Harrison wrote: The use of graphics -- indeed all non-verbal forms -- is a wonderful way to enrich and deepen the experience. ... at the First International Symposium on Organization Transformation (Open Space was "born" at the third symposium) where we had some 250 participants exploring an area that had barely been named, we created a huge bulletin board that totally surrounded the folks -- who of course were sitting in a circle. Around the room we had baskets of magic markers and crayons -- and an invitation to draw what you couldn't say, or draw what you could say, but make it clearer with a picture. For about an hour folks did their thing. At the start it was largely individual efforts, but soon small groups formed with group projects. When the initial wave of creation was over, we had this wonderful walk about the hall. Totally without instruction, folks naturally moved from their own work to their neighbors -- and of course conversation followed, as did enhancements and improvements to the drawings. At the end we had this marvelous mural created by everybody. I would call THAT Group Graphics.
Harrison Yes Harrison, THAT is real Group Graphics. Some years ago I would have made some hesitant remarks like: "people in Open Space are mainly concentrated on their themes and discussions and are happy, if someone lends them his feltpen and provides them with a picture record". But after several experiences with drawing folks (the last one with 300 people at BMW drawing on posters we had prepared) I assume that people are happy to draw under any condition. So my question is: since people at Open Space like painted records much better than written ones, and since I am convinced that they can carry at least the same message, what does it need to make people really do it, to take markers and crayons and draw? Who can spread the message? Is there some need of training the facilitators visually? Or only encouraging them? In the meantime we are happy, if we are invited to take part and draw at Open Space, and also to help people to draw themselves. But of course we see that to acompany Open Space with Visual Facilitators is expensive for the client and more often too expensive. Each client should consider carefully, wether he gets an extra value for his money. Of course we know David Sibbet and his beautiful work, (and we will see him in october at the VISUALPRACTITIONERs conference). And we love big fat beautiful murals. Only for records to carry home they have a difficult format. So we decided to use small cards instead, which we add to big picture walls. These cards can get reproduced easily , as brochures, leporellos or also posters. Reinhard VISUELLE PROTOKOLLE Kuchenmueller & Dr. Stifel Munich Germany Tel: +49-89-202 447 48 http://www.visuelle-protokolle.de
