Constructing new group narratives

After some graphic recording at a management away day last month I have been reflecting on how graphically recording a process can help move a group through a narrative and help participants get onto the same page in terms of upcoming organisational changes. The day was a group reflection on where the organisation is at the moment and changes that need to happen in the next year. Mindful Maps harvested key information from the day to create a visualisation that reflected both the input of individuals and the desired collective change.

One of the most interesting parts of the day was a workshop with the Drum Café from Wandsworth where participants explored collective rhythm through tribal drumming. After the drumming session the energy in the room changed completely and the process became more participatory with breakout groups focusing on action and ways forward.

In recording events of this type, I have experienced that ‘getting everybody on the same page’ doesn’t necessarily mean getting everyone to agree. Visualising conflicts and difficult questions is as important as visualising positives. Illustrating participatory processes allow this to happen because it gives people the opportunity to have their voices seen as well as heard.

Drawing on Leadership

Photo by Haley Madden

In March I was invited to attend the launch of the 2011 London Leaders programme at City Hall and capture some of the key ideas and contribution which emerged about leadership. London Leaders is a programme which launched in 2007 and runs annually to catalyse change by supporting a group of individuals involved in socially and environmentally responsive projects across London. The participants were also invited to come and talk with me after the main presentations to visualise their thoughts on leadership.

Visualising the Big Sustainability Summit

Last month Mindful Maps was invited to graphically record at the Big Sustainability Summit; an event to mark the end of the Sustainable Development Commission and an opportunity to ask the question ‘How can we take sustainability to scale?

The summit, co-organised by Futerra and the SDC, hosted a diverse range of speakers who responded to this question. Amongst the speakers was Jane Davidson from the Welsh Assembly Government (very fitting as the event took place on St David’s Day!) who spoke about how Wales has embraced sustainable development.

The group also went into open space sessions for a large portion of the day where groups went off to discuss their ideas and projects. One of the open space sessions (hosted by Futerra) looked at the idea of a ‘people’s SDC’ to continue the work of the SDC in a more participatory, bottom-up way. This initiative is being taken forward by Futerra as a result of the session. All of the open space topics were captured in the image:

One of the most resonant themes from the day seemed to be connecting vision and task. This image kept appearing in conversations throughout the day.

Building the bridge between vision and task is a frequent barrier to action. Visually documenting a process can be a powerful way to synthesise and make sense of key information; serving as an aid to memory which is more instant than a classic report. The final image is now in the capable hands of Futerra, who will use the material to illustrate and inform the evolution of the People’s SDC.