Sunday, January 30, 2005

Tip #53: Visual Engagement: Visualization

Visualization is the use of a positive suggestion through mental imagery to change a mental and/or physiological state. When we create a mental picture, our bodies can actually respond to the visualization as if it were a real experience. It is a powerful tool to help participants gain control of their minds, emotions, and bodies, and to bring about desired changes in their behavior.

We all have experience seeing things with our "minds' eye," so it is very familiar. As children, we imagine what we will do when we "grow up." As adults, we "see" ourselves making a good impression, giving a powerful presentation, or achieving a specific goal. We visualize constantly. If you have ever read a book and then subsequently seen a movie based on the book, you may have been disappointed. The characters probably did not look or sound the way you had visualized them when you read.

Positive visualization or guided imagery techniques can be used for relaxation, goal-setting, athletic performance, performance anxiety situations, pain reduction, and the treatment of illness.

Visualization works because the body cannot distinguish between an event which is experienced and one which is vividly imagined. In visualization, thoughts and images lead to neurological patterns, which in turn, lead to muscular responses. With the repetition of a sequence of thoughts and images (a visualization), the associated pattern in the nervous system is strengthened and the responses that are imagined have a higher probability of occurring in the actual situation.

Visualization can be used to:

  • tap into positive shared memories: "It is the summertime, you are 10 years old, and it is the last day of school.."

  • provide important personal insights: "Please think about a time when you rose to a challenge. What was going on? How did you feel? What did you think? What did you do?"

  • improve performance: "Imagine yourself making a successful presentation or winning the race."

  • relax the body: "Remember a time when you were completely serene and at ease..."

  • tell a story and help the participants "see" the characters, the situation, the experience.

For visualization to work, participants must be relaxed, want to improve, use a positive mental image, and imagine immediate results.

According to David Lazear , there are four stages involved in planning an effective visualization:

  1. Preparation: Identify the problem, question, challenge, or situation that is to be the focus of the exercise.

  2. Relaxation: A key factor in tapping the mind's natural capacity to form mental images is to relax the body and achieve a state of passive receptiveness, abandoning the tendency to be analytical and evaluative.

  3. Journey: This is the heart of the visualization exercise. First, move thinking and awareness to a state of introspection. Then, create a central image to move the focus from the everyday world to a state of introspection, insight, inspiration, and revelation. Work with the central image in a way that helps participants make connections with the issue that is being addressed. Make sure to allow enough time for the inner seeing process to occur.

  4. Reflection: Have the participants return from their journey and harvest their insights by recording and discussing their feelings and discoveries.

The process of visualization has many benefits, according to O.C. Simonton in Getting Well Again. It can:

  • decrease fear. Most fear comes from feeling out of control. Relaxation and visualization help participants sense their own control.

  • bring about attitude changes and strengthen the will to do better.

  • effect physical changes, enhancing the immune system.

  • serve as a method for evaluating current beliefs and altering those beliefs, if desired.

  • decrease tension and stress.

  • confront and alter the stance of hopelessness and helplessness. As people begin to picture themselves as successful, they gain a sense of confidence and optimism.

It can also be a good alternative to physically doing something, particularly in these budget-conscious times. Let's say we want our participants to experience how it feels to climb up a steep mountain, losing their burdens of worry and stress on their way, until they stand at the very top, successful and carefree. We can simply ask them to visualize it. Visualization is a quick, safe, and cost-free method to accomplish our goal, and just as effective as the real thing!

Next week, we will discuss the use of pictures.

Tuesday, January 25, 2005

Tip #52: Visual Engagement: Cartoons

Cartoons are a wonderful way to engage participants, add humor, and provide a unique and colorful visual perspective on content that may make it easier to retain.

I have used cartoons in my training programs for thirty years. We know that people learn better and are more creative when they are relaxed and in a humorous mood. Cartoons can take the bite out of very serious topics, such as discrimination and sexual harassment. They can provide some humorous distance to topics that may be too close for comfort, such as self esteem and mortality. They can sometimes cut to the quick, speaking a truth that might be distressing without the cloak of humor.

In each situation, the cartoon makes it possible to discuss personal matters without making the participants feel that they are under personal attack and are being judged for their behavior or choices. We can laugh together, sometimes with tears in our eyes, as we acknowledge the reality of the message. The use of humor, and its universal inclusiveness, frees us to open up and be more honest with ourselves and others.

There appears to be a psychology to the use of cartoons, in so far as certain cartoonists are more acceptable to specific audiences. Cathy, by Cathy Guisewite, tends to appeal more to women. And Dilbert, by Scott Adams, speaks directly to the experience of people in business, as well as men in particular.

The difference in the nature of the humor explains their different appeal. As Regina Barreca wrote in her book: They Used to Call Me Snow White, But I Drifted: Women's Strategic Use of Humor, more traditional women's humor tends to be directed at themselves, and more traditional men's humor tends to be directed at others.

A few cartoonists speak a language that is universal, insightful, and adaptable to many topics. I have found Snoopy, by Charles Shultz, Calvin and Hobbes, by Bill Watterson, LuAnn, by Greg Evans, and B.C., by Johnny Hart, to be premier resources.

Then, there are the more esoteric cartoonists often found in the New Yorker magazine, whose cartoons sometimes hit the mark and sometimes do not go over very well, particularly with Midwest audiences.

Since I became a national trainer in public forums, I have had to be very aware of copyright considerations. I quickly found that most cartoonists are represented by a syndicate, and there is typically a per-use fee.

It is possible to obtain the rights to use cartoons from the New Yorker for a moderate fee, or from the syndicates who handle Charles Shultz and Bill Watterson, for a much more hefty fee. For example, the United Media/Syndicate charges a $50 fee to use one Snoopy or LuAnn comic strip, in addition to a $10 processing fee.

Then there a a very few cartoonists, such as Johnny Hart, who do not charge a fee as long as you acknowledge that the cartoon is used with the permission of their syndicate.

These organizations license the use of the most popular cartoons:

  • Cartoonbank.com

  • CartoonStock

  • Creators.com

  • King Features Syndicate

  • Los Angeles Times Syndicate

  • Tribune Media Syndicate (ComicsPage.com)

  • UExpress

  • United Media (comic zone)

  • Universal Press Syndicate

  • The Washington Post Writers Group

For a list of popular comic strips and their syndicates, see: http://ccwf.cc.utexas.edu/kmwilcox/comic.html.

If you want to avoid paying a per-use fee, it is sometimes possible to purchase the rights to a number of cartoons by the same cartoonist. For example, prolific and wonderful cartoonist Randy Glasburgen sells a CD-ROM of 365 cartoons for a very reasonable fee, or the annual rights to his 1500 cartoons, plus daily cartoons, for approximately $700. The plus side is that you have continual access and permission to use the cartoons for almost any purpose. His website is: www.glasbergen.com.

Then, of course, there are cartoons available on the web for free. I have not found any that really appeal to me or would be appropriate for my audiences, but that is not to say they do not exist. And, if you are creative or have a creative family member or friend, you can always draw your own- or hire someone to draw them for you.

Whether you use them on overheads, in participant materials, or in PowerPoint presentations, and whether they are in color or in black and white, cartoons can be a very effective way to stimulate thinking, promote discussion, or introduce or summarize key points.

Next week, we will discuss the use of visualization.

Saturday, January 15, 2005

Tip #51: Visual Engagement: Mind Maps

Mind maps are creative diagrams of connected ideas that have been popularized by Tony Buzan and Evelyn Wood. They illustrate network displays that correspond to the brain's information processing and storage mechanisms. As such, they tap into both the visual and the verbal functions of the brain, resulting in better integration and retention. You can learn more about how to design a mind map, its benefits, and its uses, as well as see an example, at Tony Buzan's website: www.mind-map.com.

Mind maps can generate new insights and connections between ideas. They are a welcome alternative for learning styles that are uncomfortable with outlines. The linear nature of outlines, in which items must be placed under one category, makes it difficult to show relationships and links between items.

Also known as information graphing or memory mapping, mind mapping is a powerful technique for engaging the whole brain. Mind maps stimulate creativity and comprehension, present a global picture, and illustrate where the parts fit in the whole.

There are as many ways to draw a mind map as there are minds to draw them. However, they all begin the same way: the title, main theme, or central idea is located in the middle of the page.

One mind mapping technique uses circle clusters. It begins by circling the central topic in the center of the page. Associated subtopics are placed in bubbles around the central topic and are connected to it with lines. Additional related elements are connected to each subtopic. The different levels of subtopics are distinguished through the use of bolder lines, squiggly lines, etc.

Another mind mapping technique uses lines, with graphic symbols and images added to enliven the concepts for better recall. Main points radiate from the center, beginning at one o'clock and continuing clockwise. Elaborations, clarifications, and other details branch off the main limbs from the center outward. Arrows connect ideas. They use different colors to keep points separate from each other.

Artistic skill is not necessary. You just need a willingness to experiment and have fun.

Mind maps have a broad range of applications. They can be used to present or organize information, or provide an overview. When mind maps incorporate colors and images, they can make it easier for participants to memorize and retain the information. Mind maps can be used for brain storming as a group, or simply as a means for participants to keep their own notes. In anticipation of this, it is helpful to have clear sheets of paper and colorful markers available for participants.

Next week, we will discuss the use of cartoons.

Friday, January 7, 2005

Tip #50: Visual Engagement: Window-Paning

I first learned about window-paning from Bob Pike, who is a very well-known author, presenter, and practitioner of creative training techniques. You can learn more about the Bob Pike Group and their extensive range of creative services at www.bobpikegroup.com.

Window-paning transforms a list of information into framed pictures that are much easier to remember. These "window panes" look like a bank of window panes in a wall, either two rows of three window panes or three rows of three window panes.

Since the brain remembers pictures better than it remembers words, the trainer introduces each key concept by drawing a simple picture or symbol that will represent it and places it into its own window pane. The first concept picture goes into the topmost left pane, the next concept picture goes next to it in the top middle pane, and the third concept picture goes next to it in the topmost right pane, following the sweep of the eye from left to right. The fourth concept picture then begins the process again, going into the left pane immediately under the topmost left pane.

Each concept not only has a picture, but also a physical location. If you use window-paning for a series of steps, it can give the participants a better awareness of the sequence.

According to Laurie Kagan, of Kagan Publishing & Professional Development, a drawing only needs to be 30% of reality to be recognizable. This is happy news for those of us who do not fancy ourselves as artists.

An example of a window pane for six keys to learning retention is attached, which Bob Pike demonstrated in his Creative Training seminar. There is an excellent example of a picture-based window pane, accompanied by a description of the concept each picture represents, on page 65 of Bob's book: Creative Training Techniques Handbook.

There is another use for window-paning, which does not rely on artistic creativity. It can be used as an interactive exercise designed to identify and clarify thoughts and ideas about a particular topic, with a built-in opportunity to hear from everyone present. The larger group is divided into small table groups of 4-5 participants. Everyone is given a sheet of paper with nine empty cells in the configuration of a window pane (3 cells x 3 cells). In the first pane, each person writes an idea, thought, observation, or concept relating to the topic.

The sheets are then put in the middle of the table and each member of the small group draws out a sheet, reads the initiating comment, writes a response in the second pane, then returns the sheet to the middle of the table. Sheets continue to be drawn out and reactions to the initiating comments and subsequent responses are recorded until the panes are full. Group members then read the sheets, discuss and summarize the contents, and report their observations to the larger group.

Next week, we will discuss the use of mind maps.

Saturday, January 1, 2005

Tip #49: Visual Engagement: A Wall Process Map

Jeff Anthony of Anthony Consulting has introduced me to the visual and organizational impact of a wall process map.

One use of a wall process map is to provide a picture of the agenda as it moves through the different topics. In essence, it is a colorful overview of the layout of a workshop. It is a wonderful visual to use in previewing the content that will be covered and in reviewing the content that has already been covered.

Depending on your skills and inclination, you can enhance your wall process map with pictures, images, and symbols, as well as words. You can see a basic example of a wall process map of an agenda on our website at www.laurelandassociates.com/workshop_materials/wall_process.zip.

Jeff also uses them in conferences and workshops when he feels that "there is a premium on capturing the motion and continuity of ideas. In the end, you wind up with a mural representing what people said as well as how it 'looked.'[He believes] the imagery is as powerful as the 'facts.'"

Jeff has also taught me that a nice way to end a workshop is by having the participants sign the wall process map. You just have to remember to leave enough time!

You can learn more about Jeff Anthony, who has a very creative visual flair and a very impressive range of services, at .

Next week, we will discuss the use of window panes.