How to Make a Real Vision
Author: Jim Hardcastle
Jim helps people plan and deliver effective communications. His background in the countryside sector provide him with a wealth of experience in rural marketing. Facilitation, fueled by coffee, with Post-Its at the ready, he’s here to help .
Vision. Aim. Mission statement. I bet your organisation has got one of the aforementioned? You might even know it? Bet you can’t picture it though.
Most Vision’s fall foul of the classic design-by-committee - you start off with a pure idea then consultation waters it down. One person will probably start it then everyone else will throw their comments and suggestions in. The first person will try and accommodate these diluting the original meaning. Probably because it’s the boss who’s adding the words.
Before you know it you have a paragraph or even more, that no-one can remember!
Do you know the best way to create a vision that gets everyone involved? Big pens and big pieces of paper. You need to level the playing field if you want people involved.
We get intimidated by particularly assertive characters. We get intimidated by the fear of saying something that might make us sound stupid. We get intimidated by people in a position of authority in our organisation.
Big pens and paper allow people to draw things and write simple words around them. Visions need to be visual so that we can share them. A big picture that has evolved through a facilitated session is the easiest way for people to see it and get it.
Visions need to have time and space connected to them. A drawing or diagram can show progression from us ‘here’ to where we want to be over there.
You’ve got to use big pieces of paper. People feel encouraged to contribute on a big piece of paper. They’ll feel intimidated by a piece of A4. In our experience even 1 flipchart sheet is not big enough.
Sometimes the little doodles around the edge are incredible insights into the organisation. Connections can also be made. Draw an arrow. Connecting two concepts together from what may have been perceived as separate parts of a business brings people together.
Tangible. You and your team (partners, trustees, etc) must be able to see this vision (it’s called a vision for a reason!) in their mind’s eye. They’ve got to be able to taste it, smell it, touch it. It’s got to be tangible.
My recommendation for creating a Vision:
- get all the people in the same room that need to deliver the vision (this may mean a few sessions)
- tell everyone the time you’re going to finish (crucial for settling people down and finishing!)
- remove all chairs
- have a big table in the middle (not too big though)
- tape together 3 flipchart sheets
- spread different colour thick pens around the table
- pose a question e.g. what will the front of our shop look like in 3 years? Where will we be based in 5 years/
- the facilitator starts to draw and talk
- take photos as you progress to record the evolution
- distill the image and words near the end
- make sure everyone agrees with your summary
Tags: aim (1), communication planning (21), facilitation (15), flipchart (1), vision (2)
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Such great ideas to make real vision! I’m so pleased to read this contextual impression. Keep up the good work!
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