Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Professional Development

7:15	Breakfast & Registration
9:00	Welcome from IFVP President Rob Benn Conference Opener
9:30
10:00	Break
10:30	Graphic Recording 101 Brandy Agerbeck & Lynn Carruthers read more >		Using Art to Stimulate the Imagination: Case Studies from the Ancient Greeks Dr. Diane Cline read more >
11:00
11:30
12:00			Free Networking Time
12:15	Lunch
1:00
1:30	Graphic Recording 101 continued		Clarifying & Appreciating what Visual Practitioners bring to the World Susan Kelly read more >
2:00
2:30
3:00
3:30
4:00			Free Networking Time
4:30	Day Closing
5:00	Dinner around Chicago read more	Chicago Pizza?	Sushi?	Ethiopian?		Irish?	Polish?
		Thai?	Indian?	Mexican?		Soul Food?	Vegetarian?

Thursday, August 7, 2008
Tools: Processes and Technology

7:15	Breakfast
7:30
8:00	Membership Annual Meeting, 8:00-8:45, working breakfast for members
8:30
9:00	Welcome & Notes
9:15	Facilitating Three Dimensional Image Making John Ward read more >
9:30
10:00
10:30	Break
11:00	Breakout 1, Process focus The Tools We Use: Visual Metaphors and Narrative Analysis Robert W. Barner, Ph.D read more >					Breakout 2, Technology Focus The 2008 Horizon Report: Key Emerging Technologies Rachel S. Smith read more >
11:30
12:00
12:15	Lunch
12:30
1:00
1:30	Convene for Afternoon Open Interest Space Exploring new tools and processes for Visual Practitioners
2:00
2:30
3:00
3:30
4:00	Report Out from Groups
4:30	Day Closing
5:00	Sponsored by IFVP Member Christine Valenza: Jam and Cash Bar Happy Hour read more>
5:30
6:00
6:30
7:00

Friday, August 8, 2008
People

7:15	Breakfast
7:30
8:00
8:30
9:00	Welcome & Notes
9:15	Cultural Dimensions in Visual Representations Regina Rowland & Tomi Nagai-Rothe read more >
9:30
10:00
10:30	Break
11:00	Breakout 1 Building Capacity to Tackle Complex Challenges: A visual approach to collective meaningmaking and action Ole Qvist-Sørensen read more >					Breakout 2 Visual Thinking Tools for Change Management Virginia Hamilton read more >
11:30
12:00
12:15	Lunch
12:30
1:00
1:30	Convene for Afternoon Open Interest Space Exploring the types of people we as Visual Practitioners work with
2:00
2:30
3:00	Conference Closing, The Tipping Point Nancy Margulies & Julie Gieseke read more >
3:30
4:00
4:30	Closing Remarks from President Rob Benn

Day 1, Professional Development

Wednesday, August 6th, 10:30 AM to 4:30
Graphic Recording 101
Brandy Agerbeck, graphic facilitator, Loosetooth.com
& Lynn Carruthers, graphic recorder, Global Business Network

Brandy Agerbeck and Lynn Carruthers are back with an updated version of their day-long comprehensive look into the wonderful world of capturing big ideas on big sheets of paper. Designed for all levels of skill and experience, GR101 v.2 provides a basic understanding of the craft, the tools and techniques, with real life stories and 'aha!' moments presented by two practitioners with very different working styles and clientele. Graphic Recording 101 was designed for beginners and as a great refresher for seasoned recorders who want to get back to basics. GR 101 v.1 was a big success at last year's IFVP annual conference in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with rave reviews from people who had never touched marker to paper and seasoned recorders alike. Spaces are limited to 30 so sign up soon!

	Graphic facilitator Brandy Agerbeck, Loosetooth.com, creates conceptual maps of conversations. Since 1996, her drawing and thinking skills have facilitated groups in finding clarity and understanding their work. Brandy‘s favorite work as a graphic facilitator is with corporate clients with big, complex, abstract issues and messy conversations. Her work tends to be very diagrammatic and colorful.
	Lynn Carruthers has been the in-house graphic recorder at Global Business Network for 6 years. "Graphic Recording combines all the things I'm best at:  writing neatly and clearly, listening intently, lots of color, making messes with art supplies, and being involved with a group - though comfortably to the side.

Wednesday, August 6th, 10:30 AM to Noon, Breakout 1
Using Art to Stimulate the Imagination: Case Studies from the Ancient Greeks
Dr. Diane Cline, Graphic Recorder and Thinking Partner, Over The Horizon Consulting LLC

The ancient Greeks, who were very aware of the power of viewing, used artwork as a means of stimulating the imagination in order to find their "flow," which would lead them to a higher order of thinking. Diane Cline will take the audience through case studies of vase paintings from Ancient Greece that will explore the similarities of Ancient Greek communication forms to today's graphic recording.

Attendees will learn:
	Graphic Recording take-away lesson: Less truly is more
	Visual imagery as a catalyst for meaningful conversation
	Sensory stimulation through color, light, musical sounds, fragrances, and tastes is a catalyst for creative thinking

Diane Cline holds a B.A. in Classics from Stanford University and a M.A. and Ph.D. from Princeton University's Department of Art and Archaeology. She has excavated in Israel, Greece, and Cyprus. She taught Greek and Roman History and Archaeology for 13 years, winning tenure in the History Department at California State University Fresno, and then in the Classics Department at the University of Cincinnati. After nearly 5 years of serving as a civilian in the DoD after 9/1, she has started her own consulting firm and teaches Greek and Roman civilization courses at the George Washington University.

Emily Shepard will be recording Diane's session. Emily attended her first IFVP Conference in 1999. She's been on the conference planning team multiple times, and so tips her hat to this year's excellent team!

Clarifying & Appreciating what Visual Practitioners bring to the World
Susan Kelly

Description to come...

Susan Kelly

Avril Orloff will be recording Susan's session. Avril is a new member to the IFVP and will be joining us in Chicago for her first IFVP conference.

WEDNESDAY EVENING, conference organizers are planning 'Dine Around Chicago' - local Chicago friends of Brandy's will be guiding you and a small group of like-minded individuals to your restaurant of choice where you will be able to purchase your evening meal and visit with each other. (Restaurant options will be posted Wednesday morning)

Day 2, Tools: Processes & Technology

Thursday, August 7, 2008 from 9am to 10:30am
Facilitating Three Dimensional Image Making
John Ward, Visual Thinker, Many Minds, Breakthrough Facilitation

Most people express themselves far more spontaneously and skillfully in three dimensions than two. To draw well you have to flatten out your experience. A facilitator who wants to involve clients in the process of image making should consider leading them spatially. Everyone who feels an idea bubbling up in their mind waves their hands about and enthusiastically, unselfconsciously, rearranges the silverware on the table to explain themselves. This is pre-graphic kinesthetic modeling. It is also pre-verbal; and it is a great way to draw out original ideas in individuals and groups. Using this process most people can discover and articulate concepts they didn't know they had. They can fashion images and ideas that are hidden behind intellectual blocks, business as usual chatter, and social protocols.

Attendees will learn:
	Hear stories about the evolution and applications of Kinesthetic Modeling (KM)
	Observe a spontaneous demonstration of KM.
	Have plenty of opportunity to dialog with John about how KM can be applied to visual practice.

John Ward has been an active participant in IFVP conferences for over 10 years. He is a graphic facilitator who embraces a variety of arts based methods to help people in organizations think and work better together. His clientele includes Fortune 500 corporations, the US Government, numerous non-profits and small businesses. His recent work has focused on leadership development and the cultivation of visual literacy. This year, John and his wife Suzanne da Rosa, have moved to a home they built in San Miguel de Allende in central Mexico.

Rob Benn will be recording John's session. Rob joined us in IFVP conferences in 2001 and is currently our Board President.

Thursday, August 7th, 2008, 11:00 am - 12:30pm, Breakout 1
The Tools We Use: Visual Metaphors and Narrative Analysis
Robert W. Barner, Ph.D, Professor, Dispute Resolution and Counseling, Southern Methodist University

Using group self-generated metaphors as a tool for assessing team and organizational change: The idea behind this topic is that much of what has been written and taught on the subject of visual facilitation is based on the idea of having a third-party facilitator construct visual images or metaphors to help teams envision goals, needs, and potential constraints. What happens when team members are encouraged to work together to arrive at a visual metaphor that gives voice to their needs and concerns? A team's iterative development of a metaphor can be treated as a type of "group narrative" which tells the story of how the team discovers its collective voice. This approach has power in helping teams express issues or concerns that they would otherwise have difficulty expressing.

Attendees will learn:
	When it is important to use visual metaphors as a facilitation tool
	The unique perspectives provided by the use of visual metaphors
	How to interpret visual metaphors

Robert Barner holds the position of Associate Director of Executive Education and Lecturer with Southern Methodist University's Graduate Program in Dispute Resolution and Counseling., within the Annette Caldwell Simmons School of Education and Human Development. He is the author of five business texts, which have been translated into German, Norwegian, and Estonian, and has been a contributor to seven other texts, including The Handbook of Adult Development and Learning (2006, Carol Hoare, Ed.; Oxford University Press). His articles have appeared in such journals as Team Performance Management, Career Development International, The OD Practitioner, and The Journal of Management Development.

Nick Payne will be recording Robert's session. Nick became a IFVP member in 2006 and joined us in Santa Fe last year.

Thursday, August 7th, 2008, 11:00 am - 12:30pm, Breakout 2
The 2008 Horizon Report: Key Emerging Technologies
Rachel S. Smith, New Media Consortium

The annual Horizon Report describes the continuing work of the New Media Consortium's Horizon Project, a research-oriented effort that seeks to identify and describe emerging technologies likely to have considerable impact on teaching, learning, and creative expression within higher education. This session will introduce the six technologies covered in the 2008 Horizon Report, the fifth in the series. Participants will explore examples in each category and contribute to the ongoing Call to Scholarship with their own ideas and suggestions. The 2008 Horizon Report is available online at no cost at http://horizon.nmc.org.

Attendees will learn:
	The 6 emerging technologies identified in this year's report
	Explore examples in each category
	How to contribute to the ongoing Call to Scholarship

Rachel S. Smith is the Vice President, NMC Services for the New Media Consortium (NMC), an international consortium of more than 260 world-class universities, colleges, museums, research centers, and technology companies dedicated to using new technologies to inspire, energize, stimulate, and support learning and creative expression. She is recognized for her work in making new technologies approachable for higher education faculty and staff through talks, trainings, and written materials. A specialist in project coordination, user interface design, and visual facilitation, Rachel leads the NMC's fee-based services units, directs the NMC's involvement in projects such as the open source Pachyderm project, and directs all NMC internal and external publications. She serves as an interorganizational liaison, bringing together NMC members from around the globe to develop new projects. Rachel authors instructional materials, guides, and monographs on the creative and technical aspects of teaching with technology.

Jim Nuttle will be recording Rachel's session. Jim joined the IFVP this year and we welcome Jim to his first IFVP conference this August.

THURSDAY EVENING, IFVP Member Christine Valenza is generously sponsoring a room at the Club Quarters Hotel where conference organizers are planning this year's 'Graphics Jam and Cash Bar Happy Hour' - at the end of the conference day on Thursday, Rob Benn, IFVP President, will be inviting all conference participants across the street to the Club Quarters Hotel where the annual 'Graphics Jam event' will take place for one hour followed by a cash bar 'Happy Hour' time to visit, network, exchange business cards and make plans with friends (old and new) for dinner. There is an Italian Restaurant on street level of the Hotel for ease of decision-making OR folks are invited to checkout their handy-dandy 'Visitor's Guide to Chicago' booklets in their conference package for more ideas.

Day 3, People

Friday, August 8, 2008 from 9:00 to 10:30am
Cultural Dimensions in Visual Representations
Tomi Nagai-Rothe, Senior Consultant, The Grove Consultants International
& Regina Rowland, MGD, MPNLP, PhD (ABD)

Thinking big includes working globally and across cultures. This requires growing and nurturing cultural sensitivity in the work we do as visual practitioners. This session is framed around four leading questions the participants can keep in mind during their work with diverse audiences: Audience Analysis; Needs Analysis; Methods Analysis; Involvement of Participants. This session is designed to include a short intro, group practice sessions, and large-group call out.

Attendees will learn:
	Information and resources for learning about cultural dimensions and their relevance to visual facilitation
	Practice in culturally sensitive ways of visual mapping
	Reflective question frame to keep in mind when approaching projects with culturally diverse participants

Both Tomi and Regina are biculturals who work internationally as consultants, facilitators, and visual practitioners. They both have been exploring options for culturally sensitive visual facilitation. Tomi has lived and worked in Japan and was deeply involved in the development of Globalwork: Bridging Distance, Culture and Time (Jossey-Bass). She has worked with clients in India and South Africa and is currently interested in bringing cultural awareness to intra-national work settings where cultural diversity is largely unseen. Regina just completed her dissertation research bringing together the disciplines of intercultural communication and visual communication through group dialogue,collaborative mapping and interactive graphic facilitation. Her experience includes facilitating in the Middle East, Africa, East Asia, and Europe, as well as teaching at one of the most diverse campuses in the country, City College of San Francisco.

Bruce Flye will be recording Tomi and Regina's session. Bruce joined the IFVP in 2007 and contributes to this year's conference by organizing our speakers.

Friday, August 8, 2008, 11:00 am- 12:30pm
Building Capacity to Tackle Complex Challenges: A visual approach to collective meaningmaking and action
Ole Qvist-Sørensen

In an increasing complex work co-created clarity is needed in order to act in a meaningful way. As visual practitioners we have a unique contribution to many of these present day challenges. One specific challenge: The Climate Changes - is becoming increasingly relevant to find "shared pictures" and understanding.

This session focuses on what we in the visual community can do / must do with our skills. The presentation includes concrete examples of work done in Europe and specific invitation from international stakeholders. The session is an highly interactive workshop.

Following cases will be introduced:
Working towards a global Climate Agreement in Copenhagen (the next Kyoto Protocol).
• Bigger Picture is involved in building a visual language and facilitation training using visual techniques and tools which can support the process leading up to the COP 15 in Copenhagen Nov 2009.
• Bigger Picture has been involved in the Tällberg Forum a recent conference
• Bigger Picture is in the process of designing community tools to take action.

Attendees will learn:
	Why visuals play a key role to finding the solutions to complex challenges.
	Who are already working intensely with to tackle present complex challenges and why they need the visual community to support their work.
	How you - in your family, local community, organization/ business and country - can build a visual language to address complex challenges.

Related Links:
	www.biggerpicture.dk
	www.copenhagenclimatecouncil.com
	www.cop15.com
	www.tällbergfoundation.org
	www.worldchanging.com

Ole Qvist-Sørensen In 2003, I founded Bigger Picture - a Scandinavian based consulting company. BP provides visual design, learning and dialogue tools, training and consulting services enabling ongoing sustainable organisational and personal change. Presently working with change projects in Copenhagen Climate Council, Novozymes (R&D), Vestas (P&O) and Shell (Complex Challenges Group). Normally I do not write this…but in this context it is probably suitable: I believe visual language, visual thinking and graphic facilitation is more needed than ever in an increasingly complex world. I consider it my mission to accelerate the constructive use of visual language, thinking, communication and facilitation in all sectors of society.

Brandy Agerbeck will be recording Ole's session. Brandy started attending IFVP conferences in 2000. She is currently the Ex-Officio board member.

Friday, August 8, 2008, 11:00 am- 12:30pm
Visual Thinking Tools for Change Management
Virginia Hamilton, Conversations Waiting to Happen

People tightly hold images of themselves and their organizations in ways that can slow down or even stop change. By using visual tools to explicitly uncover these images and their underlying values, we can more easily help individuals and groups change their behavior. Images have an extraordinary power in communication and facilitation because they instantly reveal relationships while tapping into memory. They are key to releasing intention and will.

This session will focus on the use of visual tools in working with groups to accelerate change. Participants will review how to use images to tap into right brain thinking and into a bias for action. They will learn how change is deeply rooted to visual thinking, and how image shifts are at the heart of individual and organizational change. Participants will draw on a personal behavior they want to change, and learn a method to uncover images and the values and messages that hold these images in place and methods for creating new images. This highly interactive session will include some theory, training in the use of a specific method/tool, drawing and lots of interaction with others.

Attendees will learn:
	Practical methods facilitators and individuals interested in change management can use
	Training in a specific image shift tool

Virginia Hamilton has over 20 years of facilitation experience, working with groups in strategic planning, change management, and large scale system change. She works with post cards, images, drawing, and Technology of Participation™ tools as key elements of her methods and practice. She has worked with groups throughout the United States and is based in California.

David Sibbet will be recording Virginia's session.

Friday, August 8, 2008 from 3:30 to 4:30pm
The Tipping Point
Nancy Margulies, Mindscapes
& Julie Gieseke, map the mind

In the final session of the conference Nancy and Julie will lead a highly interactive game that will enable us to identify the ways in which the future of our profession might evolve or "Tip" to become more widespread, more integrated into group experiences, have a greater impact on our world. We will explore the possibilities and then deepen the exploration via small group conversation and group graphics. The result will be a vision of our possible future and a sense of next steps for each of us.

Attendees will learn:
	Understand the concept and potential of "Tipping Points"
	Uncover together the ways in which our profession can meet the needs of the world.
	Explore specific actions we can take to grow our careers and move closer to a desired future.

Related links:
Tipping_Point on Wikipedia
The_Tipping_Point_(book) on Wikipedia

	Nancy developed her own style of graphic recording (Mindscaping) in the mid 1980's and has since worked in corporations and communities worldwide. She authored several books on the subject and now teaches graphic recording for companies such as Google and HP. She is one of the original developers of The World Café hosts Cafés on topics such as Climate Change and Multigenerational Collaboration.
	Julie is a graduate student in Organizational Management and Development at the Fielding Graduate University. She was introduced to visual mapping two years ago and has since transitioned full-time into a professional practice. She is compelled to explore the ways in which visual mapping can reach an even broader market.

Nancy Margulies will be recording her and Julie's session.

Friday, August 8, 2008 from 4:30 to 5:00pm
Conference Closing
Rob Benn

FRIDAY EVENING, many of us MAY be planning on staying in Chicago on Friday night. That's right! Chicago on a Friday Night!!
Once we've packed up the conference at the Summit, we can turn our attention to deciding if we'd like to do something as a group…dining? dancing? other?