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4/1/2021

MURAL is a Place: Designing Shared Spaces for Virtual Events

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Guest post by Geoffrey Nelson, M Ed. 

As virtual events and meetings evolve, we are discovering new uses for our tools. Murals, it turns out, can work more like game boards than whiteboards. Map-based murals look like rooms in a virtual space, each one with its own function and theme. These murals can look like chocolate factories or
alpine mountains (check out the highly-stylized work of Benjamin Dehant). They can evoke a series of clearings in a dense, yeti-haunted forest. They can mimic a museum floor plan, complete with galleries of client work.

Map-based murals use spatial cues to deepen participants' engagement and focus.


Map-based murals support high-quality, high-value work. Like good architecture, their design invites action, directs attention, and fosters emotion. Architectural affordances like signs, corridors, and kiosks guide us through the mural’s virtual space. Implied geometry tells us that there is even more interesting work ahead. Sub-maps linked to the main mural create private workrooms. These nested workspaces are perfect for gamified activities. They heighten the excitement of competition we miss from live events.
 
To make a map-based mural, consider employing a designer or modifying a map or image in Photoshop. This fundamental image should be saved as a .JPG and locked down. Rooms in the design need plenty of space for your participants’ emerging content. Each room should give visual cues about its purpose.
 
Consider covering sections of the mural to build suspense and to hold attention to the task at hand. You can add an intriguing image or message to the covering element: a locked door or “No peeking!” Lock these down too. When you’re ready to reveal the next section of the map, delete the covering element or send it to the background. Alternatively, you may add elements (or backgrounds of entire sections) to the outline using the “Add to Outline” feature and toggle the visibility using the eye symbol in the outline.

This focuses participants on the visible content and unburdens their working memory.
 
Refer to the theme of a map-based mural only as much as it facilitates the work. People need to know how the theme relates to their objectives, strategy, or lines of business. Everyone wants respect even while they’re brainstorming in the forest clearing or slaloming the Alps.
 
As playful and fantastic as these map-style murals can be, we’ve never run into a credibility issue. We used map-style murals with Fortune 100 execs who loved the experience. 
 
No one complained about the yetis.

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Geoffrey Nelson, M Ed. is a people-builder, manager and trainer of creatives, and a conscientious process refiner. He leads talented people beyond their definition of possible.

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2/21/2021

My Top 10 Murals of 2020 (And Their OUtcomes)

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Do I miss being in the room?

Yes, as a facilitator, coach and consultant, I miss being with people. 

I miss the awkward silences, the reading of body language, the laughter reverberating off the walls, the high-fives after a big win. I miss the hugs after a really great breakthrough session. I miss struggling with the oversized Post-it Sheets, spilling the Sharpies and hanging the 30x40 engineering prints with blue painter’s tape. 

I miss the side conversations. I miss the snacks.

And, I love the problems we’ve been able to solve as well as the solutions we’ve been able to build together using virtual tools like Zoom and MURAL.

MURAL is a digital workspace that enables innovative teams to collaborate visually and remotely. And, it’s fun. It taps into the part of my brain that loves graphic design (bringing harmony and emotion to a compelling composition), information design (where should my eye go next?) and even the 10-year-old part of me that would sit at the dining table and design board games.

Here are some of the different ways I use MURAL:
  • Whiteboard
  • Presentation Tool
  • Visual Project Planner
  • Sketchbook / Journal
  • Mind Mapping
  • Facilitation Space
  • Information Design
  • Live Notetaking
  • Vision Board
  • Sales Pipeline
  • Wireframing
  • Storyboarding

And, here are the top 10 Murals I created in 2020-2021 (and their outcomes).
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10. OBJECTIVES and KEY RESULTS

Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) is a goal-setting framework for defining and tracking objectives (aspirations) and their highly-measurable, time-bound outcomes at every level of your organization.

Outcomes:
  • Clarity around your team’s goals, milestones, metrics and work effort
  • A measurable (and scalable) method of tracking accountability and follow-through
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9. CUSTOMER JOURNEY MAP

For organizations with an emerging or reimagined line of business, the Customer Journey Map is a half-day virtual session that helps you make decisions that fit consumer and buyer needs in an environment that’s lively and productive.

Outcomes:
  • Identify gaps in your marketing or operational plan
  • Define the critical path for your customer and potentially shorten the sales cycle
  • Achieve alignment around the voice of the brand
  • Develop insight into critical processes and empathy among teams
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8. STRATEGIC VISIONING

This academy needed to pivot all of their students and clients from in-person classes to virtual sessions - all while moving their offices within two months! We led a Strategic Visioning session for their leadership team using templates from The Grove Consultants, International. We also provided Executive Coaching for six weeks post-retreat in order to stabilize the operational plan. 

Outcomes:
  • Got clear on priorities and which lines of the business needed to be put on pause
  • Implemented weekly meetings with the team (which weren't happening)  
  • Created a visual strategy that got hung on a wall and not stuck in a drawer
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7. STORYBRAND

StoryBrand is a marketing messaging tool that allows organizations to clarify their message using a seven-part process that leverages the power of story. Used correctly, this powerful tool can help your business become a valuable asset in the lives of your customers.

Outcomes:
  • Promote a customer-centric culture
  • Craft rich, customer-centric language for the marketing team to immediately test and iterate
  • Gain clarity around your organization’s unique value proposition or offering
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6. VISION BOARD WORKSHOP

Forget the magazines and glue sticks! In this fun and interactive workshop, we took inventory of our wins and accomplishments and set a bold trajectory for our big 2021 milestones. 

Outcomes:
  • A personal Vision Board for 2021
  • Coaching tools to turn setbacks into opportunities
  • New connections with people fired up and ready for the future
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5. VISION AND VALUES

For a quickly-growing team, this session included the creation of a Vision Statement, Mission Statement and the definition of Core Values. Using a basic Design Criteria (must, should, could, won’t) we identified key aspects of the Mission as well as themes that would later become the OKRs.

Outcomes:
  • Team alignment and clarity around a 3-5 year vision
  • List of observable behaviors that support the values
  • Fun, interactive kick-off to a four-day retreat
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4. DiSC WORKSHOP

Using the DiSC Assessment, teams separated by style to discuss the do’s and don’ts of communication and leadership. A final roundtable invited the teams to share insights about the easy and magical ways they might work better together.

Outcomes:
  • Immediate insights into natural and adaptive communication styles
  • Improved communication among the team
  • Increased morale, less conflict
  • A strengths-based map of the team to use in sales, project planning and onboarding
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3. DESIGN SPRINT

This was a fast-paced, fun and interactive multi-mural event for the internal RIDG team. During the challenge, the participants received the resources and toolkit required to create a digital prototype, refine it, make their pitch and declare one team the innovation champions!

Outcomes:
  • Refined a replicable process for teams to implement design thinking and prototyping skills
  • Making experimentation (and even failure) fun
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2. MY PERSONAL PROJECT BOARD

From sketching out high-level concepts and project planning to tracking my sales pipeline and outlining blog posts, MURAL has become my primary playground for problem-solving.

Outcomes:
  • One place for all my ideas - no more searching through Evernote, Google Docs or my journals for that one great idea. 
  • A big celebration when I move something visually into the “End Zone”
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1. WILDERNESS RETREAT

This wilderness-themed retreat features a labyrinth, breakout sessions, dangerous animals, river rapids, a campfire session, gallery walk, and a hidden Bigfoot!

Outcomes:
  • Able to bond and build teams in a nature-based environment 
  • Clear line of sight into stakeholders, challenges and a vision of success 
  • Peer-facilitated conversations on how to overcome VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity)


​Do you need help building an amazing Mural of your own? Schedule a Discovery Call today. Call Joran at (727) 771-5656 or e-mail joranslane@gmail.com.

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1/18/2021

The First 30 Minutes: How to Begin Every Virtual Session in MURAL

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The first 30 minutes of any virtual session are critical. It is where you greet your participants at the door, make a first impression, establish necessary ground rules, set the tone, begin to build trust and empathy, and get them familiar with any new technology. 

Ensuring that your participants have an easy time with this new tech -- before the session begins -- can go a long way to make them feel included and significantly boost their engagement later in the session. 

Here is how we begin every virtual session when using MURAL as our collaborative workspace.

1. Soundcheck/Set-Up (15 min)
  • Get on Zoom at least 15 minutes early to establish a backchannel with your facilitation team (SMS or Slack)
  • Check your screen/music sharing, recording, polling, and breakouts functions
  • Make any co-facilitators or tech hosts a co-host in Zoom if needed
  • Test virtual cameras or telepresence for any Graphic Recorders
 
2. Welcome/OARRs (10 min)
  • HIT RECORD!
  • Open with a thank you, a big smile, lots of open body language, and direct eye contact -- Hang a post-it with a smiley face or place a doll or toy figure next to your camera if it helps.
  • Review the OARRs (Objective, Agenda, Rules, and Roles) 
    • It helps to place the OARRs in the Zoom chat -- or share your screen if your OARRs are on a slide or you’ve designed them in MURAL (see below)

3. Tools Review (5 min)
  • Share your MURAL screen in Zoom to show the participants what MURAL looks like and so that they can watch you as you instruct them.
  • Here are the four most important things participants must know before entering the MURAL:
    • Stickies - Double-click anywhere to make them, click inside them to type. You may also create stickies using the Toolbar. 
    • Zooming and Panning 
      • Zoom in or out using your trackpad or mouse. Zoom out to see the big picture. Zoom in instead of making things bigger. 
      • Panning - You can click and drag (mouse) or use two fingers (trackpad) to pan around the Mural. You may also use the space bar in conjunction with your trackpad or mouse to quickly drag the Mural to a different area. 
    • Follow - If you get lost, click on the Facilitator's face or icon (at the bottom of the screen) to follow them at any time.
    • Issues - If MURAL is acting glitchy or freezing up, try refreshing your browser.

4. Icebreaker, Check-in (15 min)
  • OPEN THE DOORS! - Here is where you finally paste the MURAL visitor link in the Zoom Chat
    • Be sure that your headcount in Zoom matches your headcount (anonymous animals) in MURAL
  • Your icebreaker activity should be one that asks participants to create stickies, type in them, and move them around the canvas. You may also have them sort or organize by dragging photos or icons into place. The icebreaker should be largely kinesthetic so that they can acclimate to the editing as well as zooming in and out that is required for more intermediate or advanced tasks in MURAL. 
  • Repeatedly summon the participants to where you are on the Mural. They will be tempted to pan around and wander off to explore at first. Gently train their attention like you would a puppy, telling them, “I’m summoning you to where I am in the top left corner.”
  • Build in extra time here. One or two participants will inevitably be dealing with technical or bandwidth issues, and/or need you to repeat something you said earlier. It’s a lot of information and instruction for newcomers to take in. Smile and be patient. 
  • PRO-TIP: Have them place technical questions in the Zoom chat and if there are experienced people in the room, have them assist in the chat or on a backchannel.

Now, you’re off and running. Finish out your agenda as you normally would. And, if you need help or have any further questions about facilitation, don’t hesitate to contact us at illustri.us.​
​
Order Joran's latest book, The Visual Meetings Field Guide: How to Facilitate Great Meetings for Amazing Teams on Amazon or wherever books are sold.
​
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For more info about MURAL, visit their website.

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    ABOUT THE Author

    Joran Slane Oppelt is an international speaker, author and consultant with certifications in coaching, storytelling, design thinking and virtual facilitation.

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  • Home of Illustrious Consulting
  • About
  • The Work
    • OKRs
    • Amplified
  • Blog
  • Resources
    • Library
    • MURAL Templates
    • Video
    • Courses
  • Contact