessibility as a Standard, Not a Request → Use auto-captioning and transcripts by default. → Provide visual, audio, and written formats. → Ensure physical and sensory accessibility. 3️⃣ Rethink “Participation” Norms → Rotate facilitation styles. → Normalize “pass” as a valid response. → Create conditions where quieter voices feel safe to contribute. 4️⃣ Review Timing, Language, and Cultural Awareness → Check for time zone equity and cultural observances. → Avoid slang and Western idioms. → Use visuals or multilingual support for clarity. 👉 When inclusion becomes part of how you meet—not an afterthought—engagement, trust, and collaboration rise naturally. 🌍 Ready to build meetings that unite rather than divide? Let’s talk about how your organization can design for equity and belonging from the inside out. 👉 Schedule your FREE Clarity Call today. #InclusiveLeadership #CulturalCompetence #InclusiveMeetings #Neurodiversity #LeadershipDevelopment #WorkplaceCulture

Navigating power imbalances and fostering psychological safety in brainstorming sessions can be a challenge for facilitators. I recall a CEO of a law firm who was hesitant to run strategy workshops due to past experiences where the Chairman's voice dominated the room, making it difficult for other partners to share their perspectives freely. I assured them that as a facilitator, my role was to ensure that everyone's voice was respected, heard, and valued. I'm happy to say it worked well. 😊 Creating a psychologically safe space is crucial. This can be achieved by setting clear expectations at the start of the session, encouraging respectful dialogue, and managing the room to bring in all voices in a way that works. Here are some ways I run an idea generation or brainstorming session. ⭐ Start by clarifying what challenge or problem we’re here to address. Do this by reframing it as a 'How Might We…’ statement - a common method used in design thinking. This approach encourages collaborative thinking and ensures everyone in the room can contribute their perspectives. ⭐ Another design thinking tool I use is Crazy 8s, a great way to generate ideas quickly (handy when workshop time is tight). It involves generating eight ideas in eight minutes, which pushes participants to think beyond their initial ideas and stretch their creative boundaries. - Give each person a blank A4 sheet. Fold it in half 3 times so you have 8 equally spaced squares. - Each person silently writes or draws one idea per square per minute. - Go around the room so each person shares their ideas. Each idea has its moment. No judgement. Most senior persons share last. - Pop them up on a wall. - Each person then selects their top 2 to 3 ideas. - Discuss the ideas and collectively build on them (encourage the use of ‘and’ and ban ‘but’). - Collectively select the ideas you want to action. ⭐ But what about those quieter voices in the room? Silent Brainstorming is a way to encourage those who prefer to work independently to have their ideas heard. - It starts with individual ideation, where everyone writes their ideas independently before the session. - These ideas are then shared in an in person or virtual session and built upon collectively in a non-judgmental environment. These are just a few methods to address power imbalances and foster psychological safety in idea generation sessions. I'm curious, what other methods do you use to ensure that all voices, not just the loudest, are heard and valued in your brainstorming sessions? Thanks to Adam Grant for sharing the Work Chronicles cartoon below. ——————————————————————————- 👉 If you're looking for an experienced facilitator for your upcoming sessions or workshops, whether defining a strategy, mapping a plan, or crafting your purpose and values, I can help. #facilitation #psychologicalsafety #creativity #inclusion

BEYOND MODERATION - THE HIDDEN POWER OF FACILITATION Facilitators matter more than most people realize. In every workshop, sprint, and strategic conversation, they quietly turn talk into traction—designing flow, building psychological safety, and steering diverse voices toward a shared outcome. Because great facilitation feels effortless, its impact is often underrated. Yet when stakes are high and complexity rises, a skilled facilitator is the multiplier that transforms ideas into decisions and momentum into results. 🎯 DESIGNER - Great facilitation starts with intentional design. Map the flow of the workshop or discussion with crystal-clear outcomes. When you know where you’re headed, you can confidently animate the session, guide transitions, and keep everyone aligned. ⚡ ENERGIZER - Read the room and manage energy in real time. Build trust and comfort with timely breaks, quick icebreakers, and inclusive prompts. When energy dips, reset; when momentum rises, harness it. Your presence sets the tone for participation. 🎻 CONDUCTOR - Facilitation is orchestration. Ensure everyone knows what to do, how to contribute, and where to focus. Guard against tangents, surface the core questions, and gently steer the group back to the intended outcome. ⏱️ TIMEKEEPER - Time is the constraint that sharpens thinking. Listen actively, paraphrase to clarify, and interrupt with care. Adapt on the fly in agile environments so discussions stay effective, efficient, and outcome-driven. ✨ CATALYST - Your energy is contagious . Show up positive, grounded, and healthy. If you bring light, the room brightens; if you bring clouds, the mood follows. Protect your mindset—it’s a strategic asset. 💡TIPS to be a great facilitator: Be positive and confident; Prepare deeply, then stay flexible; Design clear outcomes and guardrails; Listen actively and paraphrase often; Invite quieter voices and balance dominant ones; Use pauses, breaks, and icebreakers wisely; Keep discussions outcome-focused; Manage time with compassion and firmness; Read the room and adapt; Practice, practice, then practice again. 💪 #Facilitation #HR #Leadership #Workshops #EmployeeEngagement #Agile #Communication #SoftSkills #MeetingDesign #PeopleOps #Moderator #TeamDynamics #PsychologicalSafety #DecisionMaking

Ensure all voices are heard by leaning into CURIOSITY! Designing inclusive working sessions can start by inviting questions from EVERYONE- for example, the technique below honors introverted voices and fosters diverse perspectives. Try out some of these practical techniques below in your next meeting or collaboration session… Quiet Reflection Time:  ↳ Create an environment where everyone feels comfortable sharing their thoughts. Structured Brainstorming Sessions:  ↳ Ensure each participant has designated speaking time to reduce pressure. Rotating Facilitators:  ↳ Vary leadership styles and ensure diverse voices are heard throughout discussions. One-on-One Discussions or Smaller Group Settings:  ↳ Provide intimate settings where introverts can freely express their ideas. Techniques like this create an environment where everyone feels comfortable sharing their thoughts. This approach isn't just about diversity. It's about harnessing the power of all perspectives. Together, we can foster environments where every voice contributes to success. Let's ensure that every team member feels empowered to bring their best to the table.