Flipcharts

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Type Team Size
Me, Myself and I Group Collaboration The Academic System Software 1 2-10 11-30 30+

...on the versatile use of Flipcharts.

What, Why & When[edit]

Flipcharts themselves are usually paper holding boards that are often on rolls or poles. As a facilitation tool, these boards are a low-threshold source of quick, structured and often even creative collaborative working. Yet beside using these as a single page, the high art of Flipcharts can be seen as a tool that allows you to literally flip through different overviews, which represent layers of information. It is thus important to understand the context of how you want to apply them: they can be used to start new projects, improve team structures, agree on new modes of communication, inspire a reflection process and much more.

You need: a Flipchart, pens, people, optional: moderation cards, sticky notes or dots.

Goals[edit]

Flipcharts are somewhat notorious as an old-school, analogue version of a fancy brainstorm/mind map software - yet it is in the haptic reality that these boards may still be helpful. To get the most out of them, make use of colors, headlines, font sizes, pictograms, bubbles and other shapes of moderation cards or drawings. The goal is to make a visually stimulating, inviting and (pre-)structured space to collect ideas and to get as many viewpoints on topics as possible in a brainstorm-manner. The structure part does not have to be prepared prior to the occasion, it can also be structured along the way by a moderator.

The 7 key aspects of Flipcharts are therefore: 1) group size and setting 2) structure (on the pages, e.g., by grouping ideas) 3) clear goal of each sheet 4) clean writing 5) figures/ colors/ effects/ symbols to increase stimulation and creativity 6) time planning 7) reducing hesitations, mixing up groups

In addition, Flipcharts can also empower people to harvest information, especially if different people are responsible for different pages.

Getting started[edit]

There are different modes of using flipcharts as a facilitation tool.

The more classical and static form is to have one or more flipcharts or paper sheets on the wall in front of a group and to collect in an open group discussion (plenary mode). Participants can add sticky dots, smileys, plusses or tick marks next to responses they agree with or ideas they like or dislike. This mode can make sense for moderated brainstorming, feedback and idea collections that are important to have in the whole-group setting. Depending on the group size, this mode has more or less advantages. In a small to medium group size (up to 15-20), it has the potential to foster a lively discussion where one idea inspires the next. For larger groups (> 20) the main problem is the speaking time and the risk that not everybody gets the chance to speak up or feels empowered. It might also be the more time-consuming mode when every participant individually speaks in turns.

A more flexible approach is the so-called “wandering/rotating flipcharts” (subgroup mode) where there are multiple flipcharts prepared in a room, each designated to a specific topic. In groups, there are multiple rounds of idea collection, each within a certain time frame. Once the time is up, the participants rotate or move across the room to another flipchart. The process is then repeated multiple times, so that every flipchart is visited and enriched by every participant. To finish it up, there will be a final plenary round of presenting each flipchart. The following aspects can be modified according to the setting, group size, group interaction and goal.

Groups[edit]

The original group is either split by a facilitator into subgroups or by asking the participants to go to one of the flipcharts, ideally the one they feel most comfortable with or that inspires them the most. Groups then form naturally at the respective spots. This starting point in the “comfort zone” might ease first flipchart collections for groups of strangers.

Rotation after first round[edit]

The rotation through the room can be a free rotation to whatever flipchart the participants opt for, consequently, each round of standing and collecting in front of a flipchart has a different dynamic, since the groups constantly change. Alternatively, the whole group from the first wall moves on together. Here, it still has different dynamics, since there is more and more information and ideas already on the chart to react to.

Material[edit]

Ideas can be collected by either simply writing on the flipchart paper or by writing on moderation cards and pinning/taping them to the paper. There is the optional instruction for the groups to collect and record the responses on the flipchart individually and as a group.

Collection mode[edit]

A nice modification to keep it more organized is to put a dot/plus/tick mark next to ideas from prior groups and only add new aspects to the list. This can also be re-grouping if the flipchart works with moderation cards instead of writing directly onto the paper sheet. The groups should be reminded from time to time a) to write precise, almost self-explanatory ideas, b) to cluster the collected ideas and c) to also collect questions for the plenary round at the end.

Beware that sometimes, even though the paper sheets are prepared and structured, the final result may be quite messy. For a brainstorming facilitation in the big group, a next step can then be to reduce, combine or prioritize ideas and aspects. This narrowing down help for e.g. agree on a list for next project steps.

Moderator[edit]

The collection process can either be accompanied by a constant moderator (from within the original big group) at each flipchart wall, so that the grown structure of e.g. the mind map can be explained or the discussion can be moderated. This mode has some overlaps with the world café tool. Flichart work can however also work without moderation, which might empower the constellation of participants to find an own rhythm. In this case, instructions are best written on a small side-sheet.

Pitfalls[edit]

All diverse aspects of Flipchart use have some benefits yet consequently also some pitfalls that you should be aware of. There are also initial solution steps included.

  1. group is too big/ too uncomfortable with each other/ room is too small split up into subgroups, start with a game to get to know each other, move to bigger room
  2. no structure (on the pages) and in the collection process by the group make a break/ stop the idea collection and remind to cluster more clearly, go around or join the groups to find out what the problem is, assist in finding a structure
  3. no clear goal or topic of each sheet clarify goals with the participants along the way
  4. unreadable writing start new and copy with clearer writing
  5. no figures/ colors/ effects/ symbols, no creativity not the biggest issue, ask if someone wants to get creative, consider handing out more fun and colorful material
  6. you planned too much for too little time shorten the collection time, reduce the number of rotations (not every person sees every Flipchart, ideally still keep the final plenary round
  7. many hesitations, no mixing of groups, few new ideas difficult, consider complementary facilitation tools (games to get to know the group), re-mix groups

Links & Further reading[edit]

The author of this entry is Linda von Heydebreck.