The Lazy Netflix B - An Ethnographic Study on the Use of Humour and Visual Metaphors in Teaching Graphic Facilitation

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by hdkawk

Graphic facilitation relies on multimodal representations to support idea generation, learning processes, and group collaboration, yet research has limited focus on how facilitators teach it. This ethnographic study examines didactical considerations of two professional facilitators running two- to three-day basic courses. Through participant observation and teacher interviews, it shows how humour and visual metaphors develop as shared social memories, creating playful and safe learning conditions. Findings highlight teachers’ crucial role in initiating and sustaining humour usage, and discuss related potentials and challenges.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages13

Reading Time33 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Research

Introduction

The Lazy Netflix B: An Ethnographic Study on the Use of Humour and Visual Metaphors in Teaching Graphic Facilitation HEIDI HAUTOPP ABSTRACT Graphic facilitation revolves around using multimodal representations in order to drive idea generation, learning processes and collaboration among groups. The use of graphic facilitation is a growing practice in organisational contexts and is slowly emerging in educational contexts. However, there is a lack of research on the role of the facilitator when teaching graphic facilitation. At the beginning of basic graphic facilitation courses, facilitators are often met by enthusiastic participants who at the same time are hesitant and lack belief in their own drawing skills. Thus, the paper aims to provide insights into didactical considerations of facilitators when organising teaching that empowers participants to gain confidence in their own drawing abilities as an entry point to using graphic facilitation in their daily work. The empirical data used for analysis is based on participatory observations of two professional facilitators teaching two-to three-day basic courses in graphic facilitation. These observations are combined with follow-up interviews with the teachers. The analysis shows how visual metaphors and humoristic utterances are built up throughout the courses as social memories that are carried out and refined by participants. Thus, the study demonstrates how the use of humour and visual metaphors became multimodal‘hooks’ of social memories, which support a playful and safe learning environment. The findings show how the teachers had a crucial role in initiating, acknowledging and supporting the use of humour in these settings. Based on the empirical findings, the paper concludes by outlining potentials and challenges specific to using humour and visual metaphors when teaching graphic facilitation. RESEARCH CORRESPONDING AUTHOR: Heidi Hautopp Aalborg University, DK [hhau@ikl.aau.dk](hhau@ikl.aau.dk) KEYWORDS: Graphic facilitation; multimodality; teaching; adult learning; humour and visual metaphors; spontaneous play TO CITE THIS ARTICLE: Hautopp, H. (2022) . The Lazy Netflix B: An Ethnographic Study on the Use of Humour and Visual Metaphors in Teaching Graphic Facilitation. Designs for Learning, 14(1), 72–84. DOI: [https://doi](https://doi). org/10.16993/dfl.184 INTRODUCTION ‘The adult target group can sometimes be afraid to draw. It can be restraining for them to stand up and draw something which others are supposed to see.’ (Teacher in graphic facilitation) This quote captures what many teachers in graphic facilitation have experienced. Professional graphic facilitators note that comments from participants such as‘I can’t draw’ or ‘I haven’t drawn since elementary school’ are common utterances at the beginning of a basic graphic facilitation course (e.g., Agerbeck, 2012) . Despite participants’ immediate anxiety about the act of drawing and drawing in front of others, there is a growing international practice of companies offering basic graphic facilitation courses to employees interested in acquiring skills that would make them more capable of using visual icons and processes when facilitating meetings, conferences, teaching, [etc. in](etc. in) their daily work. The term ‘graphic facilitation’ refers to the practice of framing process and content visually using simple drawing techniques (Frank and Madsen, 2020: 34) . This paper aims to provide insights into didactical considerations of facilitators when organising teaching that empowers participants to gain confidence in their own drawing abilities by introducing simple drawing techniques as an entry point for the participants to use graphic facilitation in their daily work. The study is based on observations of two professional facilitators teaching basic two- to three-day courses in graphic facilitation. These observations are combined with follow-up interviews with the professional facil

FAQs

What does the paper study about graphic facilitation teaching?

It investigates didactical considerations for teaching graphic facilitation, focusing on how facilitators respond when participants feel hesitant about drawing.

How is the study conducted?

The analysis is based on participatory observations of two professional facilitators teaching two-to three-day basic courses, supplemented with follow-up interviews with the teachers.

What role do humour and visual metaphors play in the courses?

They are built throughout the courses into social memories carried and refined by participants, acting as multimodal “hooks” that support a playful and safe learning environment.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by hdkawk