Strategy and Rich Pictures

Rich Pictures
Paul Forbes, Australia
RPs are a visual representation of a situation on a single page that captures the dynamics and relationships. It is simpler for user to ‘see’ a situation using this format than similar prose can convey. The RP can be used as a tool of debate, getting people to talk to the RP (putting it forward as a heuristic tool) can be very effective in clarifying or resolving a situation. During one report to a company in London my presentation to the board was the RP which contained not a single word, and all members of the board expressed they saw clearly where they were and where they were headed. There isn’t a set format for an RP, what is meaningful to you is what matters; you then develop it as part of the debate. Remember you are orchestrating a debate amongst the participants in order to get them to create their progress. You are not a detached expert answering their problems; objectivity is achieved through transparency not stoicism.