[Interactive-Visuals eCommunity] Forum Launch & Invite Process

Happy New Year! Wishing you all the best with the release of 2014 and the claim of 2015!

Gift of New eCommunity:
With a fresh new year upon us, we here at SHIFT-IT Coach, Inc. have a gift for you. After contemplating this for a while (and checking in with several of you) I have decided to provide the infrastructure for an eCommunity for all the folks from across the years that have taken visual training with us.

A place to connect with fellow Process Professionals (from across the globe) also interested in the visual way of working … our Visual Tribe!

The Interactive-Visuals eCommunity:
I’ve been training visual skills since 2001 and over the years have adapted to various technologies that allow me to teach and connect in new ways. My online classes have had their own social forums. Now, for those of you who would like to be connected, I’m pooling grads of all visual classes into a central e-Community (i.e. Fundamentals of Interactive-Visuals, Magic Marker Retreats , Visual Coach Certification, Private Training, In-house Training, Home Study Kit). So you can continue to learn, share and network with others who have also trained with me.

My intention with this complementary benefit is to offer a PEER ORIENTED place for you to connect, share and collaborate with other Process Professionals who are keen to keep developing (rather than just dropping off after your class is complete).

Orientation to PROCESS Work:
Fundamentals of Interactive-VisualsWhile there are other social networking places on the web for visually interested people to go (mostly oriented around graphic recording and scribing), I find that they do a poor job of addressing the integration of visuals with process work. They are mostly places for displaying off-on-the-side summaries and illustrations, rather than work that is truly integrated into the thinking and decision-making processes of clients.

Globally there seems to be a dearth of understanding about the more process-oriented sides of the work: i.e. true Graphic Facilitation (visuals integrated into group process work) and Graphic Coaching/Counseling (visuals integrated into individual process work).

As I cover these in my trainings, there are important places in The Interactive-Visuals eCommunity for these applications (as well as for the more passive Studio Work and Graphic Recording applications).

Index of Topics:
While more topics can certainly be added, I’ve seeded the eCommunity with these topic folders (the nice thing with using folders is the info will be preserved in category areas which will make for easier searching as time goes on and new people join).

  • Welcome & Intros
  • Studio Work
  • Visual Recording
  • Visual Facilitation
  • Visual Coaching / Counseling
  • Outer Work
  • Inner Work
  • Post Event Reproduction
  • Helpful Resources
  • Announcements

The Extent of My Support and Participation:
I’m happy to cover the infrastructure costs of this eCommunity and provide administrative support. While my intention is to read and participate in the forum when I want to (like any participant), please do not expect lengthy responses to your posts, as my time and energy are finite. My hope is that this forum will be a peer-oriented place for all of you to connect, share and encourage each other, rather than waiting for me to comment.

Invite Process:
My assistant, Patricia Harris, is overseeing the invitation process to this new eCommunity. If you are already a member of our NING forum, she’ll simply send you an invitation to join the new area set up for the I-V eCommunity. If you are not a current member of our NING forum, it will be a more involved 2-step process (join the NING, then join eCommunity).

The Extent of My Support and Participation:
I’m happy to cover the infrastructure costs of this eCommunity and provide administrative support. While my intention is to read and participate in the forum when I want to (like any participant), please do not expect lengthy responses to your posts, as my time and energy are finite. My hope is that this forum will be a peer-oriented place for all of you to connect, share and encourage each other, rather than waiting for me to comment.

Invite Process:
My assistant, Patricia Harris, is overseeing the invitation process to this new eCommunity. If you are already a member of our NING forum, she’ll simply send you an invitation to join the new area set up for the I-V eCommunity. If you are not a current member of our NING forum, it will be a more involved 2-step process (join the NING, then join eCommunity).

The invitation process begins January 7th and starts with folks already currently members of our NING. Patricia is at admin@shift-it-coach.com should you have any questions or require assistance.

We’ll See How It Goes!
The expansion into a peer-oriented forum is a new experiment. How it goes depends on you and your visual colleagues in the eCommunity. I curiously look forward to seeing how this evolves and hope it’s a useful place for the continuation of your visual growth and development.

Yours in visual expansion,
Christina Merkley
The SHIFT-IT Coach and Interactive-Visuals Mentor

P.S. Need assistance joining the new eCommunity? Please contact Patricia Harris at admin@shift-it-coach.com.

P.P.S. Interested in learning visual skills for process work with groups and individuals? Check out Live Classes and Home Study Kit for more information.


2 comments on “[Interactive-Visuals eCommunity] Forum Launch & Invite Process

  1. Karey Covey on

    Wow, thanks Christine. This e-community opportunity is extremely thoughtful and generous of you. Not surprising; however. It’s true to form to give so much of yourself as you did in your class. You need to know how much we all appreciate you for it. Thank you!

  2. Christina Merkley on

    We had a problem with the comments notification Karey. So I’m just getting this now. Thanks so much for your kind words and appreciation. Very kind of you. I’m very happy to provide an ongoing place for my grads to connect with each other and continue the learning. Did you get into the eCommunity ok? If not, just contact Patricia at admin@shift-it-coach.com and she’ll assist. I’ll be adding a free monthly drop-in call too shortly.

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