Visual Facilitation in Youth Work
GUIDE www.yes-eu.ro office@yes-eu.ro
“Visual Facilitation in Youth Work� is a KA1 Mobility of learners and staff financed by European Commission under Erasmus+ programme- a Training Course that took place between 18-26 October 2015 in Homorod, Romania aiming to develop practical abilities of 38 youth workers on how to apply techniques of visual facilitation in their work. The content of this guide was created by 38 youth workers from 8 partner countries: Czech Republic, Cyprus, Hungary, Italy, Macedonia, Romania, Slovakia and Lithuania during the project.
ISBN 978-606-93838-2-7
Young Europe Society Miercurea-Ciuc 2015
Financed by the European Union. The content of this publication does not reflect the official opinion of the European Union. Responsibility for the information and views expressed in this publication lies entirely with the author(s).
Page 2
THE TIPS GUIDE & TECHNI QUES OF VISUAL FACILITATION ...new for graphic skills...? youth workers
Page 3
Table of contents VISUAL FACILITATION 6 What is Visual Facilitation WHY VISUAL FACILITATION WORKS 8 Reasons for using Visual Facilitation in youth work HOW TO PRACTICE 10 How to get started 12 Visual Vocabulary 20 My Visual Language MIND MAPPING 22 What Mind Mapping WORK VISIT 24 Work visit in Miercurea Ciuc Highschool BEST PRACTICES 27 How to make your work visual 29 USEFUL RESOURCES
Page 4
ARE YOU READY TO DRAW? MARKERS -fine line markers -black thin markers -colored markers -chalks and crayons -pencil and eraser (optionally)
Pre
par TO e you OL S r
PAPER -small A4 size -big A1 size or roll paper -colored sticky notes -flipchart papers OPPORTUNITY space and time
Page 5
VISUAL FACILITATION Let’s define the terms
Visual or Graphic Facilitation is a method of using visual practices (like: drawings, images, colors, sticky notes) to support a group’s learning process and to lead groups towards a goal.
Visual to help ac h appro SEE what e peopl mean e th y
Why images and pictures? Because “one picture is worth a 1000 words”. Images help us think. Studies have shown that visual data are processed 60.000 times faster than text. It can be a better way of learning and remembering for a longer time. Visual or Graphic Recording is a method of listening, transcribing and synthesizing information using images and symbols. A Graphic recorder must: -listen and understand -draw in a simple way -transmit information in an attractive way A Graphic facilitator must: -do all of the above -have facilitation skills Where they work? -conferences -projects -meetings -workshops -events -trainings Page 6
One picture is truly worth a 1000 words!
65% o are v f people isual l earners
What is Visual Thinking? Can we all draw? Visual thinking is a gift all people have. It’s a way to organise thoughts and improve communication. It’s an ability of seeing, thinking and listening and put all these into a drawing for other people to SEE WHAT they/we MEAN. A visual thinking method is Graphic Facilitation that we can use as a tool for learning. Can we draw? Everybody can draw because it’s a natural process for thinking and learning. It’s not about making artistic and detailed pictures. It’s about capturing what we hear in a way that is memorable for us or to deliver the information in a clear and simple way for the others to understand. How to do that? By drawing simple symbols to show ideas. Give a try and practice! Image Thinking enables creative communication and learning. We need creativity not innovation! In conclusion, Visual Facilitation is a process of translating complex ideas into pictures and words in real time.
It helps transmitting complex meaning in a simple way!
“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.” - Pablo Picasso Page 7
Why Visual Facilitation works
Reasons for using Visual Facilitation in Youth Work 1. Facilitates a faster communication 2. Enhances creativity of the youth worker 3. Enriches the attractivity of the message (for a strong impact) 4. Connects better the youth worker with the group 5. Breaks language barrier (better communication) 6. Reduce lack of understanding 7. Reduce repetition 8. Synthesize information and puts ideas in a logical order 9. Offers interactivity and active participation of the group 10. Facilitates learning and understanding 11. Captures easily the attention of the group 12. Stronger emotional impact 13. Remember information for a long time 14. Useful tool for working with people with dissabilities 15. Learning by doing 16. Useful for visual learners 17. Saves time and increases efficiency 18. Defeats noise (while being in front of a big group) 19. Transfer meaning and ideas to targeted groups
Page 8
Erasmus+ KA1 Mobility of Learners and staff Visual Facilitation in Youth Work, Homorod- Romania 18-26 October 2015
Page 9
HOW TO PRACTICE HOW TO GET STARTED -getting out of your “confort� zone -with the right attitude -without the fear of being criticised for your drawings -showing your drawing to the others -being confident -forgeting about the artistic part of the drawing -keeping in mind that your drawing needs to be clear and simple Game: Blindfolding drawing Separated into teams, one member of each team is being blindfolded (use a scarf). The facilitator tells a word (a complex shape, an object) to each team except for the blindfolded member and they have to tell to the blindfolded member to draw the shape. At the end of the game, everyone shares how they felt during the game. The game place a role of getting out of the comfort zone and start drawing
Page 10
Page 11
VISUAL VOCABULARY For learning how to draw simple shapes and simbols, you need to start with 7 basic elements as follows.
ELEMENT NO 1 is represented by PEOPLE. By drawing people, you show who is involved in your communication process. Try to represent it as simple as possible: with lines, forming a starshaped figure or as a “bug-shaped� figure.
Page 12
ELEMENT NO 2 is represented by CONTEXT (PLACE and TIME) Always try to position the people you draw in a certain place and time. You can find a few examples below (labels, signposts or simple arrows).
Page 13
ELEMENT NO 3 is represented by PROCESS. Always try to show how things happen. For this, use different types or arrows showing different meanings. Now it’s your turn to give a try. It’s easy, isn’t it?!
Page 14
ELEMENT NO 4 is represented by SPEECH. You can show what people involved in different processes are saying, feeling or thinking. Try to draw it with speech bubbles as follows:
Page 15
ELEMENT NO 6 is represented by TEXT. It’s important to write TEXT to add information to your drawing. In this way, you can make it more clear and easy to be understood by the others. The TEXT should be: -clear be careful at the - size -short - shape -use color - style
Page 16
ELEMENT NO 7 is represented by COLOR. COLOR help us understand better the information we see. Colors are used to indicate effects, shadows. For example, dark colors are good for text, bright colors are good for highlighting.
Page 17
ELEMENT NO 7 is represented by EFFECTS. EFFECTS are usually used to capture attention to certain parts of the drawind by adding a few simple lines. Also, if you want to show movement to objects or mood to people’s faces, you can easily use effects. Take a look at the following exmples.
Page 18
Page 19
MY OWN VISUAL LANGUAGE What is it? It represents visual images specific to your own area of interest. How can you make your own visual vocabulary/language? 1. Find some words connected to your area of work. 2. List it on a piece of paper and then put it into one of the following cattegories: things, places, people, processes, concepts. Start with simple basic elements:
You can draw anything using only these 4 elements. By practicing you will develop your own visual vocabulary and you will be able to draw simple symbols and to give meaning to your drawings. Moreover, you will be able to transmit information by creating simple drawing. In a short while you will become a graphic facilitator inside your organization. Good Luck!
Page 20
Examples of concepts: Different points of view
Negociation !!!!!!
????
Learning
To agree
Page 21
Mind Mapping What is a MIND MAP? A Mind Map is a technique for effective thinking. It’s a diagram used to visually organise information. How to create a mind map? Start with a eye catching image in the center of the blank page, then create branches (curves) that radiates from the central image and reflect your ideas. Branches are considered to be the chapters of your thought. From the main branches spread out the second level ideas and from those the third level ideas and from those the fourth level ideas. Why an image? Because it stimulates memories and thought. “A pictures is worth a 1000 words�.
an infinite An mind map is manifestaa s a ss e c ro p g thinkin ught! tion of your tho
Page 22
Guidelines -add only one key word (idea) on each branch -avoid sentences or phrases -use color for attractivity and stimulating images -the lines should be connected starting from the central image -make the lines the same length as the word, the image
Benefits -Increases productivity -Stimulates creativity -Stimulates memory -Increases comprehension
For what can I use it? -for planning tasks -for planning the stages of a project -for generating ideas and presenting -for generating and classifying ideas
Develop your own personal style of making a mind map. Page 23
WORK VISIT to”Octavian Goga” HighSchool in Miercurea Ciuc On 22 October 2015 we had a work visit at Colegiul National “Octavian Goga” in Miercurea Ciuc, Romania where we showed to the students the programme Erasmus+ using Graphic Facilitation techniques and methods. We will let you understand how we felt there by watching the following drawings and pictures.
Traveling
New friends
Open mind Learning Cooperation Page 24
Adaptation
Fun
We presented Erasmus+ programme focusing on the actions that fit best for the students, namely KA1 Mobilities of young people: European Voluntary Service and Youth Exchanges. They were very interested in EVS and they asked us about the benefits and where exactly they can find more information. We felt as if we were back to school, not as students, but as mentors who want to change lives. Page 25
BACK TO
Page 26
BEST PRACTICES HOW TO MAKE YOUR WORK VISUAL?
In the next pages we will talk about how we can apply graphic facilitation techniques in making your work more visual during youth work activities. We will offer you some examples that we created during our training course “Visual Facilitation in Youth Work”. In the first day on the training course we created together a “Social Contract”, meaning a few rules that everyone should respect. We made this “agreement” with visual symbols. What do you notice? It’s more attractive, better to remember for a long time. It was a group work and we enjoyed.
We made the same with evaluation at the beggining of the project. Instead of using text, we drew the fears, expectations, contributions and learning outcomes we had. Page 27
OTHER EXAMPLES of what can you prepre before the project in a visual way: -timetable of activities -menu -map of the inside/outside location -all your presentations and theory
NAOMIE During the session about Future projects we made visual our ideas for our future projects according to NAOMIE framework. We identified (working in groups): needs, aims, outcomes, method, implementation, evaluation and made a draft of our project.
In this way there is a better chance to remember our idea for a long time and strat working together for the application form. Who knows, maybe next year our project will be approved.
MAKE IT ALL Page 28
VISUAL
USEFUL RESOURCES
The Back of the Napkin- Dan Roam The Graphic Facilitator’s Guide: How to use your listening, thinking and drawing skills to make meaning by Brandy Agerbeck The Sketchnote Workbook: Advanced techniques for taking visual notes you can use anywhere- Mike Rohde Graphic Express- First steps of graphic facilitation in youth work- Salto Youth EUROMED Learning graphic facilitation- 7 elements by Bigger Picture Learning graphic facilitation- 8th element by Bigger Picture https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5DJC6LaOCI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0QZbwqp4lg
How to mind map with Tony Buzan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5Y4pIsXTV0
Recommendation for best markers http://eu.neuland.com/
Page 29
THANK YOU
We want to say thank you to all 38 youth workers who participated in our training course “Visual Facilitation in Youth Work” that took place in Homorod, Romania between 18-26 October 2015. And to all those who made this possible: European Comission http://ec.europa.eu/index_ en.htm ERASMUS+ http://www.erasmusplus.ro/ Romanian National Agency http://www.anpcdefp.ro/ Florina Făgărăseanu florina.fagaraseanu@anpcdefp.ro Ionel Crinel Raveică Andra-Simina Tureac Youri Bergoug
Page 30
ravic@ub.ro EUROPEAN YORK in PROGRESS youri.bergoug@ofci.fr
Contact Libertatii Street 8/3, Miercurea Ciuc, 530100 Romania Phone +40 (0)748 076 142 E-mail: office@yes-eu.ro Web: www.yes-eu.ro Project Coordinator Adrian-Dan VĂŽlcan