Picture this: you’re standing in front of a room full of executives, ready to guide them through a critical strategic planning session. The stakes are high, the energy is palpable, and then… blank stares. You ask them to create visual models of their business challenges, and suddenly these confident leaders look like deer in headlights. Sound familiar?
Here’s the thing – we’ve been doing it wrong. For years, facilitators have thrown participants into the deep end of visual thinking without teaching them how to swim first. It’s like asking someone to write a novel without teaching them the alphabet. The result? Mediocre models, frustrated participants, and missed opportunities for breakthrough insights.
The Problem with Traditional Individual Perspectives Activities
Individual perspectives activities are powerful tools in any facilitator’s arsenal. They move participants away from the mind-numbing parade of bullet points and toward strategic visual models that actually communicate something meaningful. But here’s where most of us stumble – we assume people know how to think visually just because they can doodle.
I’ve watched countless sessions where participants freeze up when handed markers and asked to create models. They’re brilliant strategists, innovative thinkers, exceptional leaders – but put a blank flip chart in front of them and ask them to draw their perspective? Suddenly they’re back in kindergarten, worried about whether their stick figures look “professional enough.”
The traditional approach goes something like this: brief introduction, hand out materials, give them 25-30 minutes to create their models, then share. It works, sort of. But it’s like teaching someone to drive by throwing them the keys and saying “figure it out.” Sure, they’ll eventually get from point A to point B, but how much time and potential did we waste?
The Breakthrough Discovery: Practice Makes Perfect (and Faster)
Aaron Williamson, Doug Cheek, and I stumbled onto something revolutionary during a particularly time-crunched workshop. We were working with The Difference, running sessions designed to unlock collaboration and unleash action. Time was tight, pressure was high, and we needed to change our approach to the individual perspectives activity.
What we discovered changed everything. By adding just one simple practice session before the main activity, participants created better models in less time. Not marginally better – significantly better. And they did it 40% faster.
Think about that for a moment. Better quality AND less time? In the facilitation world, that’s like finding the holy grail.
The Three-Step Magic Formula
Here’s exactly what we did, and what you can steal for your next session:
Step 1: Teach Through Demonstration (3 minutes)
We brought in a graphic facilitator to demonstrate graphic recording in real-time. But here’s the kicker – we didn’t just have them draw. We created a back-and-forth dialogue about what they were thinking as they drew.
Aaron, being Canadian, explained the sport of curling using a real-time model. As he drew, he narrated his thought process: “I’m starting with the ice because that’s the foundation… now I’m adding the stones to show movement… these arrows represent strategy…” Participants watched not just the drawing, but the thinking behind it.
Step 2: Explain the Building Blocks (2 minutes)
We broke down strategic modeling into four digestible elements:
- Actors – Who’s involved? (people, departments, systems)
- Annotations – What context do we need? (labels, explanations)
- Relationships – How do things connect? (arrows, lines, proximity)
- Frame – What’s the boundary? (scope, timeline, perspective)
Simple, right? But explicitly naming these elements gave participants a framework. Instead of staring at blank paper thinking “I can’t draw,” they could think “Okay, who are my actors?”
Step 3: The Practice Round (5 minutes total)
This is where the magic happens. We had participants grab paper and pen from under their chairs (pre-placed to save time). Then we gave them a ridiculously simple assignment:
“Draw the process of making toast.”
Yes, toast. Not their complex business challenge. Not their strategic vision. Toast.
Two minutes to draw. Ninety seconds to share with their neighbor. Ninety seconds for group debrief.
The beauty of the toast exercise? Everyone knows how to make toast. There’s no anxiety about getting the “content” wrong. They can focus entirely on the method of visual representation.
Why This Works: The Psychology Behind the Practice
Let’s get real about what’s happening here. When you ask high-powered executives to draw their business perspectives, you’re fighting against years of conditioning. These are people who’ve been rewarded for verbal eloquence, for PowerPoint mastery, for written precision. Suddenly asking them to think visually triggers all sorts of resistance.
The practice round acts as a pressure release valve. By starting with something trivial – toast, getting dressed, whatever – we separate the anxiety of visual expression from the anxiety of strategic thinking. Participants can experiment, make mistakes, even laugh at their stick figures, all in a low-stakes environment.
But there’s more going on. Research in learning theory shows that when we practice a skill in a simple context first, we’re better able to apply it in complex situations later. It’s called scaffolding, and it’s why we teach kids addition before calculus.
The toast exercise also democratizes the room. The CEO’s toast-making process isn’t inherently better than the intern’s. Everyone starts on equal footing, which creates psychological safety for the real work ahead.
Alternative Practice Exercises That Work
Toast not your thing? Here are other practice exercises we’ve tested:
“Draw how you get dressed in the morning” – This one’s great because it introduces sequence and decision points. Do you shower first or coffee first? The model reveals process thinking.
“Draw your commute to work” – Excellent for introducing multiple actors (other cars, trains, pedestrians) and environmental factors.
“Draw how you make coffee/tea” – Similar to toast but allows for more complexity. Espresso makers vs. drip coffee makers create different models.
“Draw a typical Sunday” – This one’s beautiful for showing parallel processes and time management.
The key is choosing something everyone can relate to, something with just enough complexity to be interesting but not so much that it becomes stressful.
Real Results from Real Sessions
Let me share what happened with that biotech company. After our 10-minute setup (3 minutes teaching, 2 minutes framework, 5 minutes practice), we moved into the main individual perspectives exercise. The assignment? Create visual models showing how to reduce healthcare costs using big data analysis.
Previous sessions with similar groups had taken 25-30 minutes for model creation, with mixed results. This time? Fifteen minutes. And the quality was off the charts.
One participant created a model showing the digestive system as a supply chain, with each organ as a “processing station” where costs could be optimized. Another drew the human body as a city, with different specialists as “neighborhoods” that needed better transportation (communication) between them.
These weren’t just pretty pictures. They were strategic insights made visible. And they happened because we took 10 minutes upfront to teach the language of visual thinking.
Common Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them
I’ve seen this approach fail, and it’s usually for one of these reasons:
Pitfall 1: Making the practice too complex
Solution: Keep it dead simple. If participants need more than 10 seconds to understand the practice assignment, it’s too complex.
Pitfall 2: Skipping the “why”
Solution: Explicitly tell participants why you’re doing a practice round. “We’re going to do a quick warm-up to get our visual thinking muscles working.” Transparency builds trust.
Pitfall 3: Not connecting practice to purpose
Solution: After the practice, explicitly bridge to the main exercise. “Now that you’ve warmed up with toast, let’s apply these same visual thinking skills to our strategic challenge.”
Pitfall 4: Over-teaching the framework
Solution: Two minutes on the four elements. That’s it. Don’t turn it into a design school lecture.
Adapting for Different Contexts
This approach scales beautifully. Here’s how to adapt it:
For Virtual Sessions: Use digital whiteboards. Have participants practice with the annotation tools first. “Draw your desk setup” works great as a virtual practice exercise.
For Large Groups (100+): Do the practice in table groups rather than pairs. Have each table nominate one practice model to share with the room.
For Time-Crunched Sessions: Cut the debrief, not the practice. Even 3 minutes of practice (1 minute draw, 1 minute share, 1 minute transition) is better than none.
For Skeptical Groups: Start with data. “Groups that do a practice round create models 40% faster.” Then make it optional but encouraged.
The Ripple Effect: Beyond Better Models
Something unexpected happened in our sessions. The practice round didn’t just improve the individual perspectives exercise – it changed the entire dynamic of the workshop.
Participants who might normally hang back became more engaged. The simple success of drawing toast gave them confidence to contribute in other ways. We saw more creative solutions, more willingness to build on others’ ideas, more visual thinking throughout the entire session.
One participant told me, “I’ve been in these sessions for 20 years, and this is the first time I felt like I could actually do the visual stuff. That stupid toast drawing changed everything.”
Stupid toast drawing. I’ll take it.
Tools and Materials That Support Success
Let’s talk logistics, because the devil’s in the details:
Materials for Practice:
- Plain white paper (not flip charts – too intimidating)
- Black markers only (color comes later)
- One sheet per person (constraints breed creativity)
Materials for Main Exercise:
- Flip charts or large format paper
- Full range of colored markers
- Post-it notes for annotations
- Optional: Templates with the four elements labeled
Room Setup:
- Materials under chairs (saves distribution time)
- Wall space allocated for final models
- Clear sightlines to demonstration area
Measuring Success: What to Look For
How do you know if it’s working? Watch for these indicators:
During Practice:
- Laughter and conversation (good sign)
- People comparing drawings (engagement)
- Questions about technique (learning mode)
During Main Exercise:
- Faster start times (less hesitation)
- More complex models (using all four elements)
- Less erasing/starting over (confidence)
- Earlier completion (efficiency)
In Debriefs:
- References to visual elements when explaining
- Building on others’ visual metaphors
- Requests to photograph models (value perception)
The Strategic Facilitator’s Edge
Here’s what this approach really gives you as a facilitator: credibility and differentiation. When you teach before you ask, you position yourself as an educator, not just a process manager. You’re adding tangible skill development to your facilitation practice.
In a world where everyone claims to do design thinking and visual facilitation, this approach sets you apart. You’re not just asking for creativity – you’re building creative capacity.
And let’s be honest about the business case. When you can deliver better results in less time, you become indispensable. CFOs love efficiency. Participants love feeling successful. Sponsors love breakthrough insights. This simple practice delivers all three.
Your Next Steps: Making This Work for You
Ready to try this? Here’s your action plan:
- Pick your practice exercise. Toast is tried and true, but choose what resonates with your style.
- Script your teaching moment. Three minutes to demonstrate visual thinking. What’s your example?
- Prepare materials in advance. Under-chair placement saves precious minutes.
- Practice your bridge. How will you connect the warm-up to the main exercise?
- Document results. Compare time and quality to your previous sessions.
Start small. Try it with a friendly group first. Build your confidence along with theirs.
The Future of Visual Facilitation
As we move into an era of AI-enhanced facilitation, the ability to think and communicate visually becomes even more critical. Machines can process our bullet points, but human creativity in visual synthesis remains uniquely valuable.
By teaching visual thinking skills, we’re not just improving one exercise – we’re building capacity for the future of work. We’re helping participants develop a language that transcends organizational silos, cultural barriers, and disciplinary boundaries.
And we’re doing it in 10 minutes.
The Bottom Line
That day with Aaron and Doug, we discovered something profound in its simplicity. By teaching art before asking participants to apply it, we unlocked potential that was always there, just waiting for permission and structure to emerge.
The 10 minutes you “lose” in the build-up, you get back in spades. Participants create better models faster. They engage more deeply. They leave with a new skill, not just a completed exercise.
So stop throwing your participants into the deep end. Teach them to swim first. Your sessions will never be the same.
And who knows? You might just find that the simple act of drawing toast becomes the transformative moment that changes how an entire organization thinks about their challenges. Strange things have happened. I’ve seen it with my own eyes.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some toast to draw.
