Images for Visioning

“Select an image that represents the future you want to build.”

That was an invitation I gave to a group of board members at a retreat I facilitated this weekend. As this group gathered around a table covered in hexagonal cards with images on each one.

The images ranged from dollars to pots of food, a grizzly bear, the John Lennon Imagine mosaic in Central Park, to a collection of empty picture frames — about 50 in total.

Folks really chewed on what would be the best visual representation of the future they wanted to build for the organization.

After selecting their card I asked folks to talk with their partner, and then their table about what the image represented to them. And when we came back together as a group people shared the most aspirational visions for a future for sexual and reproductive healthcare that is based in freedom, safety, health, security, and thriving communities.

One of my biggest jobs as a facilitator is to help folks externalize what they’ve been holding inside. It’s tempting to ask folks, “What is your vision for the future of this organization?” In my experience this is usually met by silence, shuffling, and averted eyes. Eventually I’d call on someone, or the person who is most uncomfortable with silence would chime in, and the whole conversation would flow in that direction.

And it would be a missed opportunity for everyone in the room to really chew on what they want to see as the future of this organization.

Image cards are a versatile tool that helps people have a structure onto which they can lay their thoughts. These We Engage! Cards from Chad Littlefield are great because they also have interesting and evocative quotes on the back, but you can really use anything with an image.

I’ve used OuiSi cards, and you could even just use a collection of images cut out from a magazine and glued to an index card. The important thing is that it’s a broad collection of images that give people the opportunity to interpret them widely.

I have a training coming up in December and will be doing some new online trainings in 2026. Sign-up here if you want to learn more.