What is graphic facilitation? How can illustration contribute to your gatherings?

What is graphic facilitation?

Graphic facilitation is a powerful tool to support a group get clarity from great amounts of complex information. In order to avoid overwhelm and be able to navigate complexity the creation of illustrations and visual panels are very helpful tools.  Representing the flow of information, the main insights and conclusions that emerge during a process make information easier to understand, remember, and be share.

“Graphic facilitation is serving a group by writing and drawing their conversation live and large to help them do their work” – Brady Agenbeck, The Graphic Facilitator Guide 2012

Below you can find how graphic facilitation can support in many different settings :

• • Events / Conferences online or onsite: big amounts of information are shared and can also be shared with the outside world.
  • Group processes: to see the flow of conversations and review what emerged anytime after.
  • Workshops and training: to visualize the key insights and share them on social media for example. These are just some ideas but the possibilities and benefits of having visual harvesting of a process are numerous.

A graphic facilitator will connect with the “collective intelligence” in the room and capture its wisdom.

Research has shown that we process visuals 60,000 times faster than text.  So if you want to connect with an individual, an audience, or the whole world, communicating visually helps you connect faster, and more meaningfully,  with more people.

How can strategic illustration contribute to your events, meetings, processes, workshops, and conversations?

Some of the main benefits of having a graphic facilitator in the room are:

• To support the group to develop a shared understanding.
• To help participants to be focused and present in the conversation. 
• To feel heard through seeing their ideas and insights being captured. 
• Boost group decision-making and problem-solving skills. 
• Be able to share the conversation beyond the event or session.

“Graphic facilitation is a powerful tool to help people feel heard, to develop shared understanding as a group and be able to see and touch their work in a way they couldn’t access before”- Brady Agenbeck, The Graphic Facilitator Guide 2012

Creating illustrations can be a fantastic tool to practice “active and deep listening”. Usually, when we hear someone talk we tend to think about what we will reply rather than trying to really understand what the person is sharing with us. An illustration can help deepen understanding and bring the conversation to a completely different level.

“While presenting, I listen to the most in tune self for guidance. I engage all of my senses to discern when to move and when to be still, when to start and when to stop” Kelvy Bird, Generative Scribing, A social art of the 21st Century 2018.

How does a graphic facilitator work?

A graphic facilitator will work with you from the design stage of your event / session / workshop finding the best ways in which visual materials can support the purpose and goals of your project.

He/She will attend your event /session/workshop and create visual panels in real-time during the event or conference. This work can be developed in digital or analog format. At SenseTribe we work in both formats but recommend digital visuals because it is easier to share and reuse materials, also the quality is higher and results can be shared on large screens and social networks instantly.

There are many different services a graphic facilitator can deliver around an event / workshop / session that can enrich the outcome and experience. You can increase the audience’s attention span and engagement through visual panels, illustrated invitations or agendas, or graphic recordings for social media posts…

To find out more about our graphic facilitation services and examples of our work for events/processes crafted by our visual team, please click below.

Download an overview our graphic facilitation services

If you have any questions or requests about our graphic facilitation services, please contact: marina@sensetribe.com