WHEN TO GOODIFY

So when do you need to goodify something?

Keep in mind that the ultimate goal of goodifying is always to intentionally create O’Playsis.  Goodification is the process of changing, adapting, or innovating an activity, but it’s not usually necessary to change up tasks or activities that are working.  The old adage “if it’s not broken, don’t fix it” applies here.  If the outcome is successful and the process feels good to all involved, then consistency and repetition lead to feelings of predictability and mastery, which are great building blocks for growth and learning. Often the practice of “changing it up,” just for the sake of doing something different doesn’t usually lead to greater success or more effective interactions, and sometimes even leads to confusion, frustration, or discomfort with departure from what is routine and familiar.  However, we know that change is worth exploring when we answer “yes” to any of the following questions:

Could it be more joyful?

Could it be more connecting or socially unifying?

Could it be more empowering or does it need to be safer?

Could it be more engaging?

Answering yes to any of these questions doesn’t mean it’s a bad task or activity.  It doesn’t mean we’re doing it wrong.  And it doesn’t mean our audience is getting nothing out of it.  If it’s been working, there is good in what we’re doing, and there’s a reason we’re doing it.  Goodification simply helps us take the good and amplify it.

General Goodification

By using the four domains of the Playmaker approach to guide how we change the activity, we can be confident that we’re generally working toward building and strengthening O’Playsis, which helps us to be most effective in what we’re doing.

If it can be more joyful, how can you adapt the activity or innovate on what’s already there to help it feel more joyful—to bring more humor, fun, or gratitude to the experience?

If it can be more connecting, how can you offer more opportunities for collaboration, interaction, teamwork, or relationship building, and how can the experience foster more love and compassion?

If it can be safer or more empowering (internal control domain), how can you incorporate more voices into the dialogue, how can you offer more choice and variety of ways to participate, and how can you increase individuals’ sense of control over what happens to them and how challenging the experience is for them?

If it can be more engaging, how can you bring more imagination or creativity to the activity and help the experience to feel more interesting and stimulating in appealing ways?