Participatory Methods

Diaporama

Diaporama is a participatory activity in which participants create a series of images or slides that tell a story, present an idea, or illustrate a concept. This activity fosters creativity, critical thinking, and collaboration while developing visual communication and storytelling skills.

Preparation

  1. Define the purpose:
    • Encourage creative and visual expression of ideas or concepts.
    • Promote teamwork and collaborative communication.
    • Develop storytelling and visual synthesis skills.
  2. Prepare the materials:
    • Poster boards, sheets of paper, or whiteboards for drawing or creating physical slides.
    • Markers, colored pencils, stickers, magazine cutouts, etc.
    • Optional: Digital devices (computers, tablets) with graphic design software.
  3. Set up the space:
    • Arrange the space so that participants can comfortably work in small teams.
    • Provide a wall or surface where they can display the completed slides.
  4. To conduct the activity virtually:
    • Use a collaborative platform where participants can create and share digital slides.
    • Provide templates or a virtual canvas to facilitate slide design.
    • Define a virtual space for the presentation and group discussion of the results.

Step-by-step instructions

  1. Introduction to the purpose
    • Explain that the objective is to tell a story or present an idea through a sequence of images or slides.
    • Emphasize the importance of collaboration, creativity, and effective communication.
  2. Team formation
    • Divide participants into teams of 3 to 6 people.
    • Provide each team with the necessary materials or access to digital tools.
  3. Creating the diaporama
    • Teams develop a sequence of 5 to 10 slides that present a coherent narrative.
    • Each slide should include a visual element (drawing, photo, graphic) and optionally a brief text.
    • Set a time limit, such as 30 minutes.
  4. Presentation
    • Each team presents their diaporama to the rest of the group, explaining the concept or story behind the images.
    • Encourage questions and feedback from other participants.
  5. Group reflection
    • Guide the group in a discussion:
      • What did you learn about visual communication?
      • How did collaboration influence the final result?
      • What challenges did you encounter, and how did you solve them?
Recommendations
  • Provide examples of previous diaporamas to inspire the teams.
  • Define a theme or guiding question to unify the presented concepts.
  • Encourage teams to use digital tools or physical materials based on their preferences.
  • Introduce roles within the teams (designer, narrator, editor) to optimize time and participant skills.
  • Reflect on the impact of images in shaping the perception of complex messages.
Inspiration

Ideas for Making the Diaporama Activity More Meaningful:

  • Introduce a prompt: “Visually represent how you see the future of sustainability.”
  • Provide templates or simple slide examples to facilitate creation.
  • Suggest a theme such as “stories of resilience” or “our impact on the world.”
  • Encourage the use of symbolic or abstract elements in the images.
  • Reflect on how visual storytelling complements verbal communication.
  • Propose that each slide contains a key learning takeaway.
  • Create a group voting space to select the most creative presentation.
  • Explore how each team interpreted the same theme differently.
  • Offer basic graphic design resources for those with no prior experience.
  • Reflect on how this activity can be applied to real projects or presentations.
  • Introduce a symbolic closing activity where each team synthesizes their message into a final phrase or image.
  • Use the created slides to build a collaborative physical or digital mural.
  • Set a visual limitation, such as using only two dominant colors throughout the diaporama.
  • Encourage questions during presentations to enrich group discussion.
  • Explore how the choice of images influences the interpretation of the message.
Materials
  • Poster boards, sheets of paper, or digital devices for creating slides.
  • Markers, colored pencils, magazine cutouts, etc.
  • Physical space or digital platform for presenting the slides.
Online platforms
Purpose
The purpose of Diaporama is to foster creativity, collaboration, and the development of visual communication and storytelling skills. This activity allows participants to explore how to express complex ideas through images and how to work as a team to create a cohesive final product. It also encourages reflection on the importance of synthesis and the visual impact in conveying messages.
Type of activity
Participatory DesignParticipatory InteractionParticipatory Learning
Level of participation
Collaboration, Knowledge generation, Exchange of perspectives
Target audience
Students, Community leaders, NGOs and social collectives, Business teams, Creative designers
Fields of application
Education and training, Organizational and business management, Art, culture, and creativity, Innovation and design, Citizen and social participation
Estimated duration
40-60 minutes
Ideal number of participants
3 to 6 people per team, with a maximum of 30 participants in total.
Topics related to this activity
Active CollaborationCollaborative DesignCollective ConstructionCollective ReflectionCreative Problem SolvingCreative ReflectionExperiential LearningGroup CreativityIdea GenerationKnowledge BuildingStrategic ReflectionTeamworkVisual CommunicationVisual Narrative
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