As a conference designer, I tend to avoid conferences that I am not involved in. I find that the traditional model of talking heads is boring, and even when there is an amazing speaker, there is no call to action or meaningful processes for participants......
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Games with a difference
TabTalks is a design company that focuses on custom board and card games. Working with clients, TabTalks will unpack the learning needs of your organization or the difficult problems your stakeholders or community are facing and create games that provide a safe-space to engage in dialogue and learn.
TabTalks games aim to challenge assumptions and change the way people work together through friendly competition. All games are designed for success, but through embedded learning. The games create a safe space to facilitate face-to-face conversations and exploration of new ideas. Through purposeful play, paradigms can be challenged in a safe environment and new norms can emerge.
Disasters and games; what game am I playing?: Tabatha Soltay at TEDx
7
Games launched
23
Prototypes tested
85
Games facilitated
1820
Players
Featured games
The process
Each game is custom built with your goals in mind.
Problem
Understanding your needs and ensuring that the learning aims of the game are aligned with this is the most important part of developing a custom game. What do you want players to understand or know when they finish playing?
Prototype
Testing the game mechanics, first without content and then with, ensures that the game is easy to play for your target audience and that the content delivers your learning objectives. Does the game deliver? If not – what needs to change?
Play
Developing additional resources and training game-hosts is essential to the game being delivered to your target audience. Developing parameters and ensuring you have time to play ensures learning. Are you ready to play?
Facilitating
Designing processes to increase interest and participation
Tabatha thinks that meetings are often boring and seldom achieve anything! Tabatha also believes that only meaningful (and usually face-to-face) discussions result in real solutions. This contradiction comes together in the work Tabatha undertakes as a designer and facilitator.
Meetings don’t have to be dull, conferences don’t have to be talking heads, workshops are not just about experts. Tabatha designs fun and engaging agendas where collaboration is the key to being constructive and sessions engage all participants. Tabatha has facilitated meetings for four people and interactive conferences of over 300 people.
Tabatha can also develop custom designed curriculum to help your team reach their facilitation potential.
Our Collaborators
Bringing together the right skills to get amazing games.
Graphic & web designer
Kat Kavanagh
Kat, from Capra, creates beautiful graphics that make games easier and more joyful to play. Her company builds custom applications, with a focus on experimenting with new tools and finding the right solution for a problem. Kat has experience in game design and graphic design.
Game designer & writer
Jean-Philippe Veilleux
Jean-Philippe is a fiction writer and gamer who has been plotting and scheming with Tabatha since their days at Environment Canada. He has become a key collaborator in developing TabTalks’ games. With his extensive experience in storytelling he brings a unique flavour to TabTalks game projects.
Collaborators
The League of Intrapreneurs
The League of Intrapreneurs Canada promotes proactive, socially-motivated (and risk-taking) individuals innovating from within institutions and corporations. Tabatha, as someone who challenge the status-quo and help others ask difficult questions, is a founding participant of the League.
Collaborators
ISED Innovation Lab
The Innovation Lab is a multidisciplinary team of public servants who encourage the use of innovative methodologies to solve complex policy, program or regulatory challenges. The Lab uses design thinking to develop and test better ways of doing. Tabatha is a Lab supporter, alumni, and ally.
What people are saying
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