Your Basket (0 items)Why Coaches Are Paying Attention
For most professional coaches, the question is rarely whether to keep developing. It is which approaches genuinely add something useful to the work.
More coaches across the UK are starting to explore LEGO® Serious Play® as part of their coaching practice. Not because it is novel or different for the sake of it, but because it changes the quality of reflection clients bring into the room. Conversations often become more visual, more honest, and more revealing than they would through dialogue alone.
Naturally, coaches tend to ask similar questions before committing to training. What does it actually involve? Is it practical? Does it work well in one-to-one coaching? And how does it fit alongside existing coaching frameworks?
This article explores those questions in more detail.
If you are still exploring the methodology itself, it is worth starting with LEGO Serious Play Coaching: How It Works and When to Use It.
What is LEGO Serious Play coaching training?
LEGO Serious Play coaching training teaches coaches how to integrate the LEGO Serious Play methodology into one-to-one and small group coaching work.
The training is designed specifically for coaching contexts rather than general facilitation. That means working one-to-one, responding naturally to what emerges in the session, and helping clients reflect rather than pushing them toward predefined answers.
The methodology itself has existed for more than 25 years and is widely used in facilitation, leadership development, and organisational work. Its use within coaching has grown more steadily over recent years, particularly amongst executive coaches, leadership coaches, and practitioners working in personal development.
By the end of training, coaches are typically able to use LEGO Serious Play to help clients:
- Make thinking more visible
- Explore challenges from different perspectives
- Build models of future goals or desired change
- Surface assumptions or barriers
- Reflect in a way that feels more tangible and less abstract
For many coaches, it becomes another way of helping clients access thinking that conversation alone does not always uncover.
Who is LEGO Serious Play coaching training designed for?
The training is generally aimed at practising coaches rather than complete beginners.
That includes:
- Executive coaches
- Leadership coaches
- Life coaches
- Team coaches
- HR and L&D professionals using coaching approaches
- Therapists or facilitators exploring more experiential methods
Some people come to the training wanting something fresh to bring into existing sessions. Others are looking for a more structured way to work visually and metaphorically with clients.
It is also fairly common for coaches to discover the methodology through workshops or facilitation work first, then later realise how naturally it transfers into coaching conversations.
Coaches wanting to run larger group workshops usually combine this with broader LEGO Serious Play facilitator training over time.
What does the training cover?
A good LEGO Serious Play coaching course should go beyond simply showing people how to use the bricks.
If the training only focuses on activities, it probably is not going deep enough.
The stronger programmes tend to focus on how the method works within coaching relationships, how to ask questions effectively, and how to help clients work meaningfully with metaphor and reflection.
At SERIOUSWORK, the coaching training centres around Build Level 1: Individual Model Building. This is the level most relevant to one-to-one coaching work.
Participants explore how to:
- Use LEGO to externalise complex thinking
- Ask better questions around models and metaphor
- Work with storytelling and reflection
- Adapt the approach for different coaching contexts
- Create psychological safety during sessions
For coaches working more with teams or organisational dynamics, shared model building becomes increasingly relevant. In those cases, many coaches later progress into the 2-day facilitator training as well.
How coaches use LEGO Serious Play in one-to-one coaching
LEGO Serious Play does not replace coaching conversation. It changes the way people access and express their thinking.
In practice, the process is fairly simple. A coach introduces a question or theme. The client builds a model in response. From there, the conversation develops around what the model represents and what emerges through reflection.
What is interesting is how quickly the dynamic changes.
The focus moves away from the individual slightly and onto the model itself. That often makes difficult conversations feel safer and less emotionally loaded. Clients tend to speak more openly because they are talking through something they have built rather than being placed directly under scrutiny.
Coaches use the method in a wide range of areas, including:
- Career transitions
- Leadership identity
- Values clarification
- Decision-making
- Confidence and self-belief
- Navigating uncertainty
- Executive coaching
- Personal development work
For some clients, the physical act of building unlocks insight surprisingly quickly. Others simply find it easier to organise and articulate their thinking visually.
Either way, the models tend to create richer conversations.
Executive coaching and LEGO Serious Play
This is often the point where coaches become slightly sceptical.
There is usually an assumption that senior leaders will resist the idea of building with LEGO. Interestingly, many executive coaches find the opposite happens once the session begins.
Senior leaders spend most of their working lives in discussion, analysis, meetings, and presentation. Building models changes the mode of thinking completely. It tends to bypass rehearsed answers and create a more reflective conversation surprisingly quickly.
That is part of the reason LEGO Serious Play has become increasingly visible within executive coaching and leadership development contexts across the UK.
Importantly, it is not about replacing existing coaching frameworks. Most experienced coaches simply integrate the methodology into the way they already work.
Online vs in-person coaching training in the UK
SERIOUSWORK currently delivers the coaching training online across two half-days, which makes it accessible for coaches throughout the UK without needing to travel.
The online structure has been designed specifically for remote delivery rather than adapted awkwardly from an in-person format. Coaches experience how the method works online whilst also learning how to apply it remotely with their own clients.
Upcoming UK-accessible dates for 2026 include:
- 9 & 10 July 2026
- 23 & 24 September 2026
- 25 & 26 November 2026
All sessions run within GMT/BST timezones.
There is also the option for in-house delivery for organisations developing internal coaching capability.
How much does LEGO Serious Play coaching training cost in the UK?
SERIOUSWORK’s coaching training is currently priced at £495 + VAT.
That places it broadly in line with professional coaching CPD at the more specialist end of the market. The training also draws on a fairly substantial body of practical experience and published work around the LEGO Serious Play methodology.
Founder Sean Blair has authored four books on LEGO Serious Play, and much of that thinking feeds directly into the programme itself.
For organisations looking to train multiple internal coaches, bespoke in-house pricing is also available. Get in touch to discuss.
Professional accreditation considerations for UK coaches
Coaches accredited through the ICF, EMCC, or Association for Coaching often ask whether LEGO Serious Play coaching training can contribute toward CPD requirements.
Generally speaking, structured coaching training of this kind does contribute toward continuing professional development hours. The exact categorisation varies depending on the accrediting body, so coaches are usually advised to confirm requirements directly with the ICF, EMCC, or AC.
SERIOUSWORK can provide documentation confirming completion of training where required. For any specific queries, get in touch directly.
Choosing the right LEGO Serious Play coaching provider
Not all LEGO Serious Play training is built in the same way, particularly when it comes to coaching.
Some programmes focus heavily on activities and facilitation techniques without really exploring the coaching relationship itself. Others are much more grounded in practical coaching application.
A few useful things to consider:
Is the training designed specifically for coaches?
There is a meaningful difference between facilitation training and coaching training. The methodology may be similar, but the application is not.
Do the trainers actively coach using the method?
This matters more than many people initially realise. Training tends to feel very different when it is delivered by people who actively use the methodology within real coaching practice.
What experience sits behind the training?
SERIOUSWORK has published extensively on LEGO Serious Play, including four books authored by founder Sean Blair. That experience shapes the structure and depth of the training itself.
Does the approach feel practical?
Many coaches describe the training as valuable because they can begin applying elements of the method with clients almost immediately afterwards.
You can explore the full coaching training offer and upcoming dates on the LEGO Serious Play coaching training page.
How coaching training relates to facilitator training
Coaches often ask whether they also need facilitator training.
Usually, the answer depends on the kind of work they want to do.
The coaching training focuses mainly on one-to-one and small group coaching contexts. Facilitator training moves further into workshops, organisational sessions, team development, and shared model building.
Many coaches complete both over time as their practice develops.
For a broader overview of facilitation pathways, these articles are worth reading:
FAQ
How much does LEGO Serious Play coaching training cost in the UK?
SERIOUSWORK’s coaching training is currently priced at £495 + VAT.
Is LEGO Serious Play coaching training available online?
Yes. Training is delivered online across two half-days with multiple UK-accessible dates throughout the year.
Do I need a coaching background to attend?
The programme is designed primarily for practising coaches, though coaches at different stages of their career attend.
Does the training count toward ICF or EMCC CPD hours?
Structured coaching training of this type generally contributes toward CPD hours, though coaches should confirm requirements with their accrediting body.
What is the difference between coaching training and facilitator training?
Coaching training focuses more on one-to-one coaching applications. Facilitator training focuses on workshops, teams, and shared model building.
Can organisations arrange in-house coaching training?
Yes. SERIOUSWORK offers in-house delivery for organisations developing internal coaching capability.
How long is a LEGO Serious Play coaching session?
Most coaches integrate LEGO Serious Play into sessions lasting between 60 and 90 minutes, depending on the coaching context.
Who delivers the training at SERIOUSWORK?
Training is delivered by SERIOUSWORK’s team of accredited coaches and trainers, led by Vics Bradley.
