Engaging Diversity: Using Graphic Facilitation to Promote Leadership & Learning
Rhonda L. Margolis & Avril Orloff |
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This is the story of how four specialists in different fields brought together the concepts of diversity leadership and graphic facilitation to create an exciting , innovative learning opportunity for front line leaders. The specialists are: Jane, a talent manager; Anne, a non-profit executive director; Rhonda, a diversity consultant; and Avril, a graphic recorder.
Diversity Leadership & Learning
We have all heard the business case for diversity – immigration rates, skills and talent shortages, global competition, productivity, customer attraction and retention. Numerous studies show that teams composed of people from diverse backgrounds outperform homogeneous groups. These results are not automatic; they require that the strengths and skills of each team member are recognized, valued and used.
So, how do we deliver training to support the leaders who are in a position to foster welcoming, inclusive environments? One widely used framework is the H3: Head x Heart x Hand. Proposed by diversity consultant, Robert Hayles, this approach reminds us that we need to provide information (head), address feelings and emotions (heart), and develop skills (hand). As you might imagine, the most challenging of these is tackling the heart.
Diversity training is complex and emotionally laden. Training must be handled with careful attention to needs and feelings of workshop participants. As a facilitator Rhonda Margolis looks for ways to encourage and support, rather than require or insist, individuals to enhance understanding of themselves and others. Unexpectedly, at a conference on dialogue, Rhonda discovered a new way to engage people through metaphor and imagery. Thus, a potential partnership with graphic facilitator Avril Orloff was born. Our conversations revealed a common goal: to create open, dynamic spaces for people to deepen their learning, understanding and connection with each other.
Graphic Facilitation
As a graphic facilitator/recorder, Avril uses the wall space all around the training room to combine words and images to create a visual record of the day – literally revealing the “big picture” as it unfolds. Bringing a keen listening ear, a creative approach and a sense of play, Avril helps groups “draw out their best thinking” during the session.
The value of graphic recording goes well beyond the “wow” factor of creating a pretty picture. Research has shown that most people – possibly up to 80% of the population – are visual thinkers. This is suggested by the degree to which our language is filled with visual metaphors – so much so that we hardly notice ourselves saying things like “Do you see what I mean?”, “I get the picture,” or “Here’s what it looks like from my point of view.” And as we see from such expressions, seeing is often synonymous with understanding. So it is not surprising that participants regularly comment that seeing a picture of their conversation helps them understand what went on better than a written report ever could.
Perhaps even more importantly, graphic recording gives people concrete evidence that they have been heard. This is especially critical when dealing with emotionally sensitive topics. A good argument could be made that much conflict and misunder-standing arises from the feeling that no one is listening to us. When conversations are graphically recorded, that feeling is dispelled. Participants see their words materialize on paper almost as they speak them – usually in vibrant colour and with images attached. This tells them they have not only been heard, but their words have been accorded importance and honour. We have seen people visibly relax when they see their words recorded, and finally become able to open up to what others are saying.
Case Example: Engaging Diversity at Future Shop
Future Shop is committed to sustaining an inclusive culture – to fostering an environment in which everyone has the opportunity to grow and thrive in a respectful, fun and empowering environment.
To further this commitment, already embedded in Future Shop’s core values, Jane White – FS’s Talent Development Manager – worked with the Hastings Institute to offer a one day training program for front line leaders. The Hastings Institute, under the leadership of Executive Director, Anne Nickerson, is a not-for-profit organization wholly owned by the City of Vancouver. The Hastings Institute has earned a reputation for excellence in the delivery of training on issues related to diversity and respectful workplaces. Anne brought in Rhonda and Avril and the partnership was formed.
Together, we designed a day to explore the meaning of diversity, identify inclusive practices and challenges, develop a strategy to leverage FS’s existing culture of diversity, and build capacity for long-term sustainability and accountability. The learning design included a combination of experiential exercises, small group scenarios and World Café dialogue, all of which was graphically recorded throughout the day. In addition, we created a large “graffiti board”, on which people were encouraged to express themselves and exercise their own creativity.
The day was very well received, as captured in feedback citing “the great journey we took together”, the “life lessons shared through stories”, and “breaking down barriers to make everyone human”. The graphic recording was a new and surprising dimension that notched up the level of interest, engagement, creativity and connection among participants.
Here’s what front line leaders had to say:
- “It allowed me to access a different way of learning.”
- “I felt more connected with others in the room.”
- “Seeing the images sparked new ideas.”
- “Loved the interaction with the images, colours and concepts.”
- “The visual images make the concepts more real and will stay with me.”
As an added outcome, the images created that day will be used on FS’s website and internal documents as part of their diversity branding – a lasting impact from the work of the leaders in the room.
But the beauty of graphic facilitation is not in talking about it, but in experiencing it. Here are a few samples of the ideas generated by the FS group, and captured by Avril.
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