To demonstrate his communication tool, Craig used it with me in the meeting. He ran this meeting using two decks of CCS 'vision cards' – one for him and one for me. Now, under normal circumstances this would have had me out the door – I am not really one for participating and I don't like surprises. But Craig's introduction of the cards was intelligent, elegant and the first exercise produced an immediate impact on the quality of our communication! Even before this first meeting ended it was clear that I could and would endorse this communication tool to my students and colleagues.

More than that, I was imagining the vision cards being incorporated into my own programs. I was also clear about the fact that I did not want to leave the meeting without my own CCS vision pack – and I wasn't disappointed! I left with the cards, a smile and another meeting scheduled.

Now before we go on, I need to say that my normal experience of these types of meetings and the excitement stimulated in them, is that they rarely lead to anything in real terms. Usually the ideas generated in the coffee shop context do not find feet in my everyday work and life contexts. So, although I was excited by what I had seen, I had no expectations – I am very busy focusing on many other projects.

Back to the story…

I took my cards home and put them on my desk. Later on that same day I was working on the design of a lesson for the Goal Achievers' program. In that lesson I planned to have my students write a short report in their journals about what they believed would be the consequence of abandoning the goal they were struggling to achieve. Of course, I was working on my own goal as part of the program (to race at the World Veteran Track and Field Championships in the 100m in 2001) and I was keeping my own journal.

So, as I was working on this part of the program, I grabbed the pack of CCS cards and using what I learned from Craig in the meeting, I posed this question to mysel f...

'What did I imagine would be the consequences of abandoning my goal?'

I instructed myself to select 5 cards to express these thoughts. What emerged surprised me!

What does this all mean? When I did this exercise I didn't have any notion of abandoning my goal – that was not at risk. But what I did not know before doing the exercise was just what this goal meant to me – in all its facets. I have been keeping a journal of my goal activities for a very long time. In one minute – one exercise with the cards – the quality of the communication with myself about this goal had taken a huge leap forward. I was personally moved by this new level of understanding of my relation to this goal. And, it was the cards and the quality of the question that facilitated that depth of understanding.

In that moment I decided to try the cards with the next group of students I faced. That opportunity came the following weekend. I brought card packs for each student and constructed a series of questions. The students' response to the cards was no different from my own. They commented that the cards made it easy to see many facets of a situation, that the cards made it easy to share for those who otherwise find that difficult to do in a group, that the cards added a level of articulation to everyone's communication.

From there my relationship with Craig and the vision packs has moved very fast. I introduced several of my clients to Craig and even attended some of the meetings. In each case the cards were adopted by the company to use in all the variety of ways Craig and his team designed them to be used. Those methods are well-documented elsewhere [in the CCS Facilitators Manual]. It is important that you understand this is EVERY client I introduced to Craig has adopted the vision packs for use in their organisation. They are powerful, elegant and easy to use tools that take communication to a whole new level. And with no complicated training, no tricks no aversion, no fear.

I think one thing I like best about the cards in the context of business is that they can compensate for the different levels of competence in facilitation that exists amongst the members of an organisation. In other words, the cards allow the same quality of communication to occur regardless of the skill of the manager or group leader.

     About Dr Stephanie Burns