CLIENT’S BRIEF

A local polytechnic wanted to better prepare its students for life after graduation by helping them gain greater clarity and direction as they consider key academic and scholarship-related decisions. They engaged us to design a workshop that enabled students to reflect on their deeper motivations and develop a clearer sense of purpose to guide their future decisions. 

WHAT WE DID

We recognised that reflecting on one's "why" is not always easy. Instead of asking students to define their purpose directly, we adopted a story-making approach by inviting them to reflect on moments when they felt most proud, fulfilled or energised through learning or contributing.  Using LEGO Serious Play, the students built models that gave concrete form to these experiences, making it easier to explore the values and motivations behind them. 

This hands-on process enabled the students to go beyond their initial top-of-mind responses to uncover the deeper motivations underlying these moments (their “why”).

Students then explored the connections between their motivations and future aspirations by imagining what meaningful work might look like for them over the next three to five years. They also considered how their "why" could be expressed through different pathways, rather than limited to a single predefined path. 

THE OUTCOMES 

The session was widely described as fun and engaging. For some students, it was their first experience with structured self-reflection. Feedback indicated that the guided questions and visual thinking process provided a helpful framework for exploring their motivations and considering how these could shape their future choices.