Visualizing Circles of Cairns

A SoL Consultants Convergence was held in August in Manchester, New Hampshire on August 10 and 11. During the first day’s Capacity Lab, Carol Mase of Cairn Consultants demonstrated her “Circle of Cairns” tool. Stated very briefly, a 3-circle venn diagram is drawn on a piece of paper, and in the center triangle is placed a word representing the issue to be worked with. Next, three additional words are chosen as drivers of the issue in the center, and each is placed in one of the three circles. The person (or group) is then asked to choose a word that fits the overlap between any pair of circles.

The next step is to derive a word that describes the combination of each pair of circles and their overlap. The three emerging “outer words” are then considered in pairs along with the two overlap terms between them and the original issue. These final three words may represent key themes or insights, but there is a dialogue with the resulting graphic to see just where the most powerful combinations emerge. A copy of one of these, on legal paper, is shown here.

As we discussed these in our groups, it was hard for me to hold so many words together. (It reminded me of ordering at a drive-thru for a car full of people.) I started thinking pictures might work better for me, and I just happened to have a set of Visual Explorer (VE) cards with me. I then found a willing subject, whom I’ll call “M.”

We began by laying all of the VE images on the floor, and I asked her to pick the one that spoke to her at this time. We placed it in the center of an easel sheet, and I asked her to describe for me what was in the picture, in terms of its raw data; I then asked her to describe how it connected with her. I knew immediately I was on to something when her description of the data differed considerably from mine. Next, I asked her to select three images that represent drivers for the issue that had emerged in the first image. We placed those on the sheet around the first photo, and she described all three as she had the first one. From there, we proceeded with the rest of the process as Carol had originally presented it, and the resulting graphic is shown here.

As we were completing it, Carol walked over and joined us. As M was about to explain what was represented, Carol stopped her, and asked me to use the graphic to tell to M the story we had created together. The confidence with which I could do it astonished me.

It was a totally engaging experience. I watched M and listened in total fascination, wanting to “participate” in her thinking and creating but remembering that my role was to be just the guide. There were tears, and hugs. I’ve never done or been trained in any way for peer coaching, but if this is what it can be like I want to start now!!!!

What else might follow? This is a wonderful “system of insight” that Carol has developed, and I’m thinking that graphic images might just electrify it if we continue to explore that avenue. How about you?

International Forum of Visual Practitioners Conference 2008 - Last Call

After everything was packed up and put away, Brandy invited us over to her backyard to celebrate the completion of this really strong conference. Most would know this backyard as Milennium Park, and we spread blankets and goodies on the lawn in Frank Gehry's Pritzker Pavilion as the orchestra opened with Grieg's Piano Concerto and the sun fell like a curtain on our week's performance.

International Forum of Visual Practitioners Conference 2008 - Day 3

International Forum of Visual Practitioners Conference 2008 - Day 2

International Forum of Visual Practitioners Conference 2008 - Day 1

This year's conference is in the Windy City, right on Michigan Avenue. As is always the case, we have a good mix of seasoned hands and new talent in development. In such an atmosphere there's often something that emerges that's just begging for attention.

For me, that issue arose in a question posed in a post-session discussion: where are we internally when we are recording and fully locked in? It didn't quite fit the agenda so it went into the parking lot, but for me it's the meat of the matter. Why? Because if we understand how we arrive in such a present moment, we can learn to help those we serve do the same.

Here are some snapshots from the first day of this year's conference.

ZZ Top Meets Visual Process

I have a 3-block walk to work, and I listen to music that I think I "need" for starting the day. One day last week it was ZZ Top - Sharp Dressed Man, etc. I was pretty surprised at how it infected me so quickly.

I came in to draw up a poster for a meeting, and started with a sketch in my notebook. When it came time to put it on large paper on the wall the earplugs went in again. It became impossible to draw without juking to the music, and rather quickly the sketch went out the proverbial window as another idea emerged altogether. I had a ball!!!!

I'm not sure how all that looks when a 54-year old guy is doing it, but who cares? Powerful stuff.

Tipping Points

On our IFVP conference planning site, Nancy Margulies noted “Also, we in the Bay Area are exploring what the Tipping Point for our profession might be—how it might grow rapidly, how it might contribute to substantial large scale change, etc.”

Just maybe I’ve inadvertently pushed on that edge a little by using maps to aid in story-telling. In the Retreats and Videos post below I described a session with ECU’s Division of Research and Graduate Studies. To begin planning the event, I asked the Associate Vice-Chancellor, Paul Gemperline, to tell me what was going on. As he talked I just drew on the wall with a big fat piece of lead. We eventually decided to start the event with him telling “Paul’s Story” about the Division and its current situation. He used a much cleaned up version of the map in his presentation, and to begin the Focused Conversation about it we had each participant come up and add to that map.

In the Visual Process Meets Mortality post immediately below, I interviewed the 15 participants ahead of time with a protocol that borrowed from Appreciative Inquiry. I put all of their responses on the 11-foot long graphic, and then added illustrations of things that struck me. In the back of my mind was an instance described in the book Appreciative Inquiry and Organizational Transformation
in which the interviewers wrote parables. In the session here, we set aside time for everyone to stand and study the graphic. Next, I talked about the images very briefly and we then repeated the Focused Conversation process described above.

So what does this have to do with Nancy’s note? Both of these graphic records turned into stories that were returned to the groups for an afternoon’s work. As stories they took on another form, and then each dealt with them in their own way. I’m thinking there are emotional aspects as described below in SoL in Tucson: we react when we see what we’ve said written down by someone else; we react to color; some react to visuals, others to words and stories. Some might suggest that the space between emotion and reason is where presence exists. Can we develop these practices to aid large scale change? Paul Gemperline seems to think so.