Examples of Ways to Facilitate Creation of Shared, Images
Example for a Guided-Image Exercise
Note: Someone—facilitator or volunteer from the group—reads the following directions, or creates his own for the group. Lowering lights is a good idea if you’re comfortable with doing that. Pause a bit between sentences to give participants time to imagine.
“Get comfortable, close your eyes if you like, and bring one of the chosen interview topics into your mind. Imagine that that topic has been implemented fully in your everyday life and work. Imagine that it is your first day back at work and you are excited because you know that you’ll find a workplace that has more of that topic present. Wander around your workplace and, as you meet people in the course of the day, what pictures emerge that are life-giving and energizing? What are you feeling? What are people doing differently? As you head home from this day, what is life like and how has it changed? What conversations do you have with those at home? What do you tell them about the changes at work? Congratulate yourself for being a part of such a healthy and meaningful change in your work and in your life. Open your eyes and return to this room at your own speed. When ready, share a few words describing your experience.”
Example for a Dream Exercise
Note: This is done at tables of six or more. Often the same group made up of interview pairs that forms to identify themes will continue as a work group through the whole process. On the other hand, if one goal of the workshop is for people to meet a wider range of people, then this can be a new group because they will be working with the common data from the scattergram “dot” exercise. Also, this exercise can be done with simple chart paper and markers—lots of colors are nice—or with more imaginative materials for creating pictures and other visuals. It depends somewhat on the budget. When we use lots of materials, we either have packets for each table or a resource table with everything on it. We’ve had several hundred people do this in groups of sixteen plus or minus. And they can do the exercise in thirty minutes. The amazing thing to us is the kind of attention they pay to each other’s pictures and visuals even when there are twenty or more presentations! The energy in the room by this time is electric.
- Introduce yourselves to each other: Your name and your work.
- Review the final list of themes from the “dot” exercise and ask for clarity as needed. Select one or several the group agrees as being those it “wants more of” in the organization. Discuss what the final themes that emerged from the “dot” exercise mean to those at your table.
- Create a visual image on the chart paper of this organization when all these themes are present fully and at their best. Be prepared to post your picture and explain it to the larger group.