VisualsSpeak

I have used a wide variety of facilitation tools in my career, and I have found VisualsSpeak to be the most effective and efficient process I have encountered for people to engage with each other. VS offers a familiar set of materials and well-thought-out process to catalyze a group’s creation of a shared understanding about themselves, their team, their organization and the challenges / opportunities they face.

VS provides an outlet for right-brain thinking and experiential learning in a business world dominated by analytical and technical language and activity. Tapping the creativity inside everyone gives my clients a more holistic look at their project, company and world; the fact that they are building those meanings themselves gives them ownership (and energy!), and makes my job much easier.

VS also taps into the story-teller in each of us, and that powerful format helps clients transmit their goals and missions to staff, partners and customers. VS has definitely given me an edge in my work in branding, because the clients are now able to tell me what their story is, rather than depending on me to develop something for them. Additionally, facilitation tools like this are mostly unknown in the jaded marketing world, so I have a competitive advantage that accelerates development — oops, maybe I shouldn’t let my secret out…
Thank you for all your hard work in bringing VisualsSpeak [the VisualsSpeak ImageSet] to the market — it is a powerful tool that I have seen work over and over in a wide variety of situations. I can’t wait for the next time!!

Jody Lentz
[ grower ]
cabedge.com
Franklin, TN, USA

This is the only tool [VisualsSpeak ImageSet] I know of that enables my clients to quickly access fundamental values and to experience self-generating insight in the expression of those values.

My training clients want to have fun, gain personal insight and take away at least one idea or action that can shift the results they’re getting in the workplace. The VisualsSpeak Image Set meets all three of these criteria. The fact that I can customize VisualsSpeak activity’s focus increases its relevance to the topic and to the particular interests of participants. VisualsSpeak makes me look good!

Jean Bonifas
Soft skills trainer and presentation coach
Springboard Productions
Corvallis, OR, USA

I have successfully used postcards, artistic images from calendars and magazine photos to stimulate conversations among participants in many North American as well as international meetings I have facilitated. They are great tools to build bridges between people, to open doors to difficult conversations and to create a platform for dialogue in ways that words simply just can not touch.

So when I saw the VIsualSpeak photographs I was like a kid in a candy store. Wow - a whole new level of possibilities opened up for my practice. Because each photograph has been created precisely because it is evocative - its like they come with little insurance policies attached to them!

Now instead of selecting images that I think are going to stimulate a conversation I am using ones that consistently give participants a window to a new perspective for them and the people they are interacting with.

Lynda Lieberman Baker
MeetingSolution
Austin, TX, USA

IAF Certified Professional Facilitator and Assessor
ToP Certified Facilitator and Mentor Trainer

Prior to learning about Visual Speak during my organizational training exercises I always felt that a void existed for most people to adequately describe a given team, organizational direction or how they would view a given issue. The words did not flow freely and because of the lack of trust that may exist in an organization words were protected!

Once I started using Visual Speak to help people describe situations they seemed to open up and use words freely to describe the picture and their meaning of the picture. Because it was their “opinion” they were more open and honest.

I have just begun to understand the power of the pictures to open up an honest and straight forward discussion.

I would highly recommend it [the VisualsSpeak ImageSet] to anyone involved in organizational work.

Bob Phillips
Consultant, President and CEO
RW & Associates, Inc.
Bend, Oregon USA

“A picture tells a thousands of words! It is a powerful tool for letting people to share their values, belief, assumptions, and expectations across cultures. A group of ESL studens from different countries can share their thoughts without much talking! The great collection of images open up people’s mind and let them start intrapersonal and interpersonal dialogue across cultures. VisualsSpeak ImageSet also makes me creative as a trainer! Thank you, VisualsSpeak!”

Miki Yamashita
Graduate Teaching Assistant
Office of International Affairs
International Studies Program
Portland State University

“The VisualsSpeak ImageSet offers people a way to express themselves without (or beyond) the limitations of spoken language. Using photographs helps to level the playing field between native and non-native speakers and quickly takes people to a deeper level of dialogue. I believe the VisualsSpeak ImageSet is a great facilitation tool and a great value. It allows me to make my programs more interactive without the need to spend a lot of extra time on preparation. I love it and highly recommend it!”

Ann Marie Lei
Independent Consultant
Leveraging Differences for Better Organizational Results