Drawing together

The purpose of Drawing Together is to help people express and explore ideas, emotions, and patterns that are hard to articulate with words. It’s especially useful when:

Logical thinking has reached its limit, and fresh perspectives are needed.
Hidden knowledge - like feelings, attitudes, or subtle dynamics - needs to surface.
Participants are tired or stuck, and a playful, visual approach can re-energize them.
Stories of transformation can be shared using simple, universal symbols.
New voices and ideas are encouraged to emerge, especially from those who may not usually speak up.

By shifting away from verbal and written communication, Drawing Together opens up new pathways for creativity, insight, and collective understanding

Time needed
40 minutes

Preparation

Offline Format	Online Format
Prepare colorful markers and flip charts for each group	Prepare virtual whiteboard template (e.g. Miro)
Split into smaller groups (in pairs and foursomes)	Prepare split into smaller groups (2-4 people)

Set the stage
1. Define the Topic/Concept: Choose a single, clear, and somewhat abstract concept, system, or challenge that the group needs to explore visually. Examples:
  - "Our Strategy,"
  - "Our Customer Experience,"
  - "The Team's Culture,"
  - "The Problem We're Trying to Solve,"
  - "Success for this Project,"
2. Emphasize that the goal is not to create a masterpiece, but to communicate ideas using simple visuals. The focus is on meaning and shared understanding, not artistic talent.
Step-by-step and timing
1. Introduce the idea of drawing together by drawing and describing the meaning of each symbol (see attachment) (5 min)
  - Circle = wholeness;
  - Rectangle = support;
  - Triangle = goal;
  - Spiral = change;
  - Star person [equidistant cross] = relationship
2. Ask participants to practice drawing the five symbols (5 min)
3. Split into groups and invite participants to combine the symbols to create the first draft of a story (working individually and without words) - about defined topic or challenge (10 min)
  - As a facilitator: Circulate constantly. Offer encouragement and gently prompt if stuck: "What's the most important part of this concept?" "Where does it begin or end?" "What are the key components?". Observe how groups are interacting and what visual metaphors are emerging
4. Invite participants to create a second draft, in which they refine their story with the size, placement, and color of the symbols (10 min)
5. Ask participants to invite another person or group to interpret their drawings. The person who has done the drawing does not speak (5 min)
  - As a facilitator: To help with interpretation ask:
    
    "What do you notice in these drawings?",
    
    "What similarities and differences do you see across the groups' interpretations?"
    
    "What insights or 'aha moments' come to mind?"
6. Ask the whole group, “Together, what do the drawings reveal?” Use 1-2-4-All with larger groups (5 min)
  - As a facilitator: Capture key insights, common elements, and significant discoveries on a separate flip chart
Hints
1. Emphasize "No Words": This is the hardest rule for many but the most crucial for forcing visual thinking. Be firm but gentle. Allow for occasional labels if absolutely necessary, but encourage symbolic representation first.
2. Be a Drawing Role Model: If you're comfortable, draw a simple example yourself to demonstrate that artistic skill isn't required.
3. Create Psychological Safety: Many people are self-conscious about drawing. Continuously reassure them that it's about ideas, not art.
4. Trust the Process: It might feel chaotic initially, but the insights that emerge from collaborative drawing are often profound.
5. Walk Around, Observe, Encourage: Your presence and support are vital during the drawing phase.
6. Focus on Meaning: During the debrief, always steer the conversation back to what the visuals mean and what insights they convey.
Examples of use
1. Visioning a New Strategy or Future State (Leadership/Strategic Planning Teams)
  - Topic: "Our Company's Future in 5 Years" or "Our New Strategic Direction"
  - Activity: Groups draw a visual representation of what the company looks, feels, and acts like in the desired future state, or how the new strategy will unfold and impact various parts of the organization. They might draw symbols for customer relationships, product lines, internal processes, company culture, market position, etc.
  - Outcome: A collective, intuitive understanding of the strategic vision. It reveals unspoken assumptions about the future and helps align diverse interpretations of strategic goals into a coherent picture.
2. Understanding a Complex System or Process (Cross-Functional Teams)
  - Topic: "The Lifecycle of Our Product from Idea to Customer"
  - Activity: Teams draw the interconnected components of the system or the sequential steps of the process. They might use arrows for flow, boxes for departments, clouds for external factors, people for roles, and symbols for pain points or points of delight.
  - Outcome: Visualizes dependencies, identifies bottlenecks, highlights disconnects between departments, and surfaces a shared understanding of how the current system operates or how a desired new system would function. Often reveals crucial elements that no one person fully understood.
3. Defining Team Culture (Any Team)
  - Topic: "What Makes Our Team Unique"
  - Activity: Groups draw images representing values, communication styles, collaboration dynamics, leadership behaviors, and emotional atmosphere they want to cultivate or already cherish. They might draw a tree for growth, gears for collaboration, a bridge for communication, or a sun for positivity.
  - Outcome: Crystallizes abstract cultural concepts into tangible visuals. Helps team members articulate what they value and aspire to, leading to stronger alignment and clearer expectations for behavior
Link with other Liberating Structures
Use together with:

1-2-4-All
Link to Liberating Structures page
Drawing together
Link to virtual whiteboard template (Miro)

Drawing together

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