Sandra Au Yeung, training and development manager at the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, knew the Dialogue in the Dark executive workshop - in which participants are guided by visually-impaired instructors to work in the dark - would be a radical departure from the usual programmes her colleagues were used to attending. But not even she predicted the versatility and impact of working in complete darkness.
'The inability to see heightens your other senses, and leads you to reflect and think more deeply. It encourages participants to use their other senses to communicate and find ways of working together,' she explains.
First pioneered by Andreas Heinecke in Germany, the concept takes as its starting point the ideas and non-visual perceptions of blind people in order to discover the unseen within and all around us. By providing a platform for communication, the founder wanted the experience of working in the dark to have a profound impact, provoking a change in perspectives and improving the quality of human interactions.
Tse Chi-keung, project officer of Dialogue in the Dark Hong Kong, says the response to the workshop has been positive since its launch in Hong Kong in January last year. Corporations are no longer just sending their senior managers, but extending participation to all tiers of the organisation.
Though the workshop has attracted firms from banking and finance, accounting, and property management sectors, Tse says the sessions are relevant for all industries as long as there is teamwork involved. The three-hour executive workshop is split into two parts. In the first two hours, under the guidance of a visually-impaired instructor, participants work together in the dark to build a physical object. A facilitator then shares his observations in a debriefing session.
'Darkness presents a challenging environment for everybody,' Tse says. 'People automatically think because you can't see anything, you won't be able to do anything. The workshop shows such challenges can be overcome so long as you work together.'
Darkness has proved to be a powerful tool. It breaks down assumptions, helps understanding, changes mindsets, improves communication and encourages personal growth.