Our visioning sessions are set up to provide various forms of documentation.

First, you’ll want to keep track of the number and names of people who register in advance and who sign-in and participate in the visioning. You should keep the names and contact information to reconnect with your participants and keep them informed of future events and actions.

The other types of documentation provided by the visioning session are: sticky notes (Post-its) on the maps (or photos of the maps with sticky notes); notes taken by each table’s facilitator; video of the tables reporting out their ideas to the large group; and information from an evaluation form, including asking people to name the top ideas from the session. (See example of evaluation form from Re-Imagine Butler County)

The ideas on the sticky notes on the maps, and any drawings/writing on the maps (or photographs of the maps with the notes) should form the core of your analysis. Create large categories, and then list specific ideas underneath each category. See the Re-Imagine Butler County analysis charts for a good example of how this charting looks.

The notes taken by the table facilitators add dimension to the sticky notes, illustrating points with people’s comments. The videos of the report-outs give these ideas life. The information on the evaluation forms can help to prioritize the ideas in terms of popular support.

The analysis of information from the visioning session(s) can be presented to the planning group and guide the planning group/steering committee to decide what to do next – what topic areas to focus on, what types of activities to plan, and what types of people/organizations to target and engage.

CREATING A REPORT

It will be helpful to create a report as a way of sharing the ideas that come out of your visioning session(s) (or task force group). You can hold a report release event, or schedule a presentation to a public body, as a formal way of presenting the envisioned ideas.

You may want to conduct a survey of a broader population to identify the appeal and practicality of key ideas suggested in the visioning. These survey results can back up the more qualitative information from the visioning session(s).

You may want to include in your report an analysis of the potential job-creating impact of one or more of the envisioned ideas.

You may also want to create a PowerPoint to go with your report so you can present your ideas to larger groups and decision-making bodies. Embedding a 5-minute video of highlights of your visioning session(s) will enhance the impact of your presentation and make your ideas lively and relatable.

Be sure to let the local and regional media know about your presentation. Send a press release, or media advisory, and then follow up with phone calls. Ideally, your League chapter or other group will already have built some relationships with reporters and media outlets (for example, from past work on candidate forums or issues forums).