NYTimes on Graphic Facilitation

From http://www.tomwujec.com

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Today, Ashlee Vance wrote a feature article on the Singularity University for the Sunday New York Times.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/13/business/13sing.html?scp=1&sq=singularity&st=cse

The article does an admiral job of describing the value of the Singularity University, who attends and what value the program provides to the participants. But it misses some of the texture and intensity of the material that actually is taught at the 40 day course and 10 day executive program.

Rachel Smith on Visual Recording on the iPad

This is a really nice, soothing and simple explanation of visual facilitation and the use of the iPad as an emerging tool for graphic facilitation.

Rachel Smith covers her usage of key apps: Adobe Ideas, Qrayon’s AirSketch, Brushes by Taptrix, and Autodesk SketchbookPro.

Includes a nice "plus, delta" list of pros and cons for each. Rachel works for for the New Media Consortium and lives in Northern California.

Check out her blog, Ninmah Meets World. Follow her on Twitter @ninmah.

Map of Bruce Springsteen's New Jersey

We here at The Style Blog appreciate our readers' feedback. We also appreciate it when they tip us off to things that are awesome. Like a map of New Jersey designed by a guy named Dan Cassaro, a portion of which appears above. Only this map in no way represents the geography of the Garden State. It represents the Garden State according to The Boss, from the Boulevard of Broken Dreams, to Jungleland, to the River all the way to the Backstreets — and all the characters that inhabit its streets, factories, churches, and swamps. The poster is limited to five-hundred editions and only costs fifteen bucks. Hurry up and get one, because we're about to buy thirty of them. Get the Springstreets poster (and a more detailed image) here.
via esquire.com

Thanks to Bruno Maupin. Original post on esquire.com

Facilitator U: Don't be an Allopathic Facilitator

"Stand by a holistic approach to your interventions."

Allopathic: The Western Medical model in use today, is based upon the concept that the physician is responsible for the healing, and that "disease" must be eradicated from the body using heroic intervention. 

I chose to use this term to describe an issue that often befalls us in our efforts to facilitate organizational interventions. We're often called in by organizations that are "sick," meaning that their dysfunction has become so untenable that something simply must be done about it..."Our organization is broken and we need to fix it!" Let me provide a metaphorical example. 

Some people mindlessly eat fast food and ice cream sundaes for years until one day diabetes sets in or their heart stops. They rush off to the hospital to get "fixed," with little thought about how they've been responsible for the day to day actions they took or didn't take that facilitated this emergency. 

Just as we can ignore our bodies needs at the expense of our physical health, some of us ignore ours and others emotional and social needs, at the expense of building our technical capacities, only to find one day that no one can work with this technical "genius" because now he's an emotional moron. Further, because the leaders for whom these individuals work have not been willing to moderate their venom for others, they now feel it's time to call in the "doctor." Someone with the power to hire and fire, whose given up the power to manage ineffective behavior, now feels it's time to have an expert come in to fix the problem!

So we get the call. Organization "ABC" wants us to come in and fix their severe dysfunction that's threatening this project or that. They want you to come in and give a one-day training in communication skills because that's what seems to be lacking around here with "these" people. 

You're tempted to say yes as this is a well-paying piece of work and well, you need work and you can come up with a great training agenda, deliver what they've asked for and be done with it. But in your heart, you know that this problem is far more complex than a simple training can remedy and contains issues, yet to be discovered, that will dictate alternative interventions.

Please fix this for us. It is central to Allopathic belief that the disease is stronger than the body, and that man must decipher disease processes and develop specific treatments for each disease. 

But even in Allopathic medicine, the diagnosis is left to the physician. Often as facilitators, we're called in to deliver the treatment diagnosed by the leader. Not only is the leader seldom equipped to render this diagnoses, they are often a contributing aspect of the disease.
Application

Natural and Holistic practitioners maintain that it's the body itself that does the healing, not the doctor. The disease itself represents a body out of balance, or simply one that has reached the point where it can no longer compensate or maintain homeostasis given the level of toxicity, deficiency, or neglect. 



Be a Holistic Facilitator. Set the tone for the organization to heal itself by NOT coming into it as an expert. Show up instead with an attentive presence and clear desire to support their healing, self-awareness, and growth. Engage with your clients more as a student rather than an expert.

Listen to the Patient. The people in the system know better than anyone what's wrong in the system and with the system. Before diving into a pre-prescribed training or intervention, interview all the people involved at all the levels possible to get their candid reading on what's going wrong. 



Facilitate Commitments from Management. Many problems with teams in organizations are reflections of problems with management. Unless management is willing to acknowledge this and take the first steps to changing, systemic change is unlikely. Coach them to discover how they are contributing to the problem and encourage them to change first.



Discover Barriers to Wellness. Help the team clarify their positive vision for their organization and to discover the barriers to this vision. Facilitate their development of solutions and their commitment to action, including systems of accountability and measurement of progress.



Let Training/Coaching Needs Show Themselves. Prescribe training and coaching interventions after you and the group is clear on where it needs help. When they tell you what they need to learn and where they need support, they'll be ready to receive it.

What if They Want the Allopathic Approach? I understand that many organizations may not accept the above approach and will pass you over looking for an expert to quickly come in and solve their problem. In this case you have a choice, to pass on the work or try to bring some holism in with your "solution." 



Assuming you choose the latter option, do all you can to manipulate the schedule and apply the above strategies, explaining all the while the benefits (long term, real solutions) that will most likely result from a more holistic approach. 

VizThink Conversation with "Design & Politics: A conversation with Scott Thomas"

From Ryan at VizThink:

It's been far too long since our last online event here at VizThink, which makes me happy to invite you to a special hour-long online event next week:

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Design & Politics: A Conversation with Scott Thomas, Design Director for the Obama ’08 Campaign
July 27, 2010 | 11am EST | Online | FREE

Here at VizThink, we were inspired by the role that visual design and expression played in the last presidential election campaign in the United States. Not only was design a very key component of the Obama strategy, but it was also evident in the DIY "pop art" that powered Ron Paul's campaign. What was so amazing in every instance was the creativity and power that ordinary people gained by using design as a tool for their political "speech".

As Design Director for the Obama campaign, Scott Thomas had a front row seat for the 2008 campaign and recently completed his book "Designing Obama", which chronicles that journey. On July 27, at 11:00am EST, Scott will join us live on VizThink.com to share his thoughts, in an interactive, conversational format, on the role design plays in today's political landscape and the emerging role of citizen generated art.

 

I hope you'll register today, and join us for this free, online conversation with Scott Thomas

 

About Scott Thomas (aka @simplescott)
Scott Thomas is constantly seeking the simplest answer to complex problems. Scott began his design pursuits studying architecture before bouncing to graphic design and web development.

Prior to moving to Chicago, where he set his sights on user-experience design, Scott called London's Shoreditch home. From products to websites, Scott works to simplify the experience of use.

In 2006, he and five other creative types began a design collective, lovingly known as The Post Family. The group is devoted to supporting "family" member's design habits—from silkscreen to letterpress, from illustration to blogging—in an effort to "get back to the hand."

In 2007, Scott's career took a dramatic leap when he was invited to join the New Media team at Obama for America. The chance encounter led Scott to becoming the Design Director of the historic Obama Presidential campaign. He is currently writing a book that explains how an obscure senator rose to the highest office in the land and celebrity status with the aid of branding and design.

Scott plans to continue designing for social causes that might just someday change the world.

Facilitator U: The Power of Questions -- Using the Socratic Method as a Learning Facilitator

 

What is the Socratic Method?

The Socratic Method uses questions to guide your student on a journey of discovery leading toward greater understanding or increased performance.

Although facilitation is about moving people to where they want to go, the simple truth is that nobody moves anywhere unless they move themselves. 
 
The Socratic Method is a way to help people see when they need to move, and where they need to move to. It produces better learning and better solutions because it leads people to explore, challenge their thinking, and discover answers for themselves. 
 
Self-discovery facilitates action because individuals uncover for themselves what needs to be done and why.

How does it work?

There are two elements essential to using the Socratic Method - questions, and knowing where you're going.
 
1) Not all questions are created equal. There are open, closed, and guiding questions, but it's important to understand that every question is a search for one of three things:
  • An expression of a subjective preference.
  • An objective fact.
  • The best possible alternative or solution.
 
2) You must know where you're going in order to know what to ask for. As a facilitator you are trying to help someone to get where they want to go. Start there. That's your first question. Ask them where they want to go and why they want to get there. What's their desired outcome or end result? You'll want to keep their answer out in front of you so it can guide you like a beacon as you continue to ask and receive questions.

Application
 
Once you ask a question - be quiet. Wait. Even if there's a very loooooooooong pause. Allow them time to think and reflect, to form their answer. Don't answer your own question! You don't want to send the message that your questions are rhetorical. If someone is unable to answer your question, back up and break your question into smaller questions. Or you might ask them what their question is - what's got them stuck.

When you're asked a question, think, "What's needed to answer that question"? Then ask yourself, "Which of those things is this person missing"? If it's not obvious, ask. 
 
If you know what's needed, then ask yourself, "What question will help move them there?"

Then you're ready to respond to the initial question -- with a question that will help them move forward, towards where they want to go.  Note that moving forward may mean stepping sideways, or even backwards, as you ask questions to help them find what they need to answer their earlier questions. Because you don't know before you start what they'll need, you can't know in advance what path you and they will take as you guide them to where they want to go.

If you're working with a group, be sure not to repeat what someone says, or you'll unwittingly train them not to listen to one another. Instead, ask another participant to repeat what was said if clarity is needed.
 
If you find your participants speaking only to you, take some time and help them understand the importance of speaking to everyone when they are asking and answering questions. Involving everyone and expanding the discussion helps the group to learn as a team, which dramatically increases their discoveries.

If you're used to preparing a set of charts and presenting them, you may find using the Socratic Method challenging, and perhaps a bit "messy." However, with practice, you'll find the approach both fun and rewarding. After all, when do you learn best? When someone tells you the answer, or when they help you figure it out for yourself?
 
About the Author. This article was submitted by Norman Patnode, Professor of Program Management & Leadership at he Defense Acquisition University, where he provides training in strategic leadership, critical thinking, teamwork and teambuilding, the application of Myers-Briggs (MBTI), program risk management, coaching and conflict management. He also teaches a number of the basic program management tools.
 

RSA Animate by Cognative Media – Crisis of Capitalism

In this short RSA Animate, radical sociologist David Harvey asks if it is time to look beyond capitalism, towards a new social order that would allow us to live within a system that could be responsible, just and humane. View his full lecture at the RSA. Posted via email from Peter Durand, Monkey Mind

GOOD PROJECT: Create a DOODLE About Finding Solitude in the City

Welcome to the new DOODLES series here on GOOD. The practice of sketching notes rather than simply sharing information via text has started to grow in popularity due to its visual appeal and tendency to draw us back to quickly accessible information. People like Mike Rohde and Nora Herting in particular have helped bring this highly approachable art form to the tech world and we would like to continue that momentum here to help spread thinking about sustainability, culture, health, and more. Each month we will be covering a new topic prime for DOODLES and may even start to incorporate this form of illustration for upcoming conferences and events. This series is going to ask you to both create and select the illustrations that bring random daily ponderings to life. Whether a professional artists or an amateur napkin scribblers, we urge you to share...