How I became a strategic design facilitator
‘Stop! I don’t want to hear any questions. Here is my typed briefing. Everything you need is on it. Go back to your desk and do exactly what it says. I expect it to be finished by 5 p.m.’
I looked at my colleague in bewilderment. He must be joking, right? Yes! Of course it’s a joke, but when I laughed and said, ‘Good joke, now I have a question about this assignment.’ He stared at me with chilly blue eyes. He got angry and he lashed out: ‘I am so tired of your questions. You only ask difficult questions and I don’t want them anymore. Do exactly what it says and get it done by 5 p.m.’
He really wasn’t kidding. I walked back to my desk and stared out the window. I was on the 23rd floor of the tallest building in the financial district. It was a bright day. You could see almost the entire city of Amsterdam from here. I sat down and began to ruminate.
How am I not allowed to ask questions anymore? Do I want a high-paying job where questions aren’t allowed? After all, this colleague would soon be my boss after the Christmas vacations.
If I learned anything in art school, it’s that questions are more important than answers. Questions help me think and stimulate my curiosity. Questions help me be a better designer.
I decided I have a good brain and I want to use it. The next day I handed in my resignation letter.
These days I call myself a strategic design consultant. And I ask difficult questions.
Training
- Royal College of Art, Graphic Design BA
- Noordelijke Hogeschool Leeuwarden, Art & Communication BA
Courses
- Democratic Fitness
- Best Practices in the Question Formulation Technique, The Right Questions Institute & Harvard Graduate School of Education
- Design Thinking Facilitation, DesignThinkers Academy
- Design Sprint Master, Design Sprint Academy
- Women Centric Design, Unconform
Curious about how we might work together?
