Graphic facilitation - the power of working visually

Doing business in 2010 means working in a global marketplace.  However, traditional means of communication can be more of a hindrance than a help.  Words and phrases have different meanings in different languages.  Working visually enables groups to work across boundaries and manage complex information, in a way that is intuitive to the human brain.  Sequential presentation of lists of information, via methods like PowerPoint, is difficult for our brains to process.  To make sense of information we have to be able to see and work with the whole picture.

Meeting Magic are experts in working visually, using graphic facilitation methods. This can work in many ways:

• Visual information management
  We review the information that needs to be exchanged in a meeting and prepare tools for working visually in the meeting.  These might be designed on small A5 post-it notes or on A4, A3 or most commonly flipchart size.  They keep group conversations on topic and allows us to glean the vital information we need to feed into the conversations.
• Graphic facilitation
  We engage people in meetings using large wallcharts, which helps the individuals to see all the information, clarify meaning and commit publicly to agreements.  These are fantastic tools for not only maintaining the energy in the room but also for capturing the ideas and decisions the group generate.

• Graphic recording
  We can create a storymap of a presentation, discussion or a whole event, real time in the meeting. This provides a visual record for the group to refer back to but also stimulates peoples interest during the meeting itself.

• Graphic communication
  When complex messages need to be communicated across an organisation, large wordy documents often don't get read, don't translate and rarely inspire. As the saying goes, 'a picture paints a thousand words', our graphic storymaps are regularly used by senior teams in large organisations that want to engage their workforce in aligned action behind a common vision and strategy.

One of our key tools is Graphic Facilitation. As mentioned above, this involves capturing the information that is being shared in large (often graphical) displays on the wall.

The benefits of Graphic Facilitation include:

• People obtain 80% of their information visually. Participants can SEE what they have heard. This encourages participation.
• All of the information is visible, so it is much easier to understand the relationships between different elements. The group can SEE the whole system.
• Everyone can SEE any agreed actions, so these are much more likely to be carried out!

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