What Is It?
A vision is a general statement of some future improved state to which the project will contribute. Visioning (or dreaming), as a tool, is a useful way to help a group of people define what this future state might look like as a result of a change or reform process. It focuses discussion on people's shared visions for the future of a project or other activity, and helps people to think in terms of a longer term vision rather than focus on daily problems. It helps to open their minds to other ways of overcoming obstacles, and prevents them from slipping into routine ways of solving immediate problems instead of imagining a new path they can create to realise an envisaged future. The visioning tool supplies a framework for a strategy to achieve that vision.
Objectives
- Visioning aims to help a group of stakeholders develop a shared and preferred future scenario of the outcome of a project or activity.
- It is also a useful exercise to help find common ground between conflicting interests.
Outcomes
- The starting point for a discussion of "what is" and "what can be", and of those capacities that must be enhanced to achieve "what can be".
- Development of ownership of the (shared) vision by a group of key stakeholders in the reform process.
Special Considerations/Weaknesses
The tool needs to be introduced carefully and explained in some detail. People often do not see the point of spending time on this exercise. It is also important to clarify whether the aim of the exercise is to create a consensus-based vision or just to open up discussion.
Resources Required
Flip charts and marker pens.
Participation Level
High; key external stakeholders should be invited.
Steps
- In a typical visioning session, the facilitator needs to specify the future time for which dreams are to be discussed. A period of five to ten years is long enough for dreams to be more than simply dealing with the immediacy of survival and yet short enough to remain realistic.
- The facilitator should instruct all participants to put down pencils, books, pens, etc., close their eyes and quietly listen to a series of questions.
- There are several ways for participants to describe their visions. For instance:
- The facilitator can ask a series of questions for the participants to reflect on. The introduction and questions may be:
- Imagine you come back to the forest where the project is working in five to ten years' time and, based on what you know and understand of the forest governance processes now, ask yourself the following:
- What do you see? Who is involved in the management of the forest? What products are being harvested from the forest? Is there conflict in the forest? Are the rules of management clearly known? What if some of these rules are broken? Are benefits flowing to the community? What do you see if your walk around the forest at night? How is the Forest Department/Service involved? Has their capacity for management improved? Are there any illegal activities? (these questions are only examples and must be carefully thought through before the exercise)
- Imagine you come back to the forest where the project is working in five to ten years' time and, based on what you know and understand of the forest governance processes now, ask yourself the following:
- The facilitator can ask participants to imagine they are giving a presentation at a conference at some point in the future describing why their project has been successful.
- Participants then individually record their visions in written or pictorial form – in diagrams, sketches, models, photographic montages, and in written briefs.
- Once this process has been completed, encourage participants to share their visions and facilitate a discussion to draw out similar themes and issues in the visions presented. Note down keywords and phrases emerging from the discussion.
- From the emerging keywords and phrases, try (but do not push) to see if a common future scenario can be defined. If more than one scenario is developing, well and good.
Sources
ECDPM and DSI/AI (nd) Institutional Development: Learning by Doing and Sharing. European Centre for Development Policy Management (ECDPM) and Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Poverty Policy and Institutional Development Division, Maastricht.
RECOFTC (2003) Community-Based Tourism for Conservation and Development: A Training Manual. RECOFTC, Bangkok.
The Community Engagement Network (2005) Effective Engagement: Strengthening Relationships With Community and Other Stakeholders – Book 3, The Engagement Toolkit. Resource and Regional Services Divisions, Victorian Government Department of Sustainability and Environment, Melbourne.
