Community Building and Dungeons & Dragons with Joshua Selesnick
The pandemic was a time when many people redefined themselves and headed off in new directions. For Joshua Selesnick, that meant taking a plunge into deep entrepreneurial waters with an idea for connecting his love for the Dungeons & Dragons game and the world of business.
How do the two mix?
The connection point has everything to do with community building. So strap on your plate armor and grab that dwarven hammer if you're ready for the next adventurous live stream on Talk About Your Community!
About Joshua Selesnick
Josh has spent the last seven years perfecting his crafts as a Dungeon Master and an actor. He hails from Montclair, NJ and went to Oberlin College, both of which shaped him into the free thinker he is today.
Show Notes
4:00: Josh begins by explaining the basics of DND: A roleplaying game with actions determined by dice rolls. A large part of Josh’s work is taking the relationship bonds built in the game out into real life. They touch on character creation, that the art form is being able to portray yourself through different lens. Todd likens it to creating an online persona/avatar.
11:23: Creating Playing for Keeps, Josh started to see opportunities for development in communication, commitment to choices, independence and not just look to leadership. With trust, there’s a natural trust fall when you create and other players pick it up. Todd shares a story of a game were a totem was carved for him; Josh shares an example of a character helping to name another character.
17:05: Todd speaks on liminal spaces. D&D offers a chance to safely play with identity, play with choice, take risks, be the hero. Josh speaks to exercises he does to get people more comfortable with sharing their character. He also brings up Sanford Meisner’s motto: Truthful behavior under imaginary circumstances.
21:48: Todd speaks to the social contract of not being a “wangrod” through social contract of ensuring you’re creating an enjoyable environment. Josh adding in that his role as a DM (Dungeon Master - facilitator of the game) includes asking people to step away if necessary. He says any disfunction will be felt in the game, as it’s a great litmus test.
28:04: Switching gears to his job within team building, Josh shares capitalizing on excitement and investment is key. He explains some of the situations he might put groups through to work together to solve. Todd chimes in that enabling early wins is a great way to build confidence.
36:45: Todd asks about the aftermath of playing D&D, recapping that experience. Josh mentions calling out noticed patterns of behavior, such as building on each other’s ideas to open bigger possibilities. Todd mentions that opening the play environment makes it easier to discuss certain behaviors that can inhibit a positive group dynamic.