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The
History and Evolution of the
Graphic Facilitation / Recording Field
by
Christina Merkley
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The
80s Consulting Boom
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It
appears that the facilitation field experienced a boom brought
on in the 1980s by a need in corporations and government
agencies to get large numbers of employees working together
more effectively. The
resulting consulting explosion was a boon for the fledging
graphic facilitation niche as well.
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 Large
Meeting Graphic Recording
Photo courtesy of Lynn Carruthers, GBN
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Interaction
Associates, who helped create and define the facilitation sphere,
were now actively employed throughout the globe --- pulling together
large recording teams to assist in their endeavors.
By the end of the decade a collection of graphic recorders
was created, both employed within IA and as independent contractors,
who were teamed with I.A. facilitators.
Interactive Graphic Facilitation. Photo courtesy of Greg
Gollagher
The
Grove Consultants (then called Graphic Guides, Inc) were continuing
to piece together their visual methods.
David Sibbet’s publishing efforts increased as he
created the Group Graphics Keyboard
and other materials to support his Group Graphics Workshops. These workshops were steadily attracting external
and internal consultants, trainers, and facilitators. He and his
colleagues also moved beyond the early ‘graphic recording’
aspects of the work, and began creating and providing more sophisticated
facilitation, consulting and group services and tools, including
a collaboration on The Team Performance Model
with Allan Drexler. Through
the Grove’s work, and the work of the people they trained and worked with,
the visual methods were beginning a steady infiltration into corporate,
not-for-profit and even government ranks.
At
this same time, tucked in the American military, was another visual
pioneer, Jim Channon … who was
using imagining techniques and multi-dimensional displays to interpret
and communicate complex information before computers could do
it. Helping to draw out the big
picture of different operations and to communicate plans to different
levels of command. Jim
and his internal military colleagues were also influencing, training
and creating innovative visual methods for their own unique purposes.
Many of these folks spread their techniques throughout
the military and into post-service private sector careers.
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