Helping teams organize and communicate vision and strategy
The reason why I got so attracted by visual thinking 15 years ago is that it proved to be a game changer when was time to synthesize and organize my own messy thoughts, and transform them in an understandable graphic that I could explain to other people.Back then, the first, large visualization I made was of my Masters thesis. It was a long white canvas, I imagine it took a long time to make, but I honestly do not remember AND, I wish I could find the picture, because I have it (somewhere).
As most of humans are visual thinkers, meaning that we remember better and longer if we hear and see, visualization just really makes sense when it comes to communication. It’s not a mistery, nor rocket science. However, there are still plenty of school books with little to no images, and plenty of professors ready to tell off a student caught "doodling”. And do not get me started on conference presentations with endless PowerPoint slides, written in minuscule font, that are supposed to support the learning. If you are reading this, I know you know…
Better results can be even obtained if in addition to visual communication, we add action and participation. When people participate proactively to the making of pretty much anything, they feel co-ownership and responsibility: engagement is ensured!
One of the jobs I love the most, out of all the ones I do, is help groups to visualize collective visions and futures, and the path to get there. More than on the “strategy” side, I take care of the clarity of the output. Whatever the strategy and the vision, when we put it down on paper, with drawings, does it make sense? Is it appealing? Will it be remembered? Are the words right? Or are you using a jargon noone else will understand?
I think I am quite good at asking questions, and I am not satisfied until I receive an understandable answer. Working with me entails telling stories, sharing feelings when necessary, finding metaphors, but most importantly, have a clear outcome in mind. What is it? I will ask over and over, that is our North Star.
A couple of weeks ago I had the change to facilitate a group of leaders - including the CEO - from a large international company with headquarters in Madrid. I created the process, according to the output desired, and co-facilitated with a colleague (Blanche Ellis, you can see her in the picture), but also with a person from the same leadership team. It was a truly collaborative effort, and the client was very happy about the results. Here are a few pictures from the process!
