Wavetable magazine
How teams get ready for the moments that decide their work, and what we learn building the practice.
Newest
- Running the room
How to make your own Game
Designing experiences people stop watching and start playing.
- Behind the scenes
The demo nobody watched
We built a ninety-second game to open a workshop and put it on phones the day before. Nobody watched it. Everyone played.
- How teams practice
Decision Rehearsal: the skill you can't lecture into people
Pilots get simulators. The rest of us get PowerPoints. How to build the expertise that only comes from rehearsing real decisions under pressure.
How teams practice
Decision rehearsal, the format as the lesson, and why rehearsing beats being told.
Running the room
Workshops, off-sites and meetings: how to plan them and how to host them.
Presenting and writing
Decks, talks, stories and words that work for the people in front of you.
AI at work
What AI changes about the work, and what it does not.
People and ideas
Musicians, athletes, film-makers and brands, and what teams can take from them.
Behind the scenes
How we build Wavetable: the games, the tools and the thinking.
139 articles
- Running the room
How to make your own Game
Designing experiences people stop watching and start playing.
- Behind the scenes
The demo nobody watched
We built a ninety-second game to open a workshop and put it on phones the day before. Nobody watched it. Everyone played.
- How teams practice
Decision Rehearsal: the skill you can't lecture into people
Pilots get simulators. The rest of us get PowerPoints. How to build the expertise that only comes from rehearsing real decisions under pressure.
- AI at work
Mid-Career Might Be the AI Sweet Spot
Everyone's worried about juniors being replaced by AI. But what if mid-career people, with their context and taste, are best placed to thrive?
- Presenting and writing
The Inside Intro
A quick tip for hosts: get someone from the client's team to introduce you. It only takes 30 seconds, but changes everything.
- Running the room
Teaching and Designing
"Teaching is the best way to learn something". We believed this for a while, but now we're not so sure.
- How teams practice
The format is the lesson
Why training doesn't change behavior - and 30 interactive formats we built to fix it.
- Running the room
Just in Time Experience Design
We spent seven months building a program. Then we trashed 60% and rebuilt in two weeks. User research matters. Playtesting matters more.
- AI at work
Anyone Can Cook, But Someone Has to Taste the Soup
In 'Ratatouille', anyone can cook - but a great chef has to taste the soup. This applies to AI too. The skill now is knowing what good tastes like.
- AI at work
Three AI Bets Every Services Business Is Already Making
I gave a talk in Paris on AI acceleration. Not the "here's how to write better prompts" kind. The "where are you actually placing your chips" kind.
- Running the room
The Off-Site Pie
Planning an offsite is not a piece of cake. In fact, it's a pie. Every session is some slice of five things: Strategy, Alignment, Education, Inspiration, Vibes.
- Presenting and writing
Writing for 20,000 People Who Don't All Speak English at Home
We're writing voiceover for a global leadership experience. Clarity was the easy part. Keeping the story alive across languages was harder.
- Behind the scenes
Family Reunion: Designing a 75-Minute Card Game for Family Office Executives
A custom card game for TBN Americas' Catalytic Capital Summit in Guatemala - where family office executives navigated fictional investment decisions through three competitive rounds, external judges, and real tensions about legacy versus innovation.
- AI at work
From Ableton to Vibe Coding: When Creative Tools Break Open
How Ableton Live turned bedroom producers into festival headliners - and why today's AI coding tools are following the same pattern of democratization, from Sasha's 2005 Essential Mix to Skrillex's basement-built drops.
- AI at work
Why 80% of AI Investments Fail (And How to Fix Yours)
Most companies roll out AI tools, provide training, hope for the best - then wonder why adoption stalls. The missing piece isn't technical knowledge, it's confidence built through practice under pressure.
- AI at work
The Ultimate Playtester: How we use custom GPTs to design better live experiences
Learn how we eliminated workshop failures and delighted 135 senior leaders across 10+ countries without a single test participant.
- People and ideas
Hustle Athletics: How Two Founders Landed Nike (By Breaking All the Rules)
When you're looking to land a game-changing client, which move would your team make?
- How teams practice
Beyond the Book: Remixing Knowledge into Multi-Format Magic
How extending core IP across new mediums creates deeper learning experiences
- People and ideas
The McCartney Method: When Details Meet Experience
Paul McCartney checks the paper stock on his own vinyl releases. What his obsessive operation teaches about details and experience.
- People and ideas
The Matthew McConaughey Masterclass Nobody's Talking About
How revealing the messy middle of creative work teaches us more than any polished case study
- Presenting and writing
The Power of a Great Question: Unlocking Worlds, One Inquiry at a Time
Great questions need design, timing, delivery, and follow-through - like a billiard break that opens up every ball perfectly.
- AI at work
Teaching with GPT: Building a Digital Persona That Thinks, Guides, and Surprises
Building a custom GPT for Columbia students means designing personality, setting boundaries, and creating 50+ rules for strategic learning.
- People and ideas
The Magic of Simple Ideas: What a Café in Paris Can Teach Us About Memorable Experiences
A Paris cafe uses Marcel Proust's questionnaire to create memorable experiences - proof that customer delight doesn't require screens.
- Presenting and writing
How to Spot Talent: Two Questions That Reveal Creative Spark
Economist Tyler Cowen’s approach to finding talent is insightful, and flawed. Here’s how we can uncover hidden potential and level the playing field for the next generation of creators.
- People and ideas
What DJs Can Teach Us About Presenting Ideas and Standing Out
Carl Cox's DJ philosophy - think two tracks ahead, create unique blends - shows how standing out requires unexpected combinations.
- How teams practice
Education vs. Learning vs. Training: Why the Words We Use Matter
Education is done to you. Learning is opting in. Training makes it real. Simple distinctions that change everything.
- How teams practice
Why every company should bring history in-house
Disney has one. IBM too. Even 50-person companies now hire fractional historians - turning archives into assets that inform strategy.
- Behind the scenes
How we validate new product and venture concepts
Testing 18 ad variants revealed counter-intuitive truths - longer surveys convert better, removing cash incentives lowers costs, adding friction helps.
- Behind the scenes
Going deep: Our approach to taking on Deep Work
Pull not push. Block Deep Work periods. Plan in weeks not tasks. Cal Newport's productivity principles applied at Wavetable.
- People and ideas
Inside Out: What the Premier League's RefCam Teaches Us About Empathy and Expertise
Premier League's RefCam puts viewers in the ref's shoes - transforming skeptical fans into educated insiders through immersive perspective.
- AI at work
Upleveling the Case Study: How AI Augmented a Real-World Entrepreneurial Journey
Columbia MBA students tackled live DIG growth scenarios - AI-generated briefs, mock board meetings, and Adam Eskin's real-time feedback.
- People and ideas
Why your favorite TV's show #SceneRemix can unlock magic for brands and educators
YouTube creator remixes The Wire into character-focused episodes - proving curation and editing skills beat traditional CVs for career building.
- People and ideas
How H&M bring the Inside Out with Creator Studio
H&M's Creator Studio lets creatives design AI-generated merch while H&M gains data, optimizes infrastructure, and opens new revenue streams.
- AI at work
How can A.I. be used to augment the end-to-end experience of live events?
Royal Albert Hall panel at Barcelona conference - technology means technique, make small bets, friction isn't always bad if on-brand.
- People and ideas
Keyboard to Console: Why Every Knowledge Worker Needs a Creative Studio Kit
Figma's hardware companion offers hundreds of configurable shortcuts - bringing music production's tactile creativity to every knowledge worker's desk.
- Running the room
From 100 Days to Lifelong Skills: How to Spark Engagement in Online Learning
200,000 enrolled in Replit's coding course but dropoff was massive - ten fixes including missions, scaffolds, and meaningful incentives.
- Presenting and writing
The Blank Slide Shuffle
Scott Harrison went pitch black mid-keynote - using a blank slide to mark rock bottom, ramp tension, refocus attention.
- How teams practice
Global employee engagement levels are shockingly low
Only 5% of Japanese employees engaged at work, 10% in UK, 32% in US - global average 23% means opportunity.
- People and ideas
Richie Hawtin’s next musical frontier? High school science class
Richie Hawtin and Erica Synths built educational synthesizer for high schools - DIY voice cards, immediate hands-on learning, physics meets music.
- Presenting and writing
Understanding the Presentation Spectrum
Presentations live on a spectrum - performative keynotes at one end, decision-driven budget reviews at the other. Most work sits middle.
- People and ideas
Everything's a remix: transferrable skills from the genius of The Prodigy
The Prodigy's Liam Howlett sampled eight songs across genres in 1996 - teaching curation, tool literacy, and synthesis skills.
- People and ideas
Harmonizing Creativity: Inside the zen-infused world of Sebastian Mulleart's ‘Circle of Live’
Swedish artist Sebastian Mulleart built Circle of Live - rotating improvised electronic shows - then In Bloom platform teaching improvisation and creativity.
- People and ideas
Why world-class athletes have been roughing it
Track World Championships built Q Room for athletes waiting on results - comfy chairs, TVs, stretch bands, cameras capturing tension.
- People and ideas
Meet the mysterious designer who secretly remixes street posters
Brooklyn designer Max Kolomatsky secretly redesigns street posters for handymen and yoga - elevating local businesses, teaching design skills publicly.
- People and ideas
How Coldplay use Inside Out dynamics to hit all the right notes
Coldplay built comprehensive sustainability tour report and explorable timeline archive - bringing fans inside through transparency, benchmarks, historical artifacts.
- Presenting and writing
11 tips to improve your writing skills
University of Chicago professor Larry McEnerney breaks down writing - purpose is changing reader worldview, sentences create microstresses, jargon varies.
- People and ideas
Flipping the script: a movie studio launch an app for fans
A24 Films launched app during Hollywood shutdown - behind-scenes content, new angles, product extensions prove constraints encourage creativity.
- People and ideas
Why David Marchese's skills remain underrated
NYT's David Marchese gets celebrities to reveal hidden lives - unusual questions, pushback, overcoming the desperate desire to be liked.
- People and ideas
Christopher Nolan's 26 principles for creative work
Christopher Nolan's 26 principles for creative work - constraints breed resourcefulness, flip ideas, mute the world then build your own.
- People and ideas
How cricket is reshaping culture and the world of work
Indian women's cricket league valued second globally with 50m viewers - coaches using sport to empower girls, especially rural areas.
- People and ideas
How Jay-Z's new exhibition opens up new ways to engage
The Book of HOV skips the fancy gallery for Brooklyn's central library. What Jay-Z's exhibition shows about meeting audiences where they are.
- People and ideas
Spain's €20k gift for every young citizen
Spanish minister proposes €20k universal inheritance at 18 - funded by taxing €3m+ earners - for study, training, business launches.
- Behind the scenes
🚌 “We should do a school… or something?”
Allbirds goes open source, edutainment as a springboard, and the opportunity to build what's next
- People and ideas
How a TV show is using Edutainment 3.0 to open up exciting new spaces
'Space Junk' encourages audiences to create new stories using web3 and AI technologies
- How teams practice
Making Moonshots: The power of open source brand toolkits
Allbirds open-sourced their M0.0NSHOT shoe toolkit. Why opening your IP is smart for brand, talent and impact, and four ways to do it better than a PDF.
- Running the room
Why the best experiences have invisible structure
Billy Wilder built films so the craft disappeared. Why presentations, programs and experiences work best when the structure stays hidden.
- Presenting and writing
How to set up speaker notes in a live presentation (simple 3-step process)
Notes can end up distracting and confusing. So how do we best use them?
- People and ideas
The surprising human-centric approach used by a Premier League team on the rise
From a council athletics track to the Premier League: how Brighton's unusual, human-centred metrics built a team that outperforms its budget.
- People and ideas
5 lessons from Hollywood’s 14 year old animator
A 14-year-old animated a key scene in the new Spider-Man film. Five things his story says about real-world projects, minus the prodigy pressure.
- Behind the scenes
Introducing the Presentation Elevation Tool
A free tool packed with unconventional prompts to help you get unstuck
- Presenting and writing
Presentation Skills: 3 Levels of Speaking (and two ways to level up)
Master the fundamentals of public speaking with three progressive levels and practical techniques to level up your presentation game.
- People and ideas
How a soccer star is helping young athletes translate their skills into alternative career paths
Only a fraction of academy players turn pro. How a Liverpool FC star is helping young athletes carry their skills into different careers.
- Running the room
Notes on... creating engaging learning experiences
What keeps people coming back to an online course? Seven elements of engagement, riffed for a group of senior brand and strategy folk.
- Presenting and writing
Air Time: How to elevate your next presentation deck
30 million PowerPoints are made every day; most are overcrowded. The telescope method trims a deck without hours of microscopic surgery.
- Presenting and writing
What's Your Presenter Type?
Our free self-assessment tool will help you level up your presentation skills
- Behind the scenes
Create some Client Magic: join the free Micro Course
Client presentations, pitches and reviews are high-stakes. A free micro course on designing client experiences people want to be in.
- Running the room
3 ways to make your Training and Development more engaging
Skills expire faster than ever, but most training still feels flat. Three ways to design sessions people actually want to be in.
- Running the room
Workshops & Meetings: How to avoid the pre-read trap
Nobody does the pre-work. Nobody reads the pre-read. How to design workshops and meetings that work anyway: no dependencies, multiple ways in.
- Behind the scenes
Inside Wavetable's brand refresh
A brighter, bolder Wavetable, and the thinking underneath it. Why what happens Inside now has an outsize impact on what happens Outside.
- People and ideas
Riding the Wave of Resourcefulness: What We Can Learn from Garrett McNamara's Epic Surfing Adventure
3 tips on how to elevate your resourcefulness, plus a free assessment tool to test out your team dynamics
- People and ideas
How backpack brand Herschel are banking on underserved creators
Herschel turned an old Brooklyn bank into a Bank of Creativity. What a backpack brand's creator program says about investing in craft.
- People and ideas
Spinning Knowledge: What educators and creators can learn from one of the world’s best DJs
Reading a room, improvising, linking disparate ideas: the DJ's craft maps neatly onto teaching. Lessons from one of the world's best.
- How teams practice
Learning is invisible ink
Most people don't actually want to learn; the dips are ugly and demoralising. But making something? That's where learning hides.
- How teams practice
Why human capital is the driver of Fortune 500 success
Fortune 500 value used to live in factories and inventory. Now it lives in people. What the flip to intangible assets means for how firms grow.
- Running the room
Notes On… Obstacle Courses for Learning Experiences
Why your program, workshop, or course should take a tip from the military - and kids’ playtime
- People and ideas
How Airbnb used education to drive their most profitable quarter ever
How Airbnb shifted from performance marketing to brand education and drove their most profitable quarter ever.
- People and ideas
Of Note: Michelin's reimagined company HQ
How the French transport company focused on their employees - and the public - first
- Running the room
Notes on... DIG's Winter marketing campaign
How we went about showrunning a video production campaign for cooking company DIG
- People and ideas
Of Note - Burberry's rebrand goes inside out - and back in time
What Burberry's rebrand reveals about the power of looking inward - and backward - to move forward.
- Running the room
How to bring the power of Telenovelas into learning
Discover how a 1970s TV producer named Miguel created a powerful method for making complex messages resonate through storytelling.
- How teams practice
Why tension in learning can be magic
Like great movies that keep us on the edge of our seats, strategic tension in learning creates engagement and memorable experiences.
- People and ideas
Of Note - #7 - YouTube college credits, Buzzfeed training, and a unique playground
Three examples of Inside Out dynamics in action - from city design, creator economy, and corporate training.
- Running the room
A 3-step exercise to weather tough conditions as a founder
Bring, Leave, Change: a three-question exercise for founders entering rough weather, learned across one recession and into another.
- People and ideas
How Rick Rubin's new book puts you in the picture
Rick Rubin's The Creative Act has almost no Rick Rubin stories in it. Why that omission is the most instructive thing about the book.
- People and ideas
Why an indie rock band may hold the ticket for the future of education
Big Thief's innovative soundcheck invitation to schools is an early contender for the smartest education idea of 2023.
- People and ideas
Alec Baldwin's secret to great conversations
Before every interview, Alec Baldwin's team hunts for one thing: the billiard break, the opening question that sets up the whole conversation.
- People and ideas
Of Note - #6 - Engineers as bloggers, a Rom-Com with 17 endings, and Duolingo open a museum
Three Inside Out examples: Uber engineers as bloggers, Verizon's 17-ending rom-com, and Duolingo's Museum of Wonky English in Tokyo.
- How teams practice
The cost of losing your employees will blow your mind (and your budget)
Replacing an employee costs up to 2x their salary - and 52% say their manager could have prevented them leaving. Here's what to do about it.
- People and ideas
5 top Innovations from CES: From solar-powered cars to multi-dimensional horror movies
Two million square feet, 3,000 exhibitors, endless noise. Five signals worth keeping, from curating the official show tours at CES.
- How teams practice
What people really want from new technology
They don't want features, or even benefits. It's about something more human
- How teams practice
Navigating the Challenges of Leading a Multigenerational Workforce: How Company Leaders Can Bridge the Gap with Gen Z Employees
Gen Z employees are fundamentally different - they hit puberty as smartphones and social media reached critical mass. Leaders need new cross-generational approaches to bridge the gap.
- People and ideas
Of Note - #5 - Spotify backstage, Football Manager, and Abba x Unicef
Three Inside Out examples: Spotify's open-source monetization, a Football Manager gamer turned real-life coach, and Abba's royalty gift to Unicef.
- People and ideas
Whiplash: From side project to 47 awards
Even the geniuses don't go from zero to 100 - how Damian Chazelle's Whiplash proves the power of starting with a proof of concept.
- People and ideas
Of Note - #4 - NYC Trees, Foot Locker creator talent, and Wolfram Alpha live streams
Three Inside Out examples: NYC's tree map powered by volunteers, Foot Locker's employee creators, and Stephen Wolfram's radical transparency.
- People and ideas
All aboard: Why we love the Mexico City Metrobús
21 million daily journeys, eased by rethinking the humble bus. What Mexico City's Metrobus teaches about designing unglamorous things well.
- People and ideas
Of Note - #3 - Jonah Hill, the Mojave Desert, and a Berlin newspaper
Three Inside Out examples: Jonah Hill's documentary inviting viewers into real therapy sessions, Browser Company framing values through road trips, and a Berlin newspaper's game about local politics.
- People and ideas
Of Note - #2 - Welsh football, Swedish hotels, and NYC journalists
Three Inside Out examples: Welcome to Wrexham's behind-the-scenes look at a Welsh football club, Stockholm's Ett Hem hotel eliminating 'back of house', and CUNY's open-source journalism guides.
- People and ideas
Of Note - #1 - TikTok employment stories, #Merky FC, and doing layoffs right
Bike angels, TikTok layoff stories, and #Merky FC. The first edition of Of Note: what we're noticing in the world of Inside Out.
- Presenting and writing
How to get unblocked: Ask yourself some Extreme Questions
What if you had to charge 10x more? Extreme questions shake ideas loose when brainstorming has gone stale. Thirteen prompts to argue with.
- Presenting and writing
What Next? Notes from a conversation with Renetta McCann, Chief Inclusion Experiences Officer at Publicis Groupe
Key takeaways from a conversation with Renetta McCann on complexity, adult learning, and the untapped potential of people managers.
- Presenting and writing
How to get booked to speak at a conference: 20 tips for success
20 field-tested tips for landing a conference talk, from someone who has judged the proposals. Being good isn't enough; being clear helps.
- Behind the scenes
Inside Out: How a classroom experiment sparked the vision for Wavetable
When you stop presenting and start creating, something magical happens. This is the story of how one experimental classroom session evolved into a new vision for learning and growth.
- How teams practice
Why your employee retention problem isn't what you think it is
The employee retention challenge isn't what most leaders think - here's what's really driving people away.
- Presenting and writing
Storytelling vs Narrative: What's the Difference?
Storytelling and narrative get used interchangeably, until someone calls you out. A working distinction that holds up in practice.
- Behind the scenes
We're seeking curious humans
Wavetable is seeking curious, T-shaped humans who want to create transformative learning experiences at the intersection of art and science.
- Running the room
The Community Corner podcast: using Edutainment to create engaging community experiences
Howard shares tips on edutainment, James Bond-style openings, and how to make community gatherings more fresh and exciting.
- How teams practice
Welcome to Edutainment 3.0
Creator-led courses, brand-backed universities, learning that feels like play. Welcome to Edutainment 3.0, a movement taking shape.
- Presenting and writing
How to create a slide deck that engages your audience
Level up your next slide deck so it’s engaging, story-driven, and able to clearly communicate even the most complex topics
- Running the room
How to create an Off-Site that hits the spot - with special guest Katie Dreke
Off-sites are back, but the stakes have changed. A live session with Katie Dreke on designing in-person time remote workers actually value.
- Running the room
How to design a client workshop without freaking out (live demo)
A live demo building a client workshop with five pieces of paper and a pen. Proof that session design doesn't have to be terrifying.
- Presenting and writing
How to design and develop a conference presentation - and why it pays to think like a DJ
A complete step-by-step breakdown of how I built (and booked) a session at a globally-renowned conference
- Running the room
How to tell stories that move your community to action
Seven story elements, daily storytelling habits, and a full workshop video from a leading conference for community builders.
- Running the room
How to create an interactive workshop with mmhmm and Zoom
What happens when you pair mmhmm with Zoom? Notes from an interactive Field Trip with Creative Mornings, and how to build one yourself.
- Running the room
Why 6 is the magic workshop number
A quick guide on how the number 6 can serve as your secret weapon for designing and delivering effective workshops.
- Running the room
3 flavors of workshop
Every workshop has a flavor, and most designers never choose one on purpose. A short video on the three types and how to pick yours.
- How teams practice
Fitness and Education: from IRL to URL
Bootcamps, sprints, workouts: education keeps borrowing fitness language. Eight lessons from fitness for the new era of online learning.
- Running the room
7 ways to adjust your live workshop or course for different audiences
Mixed skill levels in the room? A video Q&A on adjusting a live workshop when beginners and veterans are sitting side by side.
- How teams practice
Why the future of learning is in the middle
How becoming a workshop creator can open up magical opportunities for learning and growth.
- Behind the scenes
What's in a name?
If traditional education is a classical recital, the future of learning is a mixtape. The story behind the name Wavetable.
- Running the room
Our take on How and Why to start a Cohort Based Course in 2021
19 insights on cohort-based courses - from hosting skills to self-care, plus why the CBC hype might be more marketing than revolution.
- How teams practice
The new Edutainment
Education as business development (and beyond), teachers becoming more than just the new DJs, and the foundations of a big shift that’s here to stay.
- Running the room
18 elements of the Zoom revolution (remix)
A remix of Seth Godin's 18 ideas about the Zoom revolution, and what video calls could become once we stop treating them like meetings in disguise.
- Running the room
How to calculate the time you need to create a workshop
How long does it really take to build a workshop? A practical way to estimate creation time before you promise a date you'll regret.
- Running the room
How to transform a webinar
Six practical ways to transform passive webinars into engaging experiences - from changing the format to the jiu jitsu of underpromising.
- Running the room
5 ways to run better remote workshops
Remote workshops fail in predictable ways. Five fixes from years of running distributed sessions, useful long after the novelty wears off.
- Running the room
How to run an interactive workshop in Zoom (Part 2)
Part two of the interactive Zoom workshop guide: running the live session itself, from pre-flight checks to keeping energy up on screen.
- Running the room
How to run an interactive workshop in Zoom
Part one of a practical guide to interactive Zoom workshops: the advance setup that makes a one-off online session feel nothing like a webinar.
- Running the room
The Joy of 6
From cabaret tables to De La Soul to Marc Lewis's School - why six (and 36) is the magic number for workshop design.
- Running the room
3 types of workshop questions
Great workshops answer questions before anyone asks them. Borrowing from storytellers: the three types of questions every session has to handle.
- Running the room
How to design a workshop slide deck
Death by PowerPoint is a choice. How to design workshop slides with narrative and restraint, and when to skip the deck entirely.
- Running the room
How to run a workshop for the C-suite
THE FEAR is real, especially in front of senior executives. Notes on running a boardroom workshop from someone who survived the first one.
- Behind the scenes
The Educator in Residence
CAA became Hollywood's superpower partly by teaching its way there. Why an Educator in Residence could be your firm's quiet advantage.
- How teams practice
Notes on how brands can help solve Wicked Problems
Brand activism is on customers' minds, but unpacking wicked problems requires more than good intentions - here's how brands can make a real difference.
- How teams practice
Why the future is Hot & Cool
Hot media, cool media, and why the mix matters for the future of learning and experience. A short take on where things are heading.
- Behind the scenes
The rise of the residency
What DJs know about connection and craft - and why the art of the residency matters more than ever in our choice-saturated world.
- Running the room
The reverse reference: Why hiring talent is a two-way street
What if employers offered references to the people they interview? A simple shift that could transform how we build trust in hiring.
- Presenting and writing
How to introduce yourself
First impressions are a lever. How to open a workshop, class or meeting with an introduction that builds trust instead of losing the room.
- Presenting and writing
Rewriting The Playbook: Creating a portal for a Netflix documentary series
How Netflix's The Playbook documentary could become an immersive portal for fans to connect, learn, and discover with their heroes.
2026
- Running the room
How to make your own Game
Designing experiences people stop watching and start playing.
- Behind the scenes
The demo nobody watched
We built a ninety-second game to open a workshop and put it on phones the day before. Nobody watched it. Everyone played.
- How teams practice
Decision Rehearsal: the skill you can't lecture into people
Pilots get simulators. The rest of us get PowerPoints. How to build the expertise that only comes from rehearsing real decisions under pressure.
- AI at work
Mid-Career Might Be the AI Sweet Spot
Everyone's worried about juniors being replaced by AI. But what if mid-career people, with their context and taste, are best placed to thrive?
- Presenting and writing
The Inside Intro
A quick tip for hosts: get someone from the client's team to introduce you. It only takes 30 seconds, but changes everything.
- Running the room
Teaching and Designing
"Teaching is the best way to learn something". We believed this for a while, but now we're not so sure.
- How teams practice
The format is the lesson
Why training doesn't change behavior - and 30 interactive formats we built to fix it.
- Running the room
Just in Time Experience Design
We spent seven months building a program. Then we trashed 60% and rebuilt in two weeks. User research matters. Playtesting matters more.
- AI at work
Anyone Can Cook, But Someone Has to Taste the Soup
In 'Ratatouille', anyone can cook - but a great chef has to taste the soup. This applies to AI too. The skill now is knowing what good tastes like.
- AI at work
AI as Taste
Which AI makes decisions the way you do? We built something to find out.
- AI at work
Three AI Bets Every Services Business Is Already Making
I gave a talk in Paris on AI acceleration. Not the "here's how to write better prompts" kind. The "where are you actually placing your chips" kind.
- Running the room
The Off-Site Pie
Planning an offsite is not a piece of cake. In fact, it's a pie. Every session is some slice of five things: Strategy, Alignment, Education, Inspiration, Vibes.
- Presenting and writing
Writing for 20,000 People Who Don't All Speak English at Home
We're writing voiceover for a global leadership experience. Clarity was the easy part. Keeping the story alive across languages was harder.
2025
- Behind the scenes
Family Reunion: Designing a 75-Minute Card Game for Family Office Executives
A custom card game for TBN Americas' Catalytic Capital Summit in Guatemala - where family office executives navigated fictional investment decisions through three competitive rounds, external judges, and real tensions about legacy versus innovation.
- AI at work
From Ableton to Vibe Coding: When Creative Tools Break Open
How Ableton Live turned bedroom producers into festival headliners - and why today's AI coding tools are following the same pattern of democratization, from Sasha's 2005 Essential Mix to Skrillex's basement-built drops.
- AI at work
Why 80% of AI Investments Fail (And How to Fix Yours)
Most companies roll out AI tools, provide training, hope for the best - then wonder why adoption stalls. The missing piece isn't technical knowledge, it's confidence built through practice under pressure.
- AI at work
The Ultimate Playtester: How we use custom GPTs to design better live experiences
Learn how we eliminated workshop failures and delighted 135 senior leaders across 10+ countries without a single test participant.
- People and ideas
Hustle Athletics: How Two Founders Landed Nike (By Breaking All the Rules)
When you're looking to land a game-changing client, which move would your team make?
- How teams practice
Beyond the Book: Remixing Knowledge into Multi-Format Magic
How extending core IP across new mediums creates deeper learning experiences
2024
- People and ideas
The McCartney Method: When Details Meet Experience
Paul McCartney checks the paper stock on his own vinyl releases. What his obsessive operation teaches about details and experience.
- People and ideas
The Matthew McConaughey Masterclass Nobody's Talking About
How revealing the messy middle of creative work teaches us more than any polished case study
- Presenting and writing
The Power of a Great Question: Unlocking Worlds, One Inquiry at a Time
Great questions need design, timing, delivery, and follow-through - like a billiard break that opens up every ball perfectly.
- AI at work
Teaching with GPT: Building a Digital Persona That Thinks, Guides, and Surprises
Building a custom GPT for Columbia students means designing personality, setting boundaries, and creating 50+ rules for strategic learning.
- People and ideas
The Magic of Simple Ideas: What a Café in Paris Can Teach Us About Memorable Experiences
A Paris cafe uses Marcel Proust's questionnaire to create memorable experiences - proof that customer delight doesn't require screens.
- Presenting and writing
How to Spot Talent: Two Questions That Reveal Creative Spark
Economist Tyler Cowen’s approach to finding talent is insightful, and flawed. Here’s how we can uncover hidden potential and level the playing field for the next generation of creators.
- People and ideas
What DJs Can Teach Us About Presenting Ideas and Standing Out
Carl Cox's DJ philosophy - think two tracks ahead, create unique blends - shows how standing out requires unexpected combinations.
- How teams practice
Education vs. Learning vs. Training: Why the Words We Use Matter
Education is done to you. Learning is opting in. Training makes it real. Simple distinctions that change everything.
- How teams practice
Why every company should bring history in-house
Disney has one. IBM too. Even 50-person companies now hire fractional historians - turning archives into assets that inform strategy.
- Behind the scenes
How we validate new product and venture concepts
Testing 18 ad variants revealed counter-intuitive truths - longer surveys convert better, removing cash incentives lowers costs, adding friction helps.
- Behind the scenes
Going deep: Our approach to taking on Deep Work
Pull not push. Block Deep Work periods. Plan in weeks not tasks. Cal Newport's productivity principles applied at Wavetable.
- People and ideas
Inside Out: What the Premier League's RefCam Teaches Us About Empathy and Expertise
Premier League's RefCam puts viewers in the ref's shoes - transforming skeptical fans into educated insiders through immersive perspective.
- AI at work
Upleveling the Case Study: How AI Augmented a Real-World Entrepreneurial Journey
Columbia MBA students tackled live DIG growth scenarios - AI-generated briefs, mock board meetings, and Adam Eskin's real-time feedback.
- People and ideas
Why your favorite TV's show #SceneRemix can unlock magic for brands and educators
YouTube creator remixes The Wire into character-focused episodes - proving curation and editing skills beat traditional CVs for career building.
- People and ideas
How H&M bring the Inside Out with Creator Studio
H&M's Creator Studio lets creatives design AI-generated merch while H&M gains data, optimizes infrastructure, and opens new revenue streams.
2023
- AI at work
How can A.I. be used to augment the end-to-end experience of live events?
Royal Albert Hall panel at Barcelona conference - technology means technique, make small bets, friction isn't always bad if on-brand.
- People and ideas
Keyboard to Console: Why Every Knowledge Worker Needs a Creative Studio Kit
Figma's hardware companion offers hundreds of configurable shortcuts - bringing music production's tactile creativity to every knowledge worker's desk.
- Running the room
From 100 Days to Lifelong Skills: How to Spark Engagement in Online Learning
200,000 enrolled in Replit's coding course but dropoff was massive - ten fixes including missions, scaffolds, and meaningful incentives.
- Presenting and writing
The Blank Slide Shuffle
Scott Harrison went pitch black mid-keynote - using a blank slide to mark rock bottom, ramp tension, refocus attention.
- How teams practice
Global employee engagement levels are shockingly low
Only 5% of Japanese employees engaged at work, 10% in UK, 32% in US - global average 23% means opportunity.
- People and ideas
Richie Hawtin’s next musical frontier? High school science class
Richie Hawtin and Erica Synths built educational synthesizer for high schools - DIY voice cards, immediate hands-on learning, physics meets music.
- Presenting and writing
Understanding the Presentation Spectrum
Presentations live on a spectrum - performative keynotes at one end, decision-driven budget reviews at the other. Most work sits middle.
- People and ideas
Everything's a remix: transferrable skills from the genius of The Prodigy
The Prodigy's Liam Howlett sampled eight songs across genres in 1996 - teaching curation, tool literacy, and synthesis skills.
- People and ideas
Harmonizing Creativity: Inside the zen-infused world of Sebastian Mulleart's ‘Circle of Live’
Swedish artist Sebastian Mulleart built Circle of Live - rotating improvised electronic shows - then In Bloom platform teaching improvisation and creativity.
- People and ideas
Why world-class athletes have been roughing it
Track World Championships built Q Room for athletes waiting on results - comfy chairs, TVs, stretch bands, cameras capturing tension.
- People and ideas
Meet the mysterious designer who secretly remixes street posters
Brooklyn designer Max Kolomatsky secretly redesigns street posters for handymen and yoga - elevating local businesses, teaching design skills publicly.
- People and ideas
How Coldplay use Inside Out dynamics to hit all the right notes
Coldplay built comprehensive sustainability tour report and explorable timeline archive - bringing fans inside through transparency, benchmarks, historical artifacts.
- Presenting and writing
11 tips to improve your writing skills
University of Chicago professor Larry McEnerney breaks down writing - purpose is changing reader worldview, sentences create microstresses, jargon varies.
- People and ideas
Flipping the script: a movie studio launch an app for fans
A24 Films launched app during Hollywood shutdown - behind-scenes content, new angles, product extensions prove constraints encourage creativity.
- People and ideas
Why David Marchese's skills remain underrated
NYT's David Marchese gets celebrities to reveal hidden lives - unusual questions, pushback, overcoming the desperate desire to be liked.
- People and ideas
Christopher Nolan's 26 principles for creative work
Christopher Nolan's 26 principles for creative work - constraints breed resourcefulness, flip ideas, mute the world then build your own.
- People and ideas
How cricket is reshaping culture and the world of work
Indian women's cricket league valued second globally with 50m viewers - coaches using sport to empower girls, especially rural areas.
- People and ideas
How Jay-Z's new exhibition opens up new ways to engage
The Book of HOV skips the fancy gallery for Brooklyn's central library. What Jay-Z's exhibition shows about meeting audiences where they are.
- People and ideas
Spain's €20k gift for every young citizen
Spanish minister proposes €20k universal inheritance at 18 - funded by taxing €3m+ earners - for study, training, business launches.
- Behind the scenes
🚌 “We should do a school… or something?”
Allbirds goes open source, edutainment as a springboard, and the opportunity to build what's next
- People and ideas
How a TV show is using Edutainment 3.0 to open up exciting new spaces
'Space Junk' encourages audiences to create new stories using web3 and AI technologies
- How teams practice
Making Moonshots: The power of open source brand toolkits
Allbirds open-sourced their M0.0NSHOT shoe toolkit. Why opening your IP is smart for brand, talent and impact, and four ways to do it better than a PDF.
- Running the room
Why the best experiences have invisible structure
Billy Wilder built films so the craft disappeared. Why presentations, programs and experiences work best when the structure stays hidden.
- Presenting and writing
How to set up speaker notes in a live presentation (simple 3-step process)
Notes can end up distracting and confusing. So how do we best use them?
- People and ideas
The surprising human-centric approach used by a Premier League team on the rise
From a council athletics track to the Premier League: how Brighton's unusual, human-centred metrics built a team that outperforms its budget.
- People and ideas
5 lessons from Hollywood’s 14 year old animator
A 14-year-old animated a key scene in the new Spider-Man film. Five things his story says about real-world projects, minus the prodigy pressure.
- Behind the scenes
Introducing the Presentation Elevation Tool
A free tool packed with unconventional prompts to help you get unstuck
- Presenting and writing
Presentation Skills: 3 Levels of Speaking (and two ways to level up)
Master the fundamentals of public speaking with three progressive levels and practical techniques to level up your presentation game.
- People and ideas
How a soccer star is helping young athletes translate their skills into alternative career paths
Only a fraction of academy players turn pro. How a Liverpool FC star is helping young athletes carry their skills into different careers.
- Running the room
Notes on... creating engaging learning experiences
What keeps people coming back to an online course? Seven elements of engagement, riffed for a group of senior brand and strategy folk.
- Presenting and writing
Air Time: How to elevate your next presentation deck
30 million PowerPoints are made every day; most are overcrowded. The telescope method trims a deck without hours of microscopic surgery.
- Presenting and writing
What's Your Presenter Type?
Our free self-assessment tool will help you level up your presentation skills
- Behind the scenes
Create some Client Magic: join the free Micro Course
Client presentations, pitches and reviews are high-stakes. A free micro course on designing client experiences people want to be in.
- Running the room
3 ways to make your Training and Development more engaging
Skills expire faster than ever, but most training still feels flat. Three ways to design sessions people actually want to be in.
- Running the room
Workshops & Meetings: How to avoid the pre-read trap
Nobody does the pre-work. Nobody reads the pre-read. How to design workshops and meetings that work anyway: no dependencies, multiple ways in.
- Behind the scenes
Inside Wavetable's brand refresh
A brighter, bolder Wavetable, and the thinking underneath it. Why what happens Inside now has an outsize impact on what happens Outside.
- People and ideas
Riding the Wave of Resourcefulness: What We Can Learn from Garrett McNamara's Epic Surfing Adventure
3 tips on how to elevate your resourcefulness, plus a free assessment tool to test out your team dynamics
- People and ideas
How backpack brand Herschel are banking on underserved creators
Herschel turned an old Brooklyn bank into a Bank of Creativity. What a backpack brand's creator program says about investing in craft.
- People and ideas
Spinning Knowledge: What educators and creators can learn from one of the world’s best DJs
Reading a room, improvising, linking disparate ideas: the DJ's craft maps neatly onto teaching. Lessons from one of the world's best.
- How teams practice
Learning is invisible ink
Most people don't actually want to learn; the dips are ugly and demoralising. But making something? That's where learning hides.
- How teams practice
Why human capital is the driver of Fortune 500 success
Fortune 500 value used to live in factories and inventory. Now it lives in people. What the flip to intangible assets means for how firms grow.
- Running the room
Notes On… Obstacle Courses for Learning Experiences
Why your program, workshop, or course should take a tip from the military - and kids’ playtime
- People and ideas
How Airbnb used education to drive their most profitable quarter ever
How Airbnb shifted from performance marketing to brand education and drove their most profitable quarter ever.
- People and ideas
Of Note: Michelin's reimagined company HQ
How the French transport company focused on their employees - and the public - first
- Running the room
Notes on... DIG's Winter marketing campaign
How we went about showrunning a video production campaign for cooking company DIG
- People and ideas
Of Note - Burberry's rebrand goes inside out - and back in time
What Burberry's rebrand reveals about the power of looking inward - and backward - to move forward.
- Running the room
How to bring the power of Telenovelas into learning
Discover how a 1970s TV producer named Miguel created a powerful method for making complex messages resonate through storytelling.
- How teams practice
Why tension in learning can be magic
Like great movies that keep us on the edge of our seats, strategic tension in learning creates engagement and memorable experiences.
- People and ideas
Of Note - #7 - YouTube college credits, Buzzfeed training, and a unique playground
Three examples of Inside Out dynamics in action - from city design, creator economy, and corporate training.
- Running the room
A 3-step exercise to weather tough conditions as a founder
Bring, Leave, Change: a three-question exercise for founders entering rough weather, learned across one recession and into another.
- People and ideas
How Rick Rubin's new book puts you in the picture
Rick Rubin's The Creative Act has almost no Rick Rubin stories in it. Why that omission is the most instructive thing about the book.
- People and ideas
Why an indie rock band may hold the ticket for the future of education
Big Thief's innovative soundcheck invitation to schools is an early contender for the smartest education idea of 2023.
- People and ideas
Alec Baldwin's secret to great conversations
Before every interview, Alec Baldwin's team hunts for one thing: the billiard break, the opening question that sets up the whole conversation.
- People and ideas
Of Note - #6 - Engineers as bloggers, a Rom-Com with 17 endings, and Duolingo open a museum
Three Inside Out examples: Uber engineers as bloggers, Verizon's 17-ending rom-com, and Duolingo's Museum of Wonky English in Tokyo.
- How teams practice
The cost of losing your employees will blow your mind (and your budget)
Replacing an employee costs up to 2x their salary - and 52% say their manager could have prevented them leaving. Here's what to do about it.
- People and ideas
5 top Innovations from CES: From solar-powered cars to multi-dimensional horror movies
Two million square feet, 3,000 exhibitors, endless noise. Five signals worth keeping, from curating the official show tours at CES.
- How teams practice
What people really want from new technology
They don't want features, or even benefits. It's about something more human
- How teams practice
Navigating the Challenges of Leading a Multigenerational Workforce: How Company Leaders Can Bridge the Gap with Gen Z Employees
Gen Z employees are fundamentally different - they hit puberty as smartphones and social media reached critical mass. Leaders need new cross-generational approaches to bridge the gap.
- People and ideas
Of Note - #5 - Spotify backstage, Football Manager, and Abba x Unicef
Three Inside Out examples: Spotify's open-source monetization, a Football Manager gamer turned real-life coach, and Abba's royalty gift to Unicef.
2022
- People and ideas
Whiplash: From side project to 47 awards
Even the geniuses don't go from zero to 100 - how Damian Chazelle's Whiplash proves the power of starting with a proof of concept.
- People and ideas
Of Note - #4 - NYC Trees, Foot Locker creator talent, and Wolfram Alpha live streams
Three Inside Out examples: NYC's tree map powered by volunteers, Foot Locker's employee creators, and Stephen Wolfram's radical transparency.
- People and ideas
All aboard: Why we love the Mexico City Metrobús
21 million daily journeys, eased by rethinking the humble bus. What Mexico City's Metrobus teaches about designing unglamorous things well.
- People and ideas
Of Note - #3 - Jonah Hill, the Mojave Desert, and a Berlin newspaper
Three Inside Out examples: Jonah Hill's documentary inviting viewers into real therapy sessions, Browser Company framing values through road trips, and a Berlin newspaper's game about local politics.
- People and ideas
Of Note - #2 - Welsh football, Swedish hotels, and NYC journalists
Three Inside Out examples: Welcome to Wrexham's behind-the-scenes look at a Welsh football club, Stockholm's Ett Hem hotel eliminating 'back of house', and CUNY's open-source journalism guides.
- People and ideas
Of Note - #1 - TikTok employment stories, #Merky FC, and doing layoffs right
Bike angels, TikTok layoff stories, and #Merky FC. The first edition of Of Note: what we're noticing in the world of Inside Out.
- Presenting and writing
How to get unblocked: Ask yourself some Extreme Questions
What if you had to charge 10x more? Extreme questions shake ideas loose when brainstorming has gone stale. Thirteen prompts to argue with.
- Presenting and writing
What Next? Notes from a conversation with Renetta McCann, Chief Inclusion Experiences Officer at Publicis Groupe
Key takeaways from a conversation with Renetta McCann on complexity, adult learning, and the untapped potential of people managers.
- Presenting and writing
How to get booked to speak at a conference: 20 tips for success
20 field-tested tips for landing a conference talk, from someone who has judged the proposals. Being good isn't enough; being clear helps.
- Behind the scenes
Inside Out: How a classroom experiment sparked the vision for Wavetable
When you stop presenting and start creating, something magical happens. This is the story of how one experimental classroom session evolved into a new vision for learning and growth.
- How teams practice
Why your employee retention problem isn't what you think it is
The employee retention challenge isn't what most leaders think - here's what's really driving people away.
- Presenting and writing
Storytelling vs Narrative: What's the Difference?
Storytelling and narrative get used interchangeably, until someone calls you out. A working distinction that holds up in practice.
- Behind the scenes
We're seeking curious humans
Wavetable is seeking curious, T-shaped humans who want to create transformative learning experiences at the intersection of art and science.
- Running the room
The Community Corner podcast: using Edutainment to create engaging community experiences
Howard shares tips on edutainment, James Bond-style openings, and how to make community gatherings more fresh and exciting.
- How teams practice
Welcome to Edutainment 3.0
Creator-led courses, brand-backed universities, learning that feels like play. Welcome to Edutainment 3.0, a movement taking shape.
2021
- Presenting and writing
How to create a slide deck that engages your audience
Level up your next slide deck so it’s engaging, story-driven, and able to clearly communicate even the most complex topics
- Running the room
How to create an Off-Site that hits the spot - with special guest Katie Dreke
Off-sites are back, but the stakes have changed. A live session with Katie Dreke on designing in-person time remote workers actually value.
- Running the room
How to design a client workshop without freaking out (live demo)
A live demo building a client workshop with five pieces of paper and a pen. Proof that session design doesn't have to be terrifying.
- Presenting and writing
How to design and develop a conference presentation - and why it pays to think like a DJ
A complete step-by-step breakdown of how I built (and booked) a session at a globally-renowned conference
- Running the room
How to tell stories that move your community to action
Seven story elements, daily storytelling habits, and a full workshop video from a leading conference for community builders.
- Running the room
How to create an interactive workshop with mmhmm and Zoom
What happens when you pair mmhmm with Zoom? Notes from an interactive Field Trip with Creative Mornings, and how to build one yourself.
- Running the room
Why 6 is the magic workshop number
A quick guide on how the number 6 can serve as your secret weapon for designing and delivering effective workshops.
- Running the room
3 flavors of workshop
Every workshop has a flavor, and most designers never choose one on purpose. A short video on the three types and how to pick yours.
- How teams practice
Fitness and Education: from IRL to URL
Bootcamps, sprints, workouts: education keeps borrowing fitness language. Eight lessons from fitness for the new era of online learning.
- Running the room
7 ways to adjust your live workshop or course for different audiences
Mixed skill levels in the room? A video Q&A on adjusting a live workshop when beginners and veterans are sitting side by side.
- How teams practice
Why the future of learning is in the middle
How becoming a workshop creator can open up magical opportunities for learning and growth.
- Behind the scenes
What's in a name?
If traditional education is a classical recital, the future of learning is a mixtape. The story behind the name Wavetable.
- Running the room
Our take on How and Why to start a Cohort Based Course in 2021
19 insights on cohort-based courses - from hosting skills to self-care, plus why the CBC hype might be more marketing than revolution.
- How teams practice
The new Edutainment
Education as business development (and beyond), teachers becoming more than just the new DJs, and the foundations of a big shift that’s here to stay.
2020
- Running the room
18 elements of the Zoom revolution (remix)
A remix of Seth Godin's 18 ideas about the Zoom revolution, and what video calls could become once we stop treating them like meetings in disguise.
- Running the room
How to calculate the time you need to create a workshop
How long does it really take to build a workshop? A practical way to estimate creation time before you promise a date you'll regret.
- Running the room
How to transform a webinar
Six practical ways to transform passive webinars into engaging experiences - from changing the format to the jiu jitsu of underpromising.
- Running the room
5 ways to run better remote workshops
Remote workshops fail in predictable ways. Five fixes from years of running distributed sessions, useful long after the novelty wears off.
- Running the room
How to run an interactive workshop in Zoom (Part 2)
Part two of the interactive Zoom workshop guide: running the live session itself, from pre-flight checks to keeping energy up on screen.
- Running the room
How to run an interactive workshop in Zoom
Part one of a practical guide to interactive Zoom workshops: the advance setup that makes a one-off online session feel nothing like a webinar.
- Running the room
The Joy of 6
From cabaret tables to De La Soul to Marc Lewis's School - why six (and 36) is the magic number for workshop design.
- Running the room
3 types of workshop questions
Great workshops answer questions before anyone asks them. Borrowing from storytellers: the three types of questions every session has to handle.
- Running the room
How to design a workshop slide deck
Death by PowerPoint is a choice. How to design workshop slides with narrative and restraint, and when to skip the deck entirely.
- Running the room
How to run a workshop for the C-suite
THE FEAR is real, especially in front of senior executives. Notes on running a boardroom workshop from someone who survived the first one.
2019
- Behind the scenes
The Educator in Residence
CAA became Hollywood's superpower partly by teaching its way there. Why an Educator in Residence could be your firm's quiet advantage.
Older, undated
- How teams practice
Notes on how brands can help solve Wicked Problems
Brand activism is on customers' minds, but unpacking wicked problems requires more than good intentions - here's how brands can make a real difference.
- How teams practice
Why the future is Hot & Cool
Hot media, cool media, and why the mix matters for the future of learning and experience. A short take on where things are heading.
- Behind the scenes
The rise of the residency
What DJs know about connection and craft - and why the art of the residency matters more than ever in our choice-saturated world.
- Running the room
The reverse reference: Why hiring talent is a two-way street
What if employers offered references to the people they interview? A simple shift that could transform how we build trust in hiring.
- Presenting and writing
How to introduce yourself
First impressions are a lever. How to open a workshop, class or meeting with an introduction that builds trust instead of losing the room.
- Presenting and writing
Rewriting The Playbook: Creating a portal for a Netflix documentary series
How Netflix's The Playbook documentary could become an immersive portal for fans to connect, learn, and discover with their heroes.