Visualisation for success
In my line of work as an Agile coach we have long recognised that appropriate visualisation can help people understand problems, collaborate and work more effectively than text-based methods. Most teams use kanban boards, story mapping, user journey mapping, product roadmaps and some use Wardley maps. These tools might be on a wall or whiteboard or they might use an electronic tool. Other visualisations techniques such are mind maps are also widely used.
What works for you?
We only have to compare the two images below to see how appropriate visualisation can help us to understand what’s going on, what legal moves are available and start from there to figure out the best next move to make (credit Simon Wardley, on being lost)
Which of the two above will help you to understand what’s going on?
Internal visualisation
Visualisations don’t always have to be on paper, on a wall or in a tool. We can also carry simple visualisations in our head. I’m sure this talented boy who is capable of great mental arithmetic has some technique for achieving reliable results in less time than most. Would be interesting to learn how he does it.
I don’t recall being taught visualisation techniques at school nor about the range of different visualisation techniques available so that the person can experiment to try and find out the best for them in context. I had to come up with my own, they worked for me, when I came top of my school and two postgraduate qualifications.
Things have now changed in school so that internal visualisation techniques are now taught, however many adults might not have benefited from this change in the curriculum. In 10 years of working in Agile, attending conferences and reading books and papers I rarely see the topic of internal visualisation come up.
There seems to be an opportunity here, especially when explaining abstract concepts, to have a conversation with the people who get it first and ask them what internal image they see when they learn. This could help coaches understand what’s working and perhaps an gather this information and distribute practices to help others who are finding it more difficult.
Einstein stated the following:
Perhaps this is a technique that has a lot of potential in the workplace?
Comments welcome.
Craig, www.craigcockburn.com
