Shouting out to all the consultants in the world, have you been asked to work for free?  Do you sometimes ask others to work for free?  Personally, I spent many years volunteering in my community and internationally as well as taking an internship for a year to help gain skills, confidence and an entry point into a great career. I don’t regret any of it! As I continue to build my knowledge and grow as a person I still do occasional work pro bono for the shared learning experience.  Moreover, there are worthy organizations that simply don’t have budgets and thus deserve a reduced rate.

However there are also limits!  Jessica Hische lays it out beautifully in this info graphic on if you should work for free.  I love the way it is presented and it made me laugh a lot.  Yes, we have all been in these situations.  Lessons learned?  Never charge your mother, explore your creativity and beyond that you are selling yourself short if you work for free.

Learning the Basics at 2011 Graphic Facilitation Workshop 'Rosviz11'

Are you looking for inspiration?  Want to get creative?  Would you like to learn how to engage the people you work with using visuals?  You can!!!

I am co-hosting a Graphic Facilitation Workshop in Rossland, BC, July 18-20th with Nancy White.  Our offer to you is to learn, get inspired and join a community of people who are finding practical and useful ways to bring visuals into their work.

If you want to see what happened last year, check out this great video by Sylvia Currie from BC Campus: http://blip.tv/bccampus/rosvizcollage-5410970

All details about the workshop are found here!

If you have questions contact me.  The early bird special is on until April 28th…hope to see you in Rossland this summer to draw on walls

I recently experienced 2.5 days doing of joint training with The Art of Hosting and Waterlution called the Water Dialogues. The training was a combination of learning and experiencing. What do I mean? There were a few sessions dedicated to explaining the underpinnings of the philosophies however most of our time was spent experiencing the art and reflecting as a group and on our own.  Most people really appreciated this.

Chris Corrigan , one of the hosts, introduced the Cynefin framework (used by Cognitive Edge) as a way to differentiate between simple, complicated and complex problems.  It’s important to understand what you are working with in order to choose the best methods to address each challenge, project or process one enters.  I have taken the cognitive edge training (2007) and appreciated the way it was introduced as a sense-making framework.  One thing to add to Chris’ very good explanation is that this framework can also help ensure the appropriate evaluation method is used.  For example, complex projects work with well with developmental evaluation approaches as opposed to traditional log frames.

The four fold practice was introduced as a way to check in with yourself and see where you are at.  It was noted that it’s important to work on all areas to embrace a well rounded practice (key word is practice).  The Chaordic Stepping Stones are another way to approach work, ensuring you have a solid based to work from – pay attention to need and purpose first moving to structure only when the first few stones are really in place!  This could be a challenge with clients as they are always jumping to what it might look like in action (the process/engagement) however reinforcing the need and purpose are good first steps to designing an appropriate purpose.

I also took home the message that Intent is very important in all that we do, i.e. consider what your doing, why your doing it, for whom, etc.  This seems obvious but taking time to reflect on the process and actions isn’t always a part of our work rituals …and it should be.

The weekend brought together a mix of professionals working in the world of water and passionate about contributing to positive change. The opportunity to listen to the diversity of interests and projects was interesting for me as I tend to get wrapped up in my own world of work and interests. There was sufficient time to meet and check in with the participants and hosts which was probably one of the most important aspects.

I went to a couple open space sessions on harvesting.  One about the relevance of harvests and the other about sustaining the harvest over space and time.  The latter evolved into a discussion about engaging and communicating over space and time which I view as different than a harvest per se however there is room for debate in a lot of these concepts.  I did come away with an idea and free tool for a project I’m working on this spring and I am thankful for the small gem.  Generally speaking, thinking about what you want to get out of the meeting in advance, in terms of both learning, artifacts to share and any reporting required, should be done at the outset of your process.  This is another good reminder that planning takes time and is involved (so embed that into your work plan, timelines and budget).

In summary, I was fascinated by the rawness people brought forth, sometimes depressing but towards the end, a renewed energy and sense of joy emerged. I feel hopeful by this change in energy, not to mention inspired by the excitement some folks shared after a great conversation, an evening of live music or a moment watching dolphins enter the bay.

Personally I used this time to practice on my iPad (a small goal I rarely find time to work on) and that was quite fun!  I also enjoyed the opportunity to simply be present and practice the art.

Thanks to everyone who partook on Bowen Island – I hope we have the opportunity to meet again and share some conversation.

Screen shot of the twitter stream at the Young Leaders Conference

My strategy in designing the conference was to use a range of participatory and visual techniques to engage the leaders in thoughtful discussions and encourage participant conversations.  One of the participants asked for an overview of the techniques so here are some examples as well as explanations as to why I chose them:

Scavenger Hunt

• Games are a great way to engage people in dense material, particularly when you have players, levels, points and prizes.  Playing in teams acts as an ice breaker for participants helping them get to know each other over shared tasks.  Providing fun from the get-go sets the tone for the rest of the meeting.   This was an idea of the client and worked well.

Concurrent Thematic Discussions

• Not everyone comes to the meeting with the same interests or levels of knowledge.  Having concurrent sessions where participants can choose to attend one or more topics allows people to focus on their personal areas of interest and ultimately keep them engaged.

Metaphors

• Metaphors are another way to think about, or talk about, subject areas.  By imagining a complicated or technical topic such as an international water treaty as something more familiar such as a garden or a computer, people find new ways to understand the subject matter.  We had a lot of fun with this activity as small groups not only described the topic as a metaphor, but also drew it on large pieces of paper.

Participants drawing their metaphor

• Each group presented their version of the Treaty using metaphors such as a garden, the Commodore 64 computer, a river and a ski hill (with green, blue and black runs representing the challenges ahead).  We debriefed the exercise by looking at similarities, differences and opportunities that were brought forward.

Samoan Circle

Graphic Recording of Samoan Circle discussion by Lisa Theissen

• After a plenary presentation on how dams and reservoirs work in the context of the CRT, we held a Samoan Circle.  This was a great way to break free from the traditional Q&A format.  I believe the new format kept people interested and also presented a new way of listening and digesting the information for everyone.
• The technique consists of a large outer circle where everyone sits and a few chairs in the center for people who want to discuss issues. This is the traditional way Samoan elders discuss issues of importance to their community.  It’s an opportunity to learn more from each other and everyone is invited to participate.  The working principles of the Samoan circle are:
  • Outside circle: may not talk
  • Inner circle: can talk until prompted by a tap on the shoulder to retire
  • You must enter the inner circle before you talk
  • You can enter the inner circle at any time if you want to participate in the discussion
  • You can enter the inner circle if you want to stop somebody from talking
  • You must finish your point and leave the inner circle when prompted
  • We had a couple volunteers get the conversation started and people jumped in over time to ask questions, share thoughts and a range of opinions.  During the discussion, we graphically recorded the discussion on the adjacent wall.  The circle was very successful with lots of people joining the inner circle.  We had to cut it off due to time.

Building Scenarios

The building blocks for future scenarios

• It’s interesting to understand a topic from different perspectives.  Furthermore, by putting oneself into the character of another, it’s possible to dig deeper into the mindsets of different stakeholders and go beyond your own personal view points.  In addition, by comparing scenarios from different stakeholders, one can really start to see the areas of overlap and divergence.  I chose scenario building to help us go from the status quo scenario to a range of possibilities including those that may not be talked about in mainstream circles.  The purpose was to think outside the box and understand different perspectives.
• In order to ensure the scenarios started from a common framework, we worked in small groups to brainstorm the foundation of the scenario.  I asked participants to consider the current context:
  • Driving Forces
  • Pre-determined Factors
  • What’s Missing
  • Critical Uncertainties
  • In plenary we took ideas from each small group until we had exhausted the information.  Everything was graphically recorded on a large format wall template.
  • Once the building blocks were in place, four personas were identified representing different view points (i.e.Canada,USA, First Nations and Local Residents).  The groups had to come up with a potential storyline as well as a recommendation for the future.  Groups were asked to consider the implications of their storyline and information needs and present back to the plenary.

Conversation Café with Introductory Panel

Conversation Cafe in Action

• The purpose of the session was to explain some key concepts around education and engagement and then generate new ideas to engage young people.  A conversation café is a great way to dig deeper into a topic that has many layers.  We started with a short panel which introduced the current situation.  There were three speakers and each had 5 minutes to talk.  We then had two rounds of 20 minute conversations.  After the first conversation, one person stayed at the table as the host and the other people moved to new tables.  The host shared the past conversation highlights with the new people.  By moving people around, ideas are cross-fertilized and opportunities to build on each others’ ideas increases.  At the end, tables had 5 minutes to link ideas from the two rounds looking for themes and patterns.  They then shared their top two ideas in plenary.

Graphic Recording of Conversation Cafe by Lisa Theissen

Open Space

• Our final session used open space which is an opportunity for participants to create their own agenda.  A question was posed to act as the overarching theme for the session (i.e. What’s next for young leaders in the CRT Process?) and participants who wanted to discuss a certain topic were free to suggest items.  In 15 minutes we created an agenda with 8 topics.  We had four concurrent sessions taking place followed by a second round.
• By leaving the agenda open, this ensures that participants have a chance to talk about their interests or what they want to learn more about.  There is only one law which is to take responsibility for your learning and contributions.  If you find yourself in a session where neither is taking place, you should move with your two feet to another location.

 Overall, the 1.5 days were highly engaging and inspiring with many good ideas coming forth.  I hope some of these techniques inspire you to add participation, graphics and conversation to your next meeting.  If you have some other fun and interesting techniques to share, please add it to the comments!

Sustainability is at the core of my work in terms of the ultimate impact I hope to achieve.  However, my day to day reality often manifests as bringing people and their institutions together. The main message of my 10 minutes was that collaboration (the power with) is a key ingredient to address the sustainability challenges ahead. The slides are posted on slideshare.

I decided to use a mix of hand-drawn images (via my iPad) and photos from real places where I shared field experiences from Guyana, Senegal and British Columbia.  I received great feedback after the session on the visuals and the stories I shared (thanks to those who shared your thoughts, always appreciated!).

Some of the tactics I used included starting with a personal story, asking compelling questions, simplified design with hand-drawn images, and aiming to inspire others to make the changes I believe are necessary.

My final questions for participants to ponder included:

What are you currently working on that could be enhanced by collaborating with others?  Where could you achieve more if the scale at which you work was enlarged?  Where can you achieve more together than alone?

Why?

We want to foster creativity, networking and action!

Open Space methods let participants create an agenda that is meaningful for them.  So if you have a theme you are working on, know that bringing a group of people together will help move the issue/challenge ahead, trust open space to help people mobilize themselves.

The principles and law of open space are:

• Whoever comes are the right people
• Whenever it starts is the right time
• Whatever happens is the only thing that could have happened
• Whenever it’s over, it’s over
• Law of two feet: If at any time during our time together you find yourself in any situation where you are neither learning nor contributing, use your two feet, go someplace else

I am looking forward to facilitating a process driven by the participants and seeing what emerges.  I will be sure to report back!

A few good online videos that describe open space technology are:

The same creative group has come together once again to update the video with new information on extreme weather and ways people can act.  I am excited to be tasked with the storyboard –  giving life to a 50 page text document.

Climate Change 201 (our working title) intends to help people move to action rather than simply stating the facts.  I am looking for creative ways to tell this story….is it a conversation on the steps of city hall, a downtown cafe, in the ski hill lift line?  What metaphors might tap into peoples’ imagination?  What ultimately inspires you to learn more and to act? Do you have an idea to share?

Your ideas – mainstream or wacky – are welcome!

Drawing on Walls at the 2011 Graphic Facilitation Workshop in Rossland, B.C.

You are invited to this experiential workshop which takes place almost entirely at the drawing surface!

We’ll start the evening of July18th by warming up our drawing muscles and silencing those pesky inner censors. The second day, we’ll build into the basic practices of graphic facilitation and recording. We will pay attention to preparation, the actual visual work, and follow up including digital capture of paper based images. Our third day will be devoted to participatory graphic approaches, practicing and giving peer feedback. You can expect to go away with icons, ideas and approaches which you can use immediately, as well as ideas about how to hone your practice.

When might we use this practice?

Sometimes our imaginations are sparked by a visual where words fail us. Think about when communities plan and imagine their futures, when teams consider the possible outcomes for their projects, when groups create maps to track their progress.  These are all opportunities to use visuals to engage and deepen community dialogue. You can use visual thinking to improve teamwork, communications, meetings, build engagement and to plan work. Step out of the PowerPoint rut!

Who should attend?

Facilitators, project managers, team leaders and members, town planners, teachers and anyone who would like to engage others beyond words. 

Please note: You do NOT need previous experience or have to consider yourself an artist. At some level, we can all draw and use visuals to enhance our communications and engage diverse audiences.

Quick details: I will be hosting and co-facilitating with my very energetic and inspiring collaborator Nancy White.   This 2.5 day workshop begins the evening of Wednesday, July 18th and ends mid-afternoon on Friday, July 20th.  Early bird pricing before April 1st is $690.00 and is $840.00 thereafter.  Email me to register: michelle.k.laurie(@)gmail.com.

Please click here for more information

Where do you look for ideas, inspiration and validation when you want to design, host or facilitate a great meeting?  I have a set of people, books and weblinks that I often go to when I get started on a new project that involves facilitation of a meeting/workshop/conference/etc.    Recently, thanks to Full Circle Associates, I was led to a website that shares the Group Pattern Language Deck.  This is a deck of 91 cards describing ways to host, facilitate, and participate in an effective meeting.  The site provides nine suggested uses from preparing a facilitated event to post-event reflection and getting un-stuck.

I have never used ‘cards’ before as a method to find my preferred technique but I can already imagine how this will make my designing practice more fun (I love games!).   I also plan to use these cards when providing my training workshops on effective meetings and facilitation.  For example, I tend to use scenarios and have participants design and present on different meeting types.  The cards will be helpful for providing additional resources on the many ways to approach meeting scenarios as well as generating enthusiasm.

In general, it’s important that we look outside our day-to-day practice for inspiration, learning and new ideas.  There are many online forums to make this happen including Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.  The cards are another ‘tangible and tactile’ (i.e. beyond online!) way to open the door to new ways of seeing things.

If you think the cards are a great idea, share the links above or write a blog post about them too!