Liminal Thinking with Dave Gray
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November 3, 2016: Liminal Thinking with Dave Gray
The November 2016 meeting of the St. Louis Product Management Group: Liminal Thinking with Dave Gray
Meeting Information
Meetings are open to everyone — there is no charge to attend. This meeting will be held at The Venture Cafe Gathering at CIC from 7-7:45pm — see directions and details below.
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About the meeting
Why do some people succeed at change while others fail? It’s the way they think! Liminal thinking is the art of finding, creating and using thresholds to create change. It is a kind of mindfulness that enables you to create positive change.
In this session, author Dave Gray will provide an introduction to Liminal Thinking, the subject of his new book (check out the 5-star reviews on Amazon). Liminal thinking is the art of creating change by understanding, shaping, and reframing beliefs. No matter who you are or what your situation is, some change is always possible. If there’s a situation in the world you want to change, liminal thinking can help.
Those involved in managing, developing or designing products can apply liminal thinking to better understand customers, identify better solutions to customer problems, and work more effectively with other teams within your organization.
Liminal thinking is a set of skills that anyone can learn. You do not need any formal authority, budget, or official sanction to practice liminal thinking. If you can learn six principles and nine practices, you will be able to to minimize reality distortion, improve understanding, and open up new possibilities for positive change in your work and life.
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About the Presenter: Dave Gray
Dave Gray is a leader and manager with a background in design. He has worked with many of the world’s largest companies, as well as mid-sized businesses, startups, executives and individuals. He is the founder of XPLANE, a strategic design consultancy, and co-founder of Boardthing, a collaboration platform for distributed teams. He is the author of several books on design, change and innovation, including Gamestorming: A playbook for innovators, rule-breakers and changemakers; and The Connected Company. His area of focus is the human side of change and innovation, specifically: How can you get people to adopt new ideas? How can you win their hearts and minds? How can you get people, including yourself, to change deeply embedded habits and behaviors? How can you transform a business strategy from a good idea to a living fact in the real world?
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About the event
This meeting is part of the weekly Venture Café Gathering at CIC. Every Thursday from 3:00 – 8:00pm, The Venture Café welcomes the innovation community to “a weekly gathering of innovators and startups. A place for serendipitous collisions to occur. Each week there are roundtable discussions, information tables, office hours with thought leaders, and guest speakers relevant to the ecosystem.”
The St. Louis Product Management Group meeting will be held in the Havana Room (2nd floor) from 7-7:45pm. You are encouraged to arrive early to participate in other related events, along with networking and refreshments. Check the Venture Café calendar to see what other events are going on before our meeting.
Location
The Venture Cafe at CIC
4240 Duncan Avenue 2nd Floor
St. Louis, MO 63110
Parking is available in the CIC parking lot, on the street (Duncan Ave), or in the lot on the north side of Duncan Ave across from CIC. The main entrance is closest to the corner of Duncan and Boyle.
Attendance is free.
No IxDF membership required.
Meet people who love design as much as you do. Together we learn new skills, grow our networks, and discover new job opportunities.
Join us to make lifelong friendships over coffee and a shared love of design! ❤️
United States
Stanton Brooks
Founder at Active Twist
An IxDF Local Group connects you with people in your city who are building and applying design skills in their work. Together, you'll strengthen your craft, expand your network, and put theory into practice.
IxDF Local Groups meet regularly in person at cafés, company offices, or creative spaces to share ideas, give feedback, run workshops, and learn from each other. Many groups also organize IxDF Design Dinners, where the conversation goes deeper over a meal. These aren't just social events. Members find collaborators, clients, job leads, and future teammates through them.
You'll also have access to a private online forum where you can get career advice, honest feedback, and support from people who understand the work.
You don't need to have a "designer" title to join. If you care about how design shapes products, careers, and organizations, you belong here.
Join and you'll discover new skills, explore job opportunities, and build relationships with people who understand the power of great design.
Your IxDF Local Leader organizes meetups based on what members want most. Sessions range from hands-on and structured to relaxed and informal.
Some examples of what you'll find:
Presentations from local designers, followed by Q&A
Lightning talks where members share lessons learned from real projects
Workshops where you work through a real design challenge together
Portfolio reviews where you get honest, practical feedback
Coffee meetups and design dinners with open conversations about where the industry is heading
Any member can propose, organize and post a meetup. You don't have to wait for your Local Leader to take the initiative.
What stays consistent is the people. You'll find designers and professionals who ask good questions, share what they know, and show up for each other between meetups too.
Yes, absolutely!
Design skills make you more effective in any role. Product managers, developers, marketers, researchers, and founders all work better when they understand how to think like a designer.
IxDF Local Groups reflect that. Members come from all kinds of professional backgrounds, not just design. What they share is an interest in how design shapes products, decisions, and careers.
You'll fit right in regardless of your background.
In a world that's getting more artificial and competitive, IxDF brings the heart back, so you never have to face the job market alone.
Learn together, get mentored, find your next job, and build friendships that grow your career.