Visual Facilitation

Visual facilitation (a.k.a. graphic facilitation) is a visual process to engage people in collaborative thinking work.

A graphic facilitator is a visual thinking partner. Before the meeting,  the visual facilitator can design the visual processes, tools and templates with the meeting leadership team.  During the meeting, the visual facilitator is an active witness of the collaborative thinking process. She makes real-time sketches on large sheets of paper on the walls of the meeting room. These visual notes capture the essence of complex ideas during a meeting or conference. The information is displayed in words and imagery, summarized and quickly interpreted to take the discussion to a higher level. This displayed thinking promotes a lively discussion and supports focus and understanding, because people see their thoughts and ideas being reflected and synthesized on the wall. After the meeting the maps function as lively reports of the vision, agreements, plans and actions.

In the field of conflict resolution, graphic facilitation is an innovative tool to create engaging meetings, mediation sessions, training events and conferences. It also is a great way to integrate logical and creative problem solving in every stage of the work. The visual facilitator or recorder will collaborate with the meeting host, mediator, facilitator, or trainer.

Visual-spatial organization of the meeting room is another aspect of graphic facilitation. This is a practical, but often over-looked detail. Who will capture what, where and how? On flipcharts, sticky notes etc? Is there enough wall space to display the charts? Visuals are intended to support the clear thinking process. I can be very distracting to sit in a long meeting with cluttered wall spaces, while looking at a random display of papers, notes, and actions. Ideally this is something that the visual facilitator will plan and organize with the meeting facilitator and host.

Susanne Hoogwater was trained in this unique consulting process by Christina Merkley of MakeMark in Canada, followed by an internship at Alchemy Consulting in Denver, CO. She is developing visual tools and expertise to support people who are professionally or personally involved in adventures of conflict, agreement and peacebuilding.

This video explains and demonstrates the benefits of graphic recording.

Watch a graphic facilitator at work.

Time travel into the animated history of graphic facilitation.

Watch David Sibbet’s presentation at TED Soma on visual meetings.

For information about this  growing field and its professionals, see IFVP and The Center for Graphic Facilitation.