Visual communication is becoming increasingly important for everyone from villages to boardrooms in a fast-moving soundbite world. ‘Thinking with Diagrams’ enables.
- clarification of complex ideas and concepts
- immediate and memorable communication
- more information conveyed in a much smaller space and time
- resources accessible to all and more equal communication across inequalities of literacy and power
- reduce need for translation across national and international language barriers
Drawing Pictures
Diagrams Templates
:
- Change Journeys to show progress over time and plan towards a vision
- Action Trees to show inputs/outputs, challenge/action, cause/effect
- Empowerment Maps to show relationships and strengthen empowerment networks
- Vision Diamonds to deepen and revisit visions and bring different perspectives together
- The aim is not fine art paintings, drawing every hair on someones head in the right perspective. The aim is simple symbolic representations that other people will understand.
- Experience has proved that even people who have never held a pen before, are soon able to draw. It is just a question of having an image in your head, opening the pen and making marks on the paper.
- Diagramming and drawing are more efficient ways of understanding concepts, communicating what is really in someone’s head.
- More information can be put on a page. And people who do not speak the same language can often communicate. Once people get used to it they find it fun.
pictorial communication
‘A picture is worth a thousand words’: potential power of pictorial communication
Although diagramming does not necessarily use drawing, drawing often increases both the visual impact and also conceptual clarity on diagrams.
Scientific research shows that drawing uses a different side of the brain to verbal language, and is linked to development of spatial intelligence, memory and even delaying dementia. In counselling drawing has been used to open up unconscious and hidden thoughts and judgements – an essential part of examining and changing our own attitudes and behaviours.
In team-building processes drawing is used to develop spontaneity and encourage free and open discussion of ideas – including sensitive issues that may be hidden or avoided through using words like ’empowerment’ or ‘progress’.
In GAMEChange processes participants create their own pictorial manuals and notes – not only reducing costs, but also making it more likely they will remember and implement what they have learned.
diagram Templates
Diagramming is a key element in creative and lateral thinking required for innovation. Diagrams provide a sophisticated and entertaining way of presenting very complex information that might take several pages to describe in words. The diagramming process also improves memory of information because the brain processes information in order to diagram, rather than just mechanically copying.
Diagrams like organisational road maps, trees, circle maps and other types of diagram have been used in participatory development methodologies since the 1970s, including Participatory Rural Appraisal, REFLECT, Appreciative and many other. Concept and systems mapping are used to analyse and address very complex ‘wicked problems’ and encourage creative lateral and joined-up thinking in many organisations, including multinational companies, international aid agencies and scientific institutions. GAMEChange Diagram templates combine concept and systems mapping and diagrams commonly used in other participatory development processes have been adapted in very specific ways.
All GAMEChange empowerment action methodologies adapt a set of four diagram ‘DNA templates’.
The GAMEChange diagram templates have evolved to incorporate underlying ethical principles including gender mainstreaming, and also principles of visual dynamics to increase clarity of communication. The associated adapted tools are used in very specific ways as systematic and cumulative toolsets in different GAMEchange processes.
Some of these originate in familiar tools – road maps, circles and tree diagrams – from other participatory methodologies. More complex diagrams draw on principles from concept and systems mapping and information graphics.
Empowering Innovation
One of the big advantages of drawings and diagrams over linear writing is that a lot of information can be captured in a much smaller space and interlinkages can be between different elements can be much more easily understood and communicated.
This requires paying attention to the visual dynamics and overall impression on the page. It is suggested that first drafts are done in pencil so that drawings can be easily rubbed out and altered. Or messy first drafts can be used for brainstorming, and redrafted once thinking is clear.
Diagrams and drawing are only as empowering as the processes and institutions in which they are used. Diagrams are extremely flexible and can be adapted to any issue or context. The range of adaptations and types of information which may be represented on diagrams of any one type is very wide. Any one question can often be approached using more than one type of diagram or sequence of diagrams.
User innovation is a key feature of the GAMEChange methodology. Steps for the same tool type are consistent enough across issues for people to quickly learn to innovate and adapt themselves as new needs come up in their lives. Most tools go through a process of first elaboration and exploration starting with the generic form, and then progressive refinement as particular elements and relationships are judged more important or more interesting than others in the light of evidence or logical association. The examples in the GAMEChange practical manuals are by no means the only possibilities, and adaptation of the tools to new issues as they come up and the evolving needs and skills of participants will always be ongoing.
BUT although tools are very flexible, this does not mean to say that ‘anything goes’. Innovation in the tried and tested tools must be based on clear addition to empowerment – see Box.
Initially all participants need to develop drawing skills and everything should be drawn. But over time, as concepts and information become more complex eg quantification in thousands rather than tens, then if everyone is literate and speaks the same language then some short written words can be added. Usually people still choose to draw because more information can be added in a smaller space.
The main aim in any process is to keep things simple and use as few tools as absolutely necessary so that people can focus on the issues and not distracted by having to learn lots of new tools. It is also important that diagrams are used in a logical sequence with clear linkages between them. Some processes have become derailed and confused by staff or consultants trying to ‘make their mark’ by inventing a new tool, rather than looking at the issue and then seeing how tools people already know can be adapted. Introducing many new tools has often become very disjointed with little thematic learning link between them.
Once the process is well established, or for very specific purposes, other types of diagram like calendars, flowers, maps and matrices can also be added. The most interesting and useful ones are generally those invented by people themselves for their own use.
Empowerment innovation checklist
- Start with vision – is there an inspiring focus? even the current situation should be looked at in relation to a vision
- Think positive – Have as many positive opportunities for change been identified as possible?
- Foresee challenges but don’t get too bogged down – Have challenges and power relations been identified?
- Act SMART from Day 1 ALWAYS identify immediate action steps and SMART target/s
- Track, reflect and learn – all diagrams are to be used for learning how to advance. Have people decided how they will do this? What symbols will they use to track? When will they do it? How will they learn?
- Share with others – few people can succeed alone. Are people clear enough about the steps to share with others?
- Changing power relations – have differences between stakeholders eg gender/age/ethnic dimensions been discussed in all the above?
Innovation principles
- User-led: innovation and ongoing adaptation must be led by those using them – not imposed by staff and consultants without listening carefully.
- Start simple: tools should initially be simple enough for the users, including people who cannot read and write, to understand how to use and share the tools in a very short time – often only 10 minutes.
- Sophisticated enough to really help people think through and analyse their complex reality and possible strategies to change.
- Coherent and cumulative learning process. All tools must be clearly linked to each other, adding information and enabling tracking and sharing.
Diagram design
Once people doing the diagrams have some experience and confidence, thought should be given to:
- Spatial placement and position on the page in relation to other elements
- Size in relation to other elements to indicate hierarchy – or equality
- Shape that can differentiate between different categories
- Line that can differentiate between different categories and/or relationship
- Colour that can differentiate between different categories and/or relationship
action learning: tracking Change
Training Assessment can be done by photographing participants’ drawings and notebooks and using a picture of them with their favourite tool on a certificate of attainment as was done in SNV Ethiopia below.
Many diagrams use colour coding in order to make the analysis and planning clear at a glance. Colour-coding may apply to pens and/or paper. To allow colour-coding of different participants eg women/men, staff/community etc as well as planning, tracking and monitoring.
Colour-coding for participants should seek to subvert cultural norms eg not using normal colours for women/men in order to encourage thinking about change.
For planning, tracking and monitoring it is good to follow the normal convention so that different processes can understand each other and avoid confusion:
Red = achieved
Green = planned or ‘unripe’
Black = indigenous, already existing
Blue = perished, not wanted, not relevant
All GAMEChange trainings and workshops aim to develop the drawing and communication skills of ALL participants.
Drawings are also the basis for monitoring and assessing empowerment changes. Specific guidance on types of information to be recorded depends on the tool and purpose of the documentation.
This means having a reliable feedback from everyone to see who is running ahead, and who may be having some difficulty. The best way of doing this is to take photographs of each participant with their drawing, then comparing the complexity of the analysis on the drawing, as well as whether the basic diagram steps have been followed.
Documentation of the visual outputs from workshops, trainings and peer exchanges are mostly through photographs and video – this can be done on a mobile phone by staff, or people from the community. With peoples’ permission, these can also be shared for networking through social network platforms. They are also part of the champion certification process.
Group diagrams should be photographed with and without written post-it notes where relevant. Ideally plenaries are videoed so that qualitative information can be added later.
Ethical considerations
In all instances any sensitive information should be made anonymous. Participants’ respect for privacy of their analysis must be respected. Any information, photographs and video should only be shared with the person’s permission.
People’s drawings and diagrams should be accredited wherever possible if participants wish. Though it is not always possible to ascertain authorship in a participatory process where drawings or diagrams are shared, and given time constraints of large workshops.
Colour-coding for action planning and assessment
Other forms of visual communication
dance to accompany songs
Dance Songs are based on the aims and steps of the diagram tools and reinforce learning and group cohesion around visions and change.
theatre and role play
Transformatory drama is used to reinforce champion facilitation skills and complement the diagrams in exploring changes and strategies.