Facilitators who look for visualisation material and pinboards may check out the following web-pages either to order material or to obtain ideas about existing models, shapes, costs, etc.
Concerning the founders of facilitation with visualisation in Germany, go to the website of Metaplan: www.metaplan.com . Metaplan does not produce materials with their brand name but has created a special company by the name of NITOR to provide materials. See: www.nitor.de/onlineshop/index.php
For a description of Metaplan, please go to a webpage highlighting the elements of this approach: www.12manage.com/methods_schnelle_metaplan.html . On this website there is also a description of various methods like brainstorming and mind mapping, as well as other approaches such as action learning, appreciative inquiry, Delphi and others.
NITOR has excellent visualisation boxes but it is Neuland who produce the best Pinboards. Neuland has subsidiary companies worldwide. You may check out:
In German: www.neuland-online.de
In English – UK: www.pinpoint-facilitation.com
In English – US: www.neuland.biz
South Africa: www.neulandafrica.com
It is possible to download their online catalogue in English.
As these companies produce material for industrial use at management level for adult education centers in Europe and nowadays also for universities and for public administration, the costs are high. Pinboards can cost about 250 Euro each. A visualisation toolkit (box with all materials) costs up to 400 Euro.
However, from local manufacturers in China or Thailand pinboards and toolkits may cost only 100 Euro or less. We will soon post a contribution in this site which will document local production of such materials known to us and give contact details.
Then there are more providers of facilitation material (Moderationsmaterialien) in Germany, some having only German sites.
www.dahle.de
www.ultradex.de
www.schoenherr.de/shop/product/263166.html
www.stellwand.com/moderation.htm
http://maul.de
www.legamaster.de or www.legamaster.com (a subsidiary company for facilitation and adult education of the German company for office material supplier Edding).
We invite you to write about your experiences of organising and acquiring visualisation material and how you may be able to offer a supply of the necessary materials to others.
Timmi Tillmann
Below is the photo of a basket made of bamboo by Lahu craftsmen in Northern Thailand and filled with hand made paper from Paper Mulberry in different shapes and colors.
