Naomi Love #DESIGNtoCHANGE ONSTAGE - EDC MasterMind Series - Stanford - With Ruud Janssen

In her role at Stanford University, Naomi Love, CED+, CMM manages the development planning and execution of programs, meetings, and events for the Beckman Center for Molecular and Genetic Medicine. She talks with Ruud Janssen of the Event Design Collective about "Perspectives" from the Design to Change book. With human-centered design at the forefront and data that drives decisions; Naomi Loves bringing people together through meetings and events! From listening to my employers' and clients' vision through the process of making that vision into a tangible reality. Explore this perspective. Connect with Naomi Love on Linkedin at https://www.linkedin.com/in/naomi-love/ Check out the Perspective worksheet at: https://teameventcanvas.typeform.com/to/xCjs0zD1 See how Naomi's responses to the questions in writing below; 1- What recent conversation did you have (that you left to chance) that you wish you could redo? A recent conversation with my high school mentee. My organization participates in a work-study program with socio-economically challenged students giving them real-life corporate experience before they go off to college. It's a fantastic program! In typical teenage fashion, she was being impulsive, impatient & not taking the time to think through an issue. I try to treat my mentees like young adults, similar to the college kids who attend Stanford. However, went into "Mom" mode & I really wish I could redo the conversation with more of a coaching tone of guidance to let her figure out how to solve her issue. 2- How would you address risk and reward with your event owner in your next conversation? I try to empathize where my stakeholder is coming from 1st, before going into a risk & reward conversation, especially as we are currently still dealing with a global pandemic. This pandemic is not only viral; it is also psychological & that mental component is highly individualized. Those pain points due to the pandemic are very real & are swaying the risk & reward conversations I would typically have with my stakeholders. It is much more delicate & I go into these conversations highlighting the rewards by doing "X." I then follow up by stating "Y" are the risks by not doing "X." Trust is key with my stakeholders to have these 2-way conversations & I'm fortunate to be in a trusted advisor position with them. 3 - What question would you ask to see it like they do? I ask my stakeholders to simply tell me their story... their why. A "Huh, that's really interesting! Can you share a little more of your thought process so I can further understand?" Or a, "Please tell me more about what you are thinking? What are you trying to avoid? What are you hoping to obtain/gain? What do you wish "X" could be like?" Gives me a lot of insight to keep the conversation going to find common ground by being more intentional & human. So, I always try to check my behavior 1st & welcome the opportunity of seeing the situation from a different perspective. That diverse thinking has allowed for conversations to be innovative in strategic planning as we deconstruct & reconstruct the way we work & host events moving forward. Check out the DESIGN to CHANGE book at: https://www.designtochange.online