It's a concept that's been around for a while - "Graphic Facilitation", (A.K.A. Mind Mapping, Scribing, Graphic Recording, Visual Synthesis) and is used at places like the Cap Gemini Ernst & Young Center for Business Innovation.
The folks who do it for a living actually believe it's been around since the Pharaohs & the age of Egyptian hieroglyphics - see their analysis of it's history.
There are some good quotes & descriptions on the site of an organization ( alphachimp studio ) that has been extremely successful with the process - there is even a slideshow to show examples of its usage in some particular settings - click on the "SEE SLIDESHOW" link on the page in the first link in this paragraph on the site for access to it.
But it has benefits for today's meeting environments as well:
... illustrates a complex flow of activity,
... provides an explicit structure for thinking.
... creates a structure to organize information,
... maintains sufficient focus to work together,
... manages the complexity of group discussions.
... energizes a group towards creative participation,
... accelerates any process of strategic planning or brainstorming.
... makes connections between thoughts to develop a systemic view,
... reflects back the expression of multiple vantage points and opinions,
... facilitates the resolution of conflicts by going beyond a solely verbal approach.
For a full treatment by the company that has been very successful delivering it to organizations around the world see their materials.
They have several examples (impressive ones) on their site - the first is for a effort conducted with students from a college - who really put it thru its paces. The second is for a MAJOR conference in 2002 at MIT.
The students effort was conducted with a large group putting it thru several different tasks using teams & getting student & faculty input regarding issues of the day.
Welcome to the
Accelerated Solutions Environment
The second example is impressive in itself as it shows how it was used at a major conference in 2002 at MIT.
Center for eBusiness@MIT Annual Conference
Check all this out & see what you think - discuss it with me - either thru the buttons below - or thru email by contacting me @ Xceler8Concepts@attbi.com
Google It!