One of the things I found fascinating in Jonah Hill's documentary about his psychotherapist, Phil Stutz, is Stutz’s use of index cards during therapy sessions. Stutz takes an active role in the therapy process, rather than just listening. The tools Stutz uses are visualization exercises, which are accompanied by index cards with hand-drawn illustrations. Stutz says the illustrations make the most complicated concepts into something manageable. 

I was aware that visual learners are the most common type of learner. Research shows that 65% of people are visual learners, which means they need to see information visually to retain it with the highest efficiency. Visual tools help them to understand and remember information quickly and efficiently. They also engage people more effectively. 

After watching the Stutz documentary, I started to think about how professionals can help visual thinkers in mediation and Collaborative Divorce methods. Of course, professionals can use visual tools to communicate ideas and information. Visual tools help the parties think creatively, reframe challenges, and imagine solutions. This website has a number of templates for visual frameworks. 

In an article, Mediator Geoff Sharp writes, "Visual thinking is an essential skill for the modern mediator – visual thinking takes advantage of our ability to see – with our eyes and with our mind’s eye – in order to discover ideas that are otherwise invisible, develop those ideas quickly and intuitively, and then share those ideas with other people in a way that they get." 

Here are some ways visual aids can be used in mediation:  

Use visual tools 

• To help parties organize their individual thoughts beforehand 
• To capture a predictable step that occurs during mediation 
• To bring transparency to the stages of mediation, Collaborative Divorce and collaborative problem solving 
• To challenge positions and reframe the parties 
• Use a whiteboard as a tool for visual thinking. You can use it to analyze finances, prioritize issues, list options for going forward and assist with risk analysis by listing direct costs, irrecoverable costs, and consequences of not settling. You can even use it to display visual metaphors. 

You can incorporate charts, graphs, and symbols, as well as pictures into the mediation discussions. During divorce mediations, I tend to frequently illustrate the PEACE acronym (Parenting; Equitable Distribution; Alimony; Child Support; Everything Else) and the Stages of Grief.  

Lisa Arora, mediator and visual strategist, uses visual templates in her mediation practice for collaborative problem solving. She says, "Here’s the magic of how using a template encourages a collaborative dynamic. People contribute more when they can see they’ve been heard. By capturing their important thoughts on paper, it helps parties stay focused on the information that matters to solving their issue(s)." To read more about how Arora uses visual templates in mediation, you can read this article she wrote on LinkedIn. 

Interestingly, when using images to discuss a conflict, people tend to direct their focus toward the image. They wind up expressing themselves less emotionally. 

Make it a great day. I’m sending peace, love, and harmony your way.