One year ago, I (Konstantin Ristl) set out with the rocket pack. Admittedly, it was already our second edition, yet I learned a lot. I'd like to share some of that with you here!
Since our team came up with the idea of the rocket pack, I've been a big fan of this card game. Not only did we develop a guide for blended learning, but we also had the luxury to gather and compile many methods.
Card Game
The rocket pack for Blended Learning
The rocket pack is a card game for blended learning: 40 methods on 40 cards give you inspiration for your training or coaching. Inclusive online materials with extra tips and real examples!
One of my favorite methods from the rocket pack: "The Boss is on Board"
To this day, each of the 40 cards inspires me. But one particularly stood out to me: Card 8 “The Boss is on Board.” The idea of using a leader as a motivator for a course immediately appealed to me.
I have recommended this method to many of our clients and often placed myself in front of the camera as well. One of my highlights was giving a speech to our new employees against a beautiful backdrop – as part of a blended onboarding in the team.
Example of implementing “The Boss is on Board” from the blink.it rocket pack. The video was part of the blended onboarding of a new employee.
In this article, I want to introduce you to the occasions and travels where I had the rocket pack with me.
The idea: On each of my trips and outings, I took the rocket pack with me and documented an entire year in pictures against interesting backdrops. I also learned a lot about my use of the rocket pack, which I want to share with you.
How my rocket pack changed during the journey
As part of blink.it, I had the pleasure of receiving one of the first rocket packs of our second edition. And for anyone who might still know the old rocket pack: the new one has revised instructions, six new method cards, and comes in a darker blue.
The two rocket pack editions side by side:
The very last printed rocket pack from the first edition (left) next to Konstantin's traveling rocket pack (right) in front of original Japanese tatami mats.
A year of travel leaves its marks. A few of my cards were lost during the journey and were replaced with a color printer.
What I like best about the rocket pack
I find the compact form of the rocket pack very practical, as it includes everything I need. However, my behavior has changed significantly after a year: In the first few days, I still occasionally browsed through the instructions. Although I already knew them quite well thanks to my involvement, they still offered great tips from time to time. At that time, I also still occasionally looked more closely at the cards – whereas I only visited the online content when I wanted to show something to friends or acquaintances. Today, I simply hear the title of a card and I already know exactly what is meant.
How I work with the rocket pack
My favorite way to work with the rocket pack today is randomly drawing a card. Then I think about how I could use the card next. This works both when I am currently working on a specific project or just feeling bored. So far, I have always found good inspiration this way.
If you try it yourself, it may sometimes feel very outlandish to incorporate what you just drew into your project. But it is precisely in this way that I have had the most exciting experiences.
I am still excited about our various guides in the blink.it team – for example, about facilitating data-driven decisions in the team (Card 36 “Create your guide”).
How I learned to love “Well Done”
The card that excites me the most today is Card 25 “Well Done”. What I love about it is the intersection of effort and effect. After most events in our team, I now send videos with brief, positive feedback. What is particularly important to me is the enthusiastic impact of the video. Best if even more people participate.
Here is how I used "Well Done" as a method last:
Short, enthusiastic feedback on the ITCS and the onboarding of Nico. Based on the rocket pack card “Well Done”.
What I am excited about in every message sent is that it guarantees a reaction. Sometimes it’s comments on the video, sometimes conversations at the next encounter, and very rarely a video response from others. The largest and fastest feedback I receive is in the form of emojis… 🐧💪🚀!
The nerdy encounter – a 3D scan
As a big fan of mathematics and physics, I am fascinated by many technical gadgets. On one of my travels last year with the rocket pack, I encountered a device that calculates the aerodynamics of any object placed in front of it. This led me to obtain a wonderful 3D scan of the rocket pack and me.
Spoiler: We are not fit for flight ;)
The rocket pack with Konstantin in the 3D scanner.
The coolest surprise – the rocket pack in Japan
After nearly half a year on tour with the rocket pack, I received a really great surprise: Corinna's photos from Japan. Until then, the rocket pack had only known the western hemisphere from Germany to San Francisco. From now on, another rocket pack also knows the eastern hemisphere up to Tokyo. To this day, no visit of the rocket pack has been known further east.
The rocket pack with Corinna in Japan.
The beautiful conclusion of a shared journey: US East Coast
To conclude my first joint year with the rocket pack, I went back to the East Coast of the USA. And: After a year of traveling, it finally saw "real", big rockets! 😄
If you also feel like going on such a journey, I recommend three things:
Get yourself a rocket pack.
Start randomly drawing cards.
Inspire with new methods.
If you are still not convinced: Check out my pictures from a year with the rocket pack in the following slideshow now!
