Paper airplanes flying across a full room at Firstup Attune Unplugged 2023
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Interactive Session · Workshop

Paper Airplanes and Ideas that Fly

Get unstuck with the wisdom already in the room.

35 or 45–60 minutes
For anyone who gets stuck on problems at work
The Speakers

Solo or as a duo.

Pinaki Kathiari
Pinaki Kathiari
CEO, Local Wisdom
FacilitatorView profile →
Kelsey Buckholtz
Kelsey Buckholtz
Director of Communications Strategy, Local Wisdom
FacilitatorView profile →
About This Talk

Every day at work, we face barriers, obstacles, and challenges of all shapes and sizes.

We may get stuck by keeping it close to our chest or sticking our heads in the sand, hoping it will go away, or we might have too much on our plates to find a solution.

Pinaki Kathiari, CEO of the digital communications agency Local Wisdom, brings a fresh approach to problem-solving and harnessing the collective wisdom in the room. This interactive session helps you get unstuck by introducing your problems to others to gain new perspectives and ideas. You will go through a few unique ideation exercises that utilize all attendees in a random, anonymous, fun way to generate solutions to your specific challenges. And yes, we'll be doing it with paper airplanes. Consider it building the plane while we fly it.

Format
45–60-minute workshop, or a 35-minute interactive session
Presenters
Pinaki Kathiari, solo or with Kelsey Buckholtz
Built for
Anyone who gets stuck on problems at work — every level, any function, any industry
Room needs
Worksheets, pencils, and space for paper airplanes to fly
Presented at
Ten stages since 2019, including ALI (four times), Firstup (twice), IABC Boston, PRSA Connect and Bananatag Comms Lab
Takeaways Photos Video By the Numbers
What Attendees Leave With

The answer is already in the room.

You'll learn

01
How to craft a sound problem statement
Name the real challenge so others can actually help.
02
Powerful design-thinking exercises
Design thinking isn't just for designers — it's a practical tool anyone can use.
03
Ideas for your specific challenge
Real solutions from the room — anonymous, so hierarchy and ego stay out of it.

The four exercises

01
Problem statement
Write down your real challenge — then fold it into a paper airplane and fly it. Whoever catches it works on it.
02
100MPH thinking
Fast, unfiltered ideas for the problem you caught.
03
180-degree thinking
Deliberately come up with the worst ideas — then flip them.
04
Intersection thinking
Combine unrelated elements into something new — the method attendees keep using.
Watch

See it take off.

Bananatag Comms Lab · New York City · 2019

Mission 50 · Hoboken, NJ · 2022

By the Numbers
10
Stages since 2019 — our most-delivered talk
4×
Booked by ALI, including two years running at Modern Intranets
57%
Of the 35-minute version is attendees working, not listening
4
Ideation exercises attendees can take back to their teams
Paper airplanes flying across the room
Book This Talk

Bring it to your stage.

Paper Airplanes runs as a 45–60-minute workshop or a 35-minute interactive session, and it works for any audience that gets stuck on problems at work. Tell us about your event and we'll shape it to fit.

Get In Touch See the program