The Humble Flipchart
I came upon a great article, The Humble Flipchart - a Project Manager’s Best Friend by Tom Ferguson. It lists the benefits of using a flipchart to facilitate brainstorming:
- Provides focus for the team.
- Records and displays our thoughts so far
- Communicates more than words and sometimes what words cannot
- Invites participation and when participants see their ideas up there in print, this encourages even more and better participation
- Leverages the diverse knowledge, skills and experiences in the team towards specific objectives
- Captures the thoughts of all and not just your own
- Provides a platform for all to refer to and work from
- Verifies that all contributions have been accepted, understood and are of value
- Allows fast forward and rewind back and forth to add to or reposition a particular point
- Pages can be reordered easily with the help of tape or bluetack
I think that many types of presentations can reap the same benefits.
You wouldn’t want to use a flipchart if your presentation is predominantly a one-way transfer of knowledge, where your goal is to communicate content you know to people who don’t know it. And you wouldn’t want to use a flipchart in a large room where people would be unable to see it. But you might want to use a flipchart, when you’re trying to facilitate a sharing of information or a group process (like brainstorming).
Using a flipchart encourages audience participation and interaction more effectively than just about any other process or tool that’s available. Audience members aren’t just responding or adding to the content on a slide someone else (i.e. you) created and displayed. They aren’t simply asking questions, which keeps them in the learner mode. They’re actually creating content. They’re generating ideas. They’re taking ownership. They, in effect, are acting like adults, which is — to my way of thinking — to be encouraged.
Do you use flipcharts? If so, what suggestions or reservations do you have about doing so?
January 11th, 2010 at 5:02 pm
I’m a big fan of flipcharts if the group is small enough to be able to see/participate easily. I think they’re much more dynamic than PowerPoint, for many of the reasons cited.
It’s interesting though…many times when I ask for a flipchart instead of a projector, clients do a momentary double take because PowerPoint has become so ubiquitous. It almost feels sometimes like you’re asking for an abacus and a quill!
January 12th, 2010 at 2:03 pm
Kathy,
I get the same reaction from meeting planners whenever I ask for a flipchart. But I don’t let it stop me, because of the positive response I get from the participants.
The question, to my way of thinking, isn’t whether the technology we use is old-fashioned or up-to-date; it’s whether it’s effective. Does it help us achieve our goals as presenters.
January 23rd, 2010 at 5:40 am
As you know, I’m another big fan of flip charts (and black/white boards). The most depressing thing that happened to me recently was to discover that, in two recently built ’sate of the art’ lecture theaters at two different universities, there was no black board, white board or flip chart in either of them (only a screen + elaborate projection technology)! In both cases, the reaction when I asked for a flip chart was identical to that reported by Kathy - and it took them quite a long time to find one.
Anyone interested in more on the subject might like to have a look at a 4-part series on the subject I posted on last summer at around the time PowerPoint was ‘celebrating’ its 25th anniversary:
http://maxatkinson.blogspot.com/2009/08/powerpoint-and-demise-of-chalk-talk-1.html
http://maxatkinson.blogspot.com/2009/08/powerpoint-and-demise-of-chalk-talk-2.html
http://maxatkinson.blogspot.com/2009/08/powerpoint-and-demise-of-chalk-talk-3_20.html
http://maxatkinson.blogspot.com/2009/08/nobel-prize-winners-view-on-slides.html
We also had a bit of fun with an ‘Einstein chalk & talk’ competition, the results of which can be seen here: http://maxatkinson.blogspot.com/2009/09/einstein-chalk-talk-competition-results.html
July 14th, 2010 at 9:19 am
“A masterpiece withstands time. Its importance grows on those who feel attracted by its unending life. It creates enthusiasm which spreads from soul to soul…” — Hilla Rebay