When I was preparing for my demo for the BC Centre for Quality last month, I was asked to put together a one-pager describing how my work contributes to the quality of a process. It was a good exercise, because it forced me to think about the real value of this work. Of course other practitioners have written about this work (Christina Merkley's website is particularly rich in that regard) – but I need to articulate it in my own words to make it real to me. Here's what I came up with:
MEETINGS CAN BE FUN!
In fact, I’d go so far as to say they should be. If the quality of a product is at least partly dependent on the quality of the process, then it stands to reason that meetings – which are an integral part of any process – should harness the best energy and ideas of the people in attendance. And that’s most likely to happen when those people are engaged, excited and energized – in short, when they’re having FUN!
That’s where graphic facilitation comes in.
As a graphic facilitator, I create a visual map of the conversation at meetings, workshops, dialogues and other group processes, using words and images to literally draw out people’s thinking and surface the “big picture.” Listening carefully for meaning as well as words, I create a graphic depiction of the conversation as it unfolds, drawing out patterns, themes and connections to weave the parts into an integrated whole.
And how does this contribute to the quality of the process? Simply put, graphic facilitation helps make meetings more productive. Here are some reasons why:
- People process information in different ways. By adding a visual element, you’re more likely to engage visual learners (who make up over 80% of the population, according to researchers).
- Graphic recording literally gets everyone “on the same page” and enables people to build on each other’s ideas.
- Thoughts become visible and explicit, which increases clarity and reduces misunderstanding.
- People feel acknowledged and heard when they see their ideas take concrete shape. This, in turn, increases trust and reduces conflict.
- Creative listening begets creative thinking, creative thinking begets better ideas, and better ideas beget more effective processes and products.
- Participants get a unique and attractive “takeaway” that they can refer back to, share with others who weren’t present, and incorporate into reports to show (not just tell) what went on.
- And last but not least, graphically facilitated meetings are energizing, engaging, enjoyable…and FUN!
