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Site
updated: 15thMarch 2008
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This article is written by Maurice
Tomkinson, the founder of The Hope Street Centre and a BACP Accredited
Counsellor/Psychotherapist. Maurice uses the Communicube in his work
with individual clients and groups.
The Communicube
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The Communicube is
a 21st century multipurpose communication tool, invented by Dr
John Casson for his therapeutic work. It is a transparent, open,
five level container, with a grid of twenty five squares printed
on each layer.
I was introduced to the Communicube at
a workshop being run by John, and quickly started to see its potential.
I had found myself getting frustrated at a number of planning
groups that I had attended, which were based on a process of round-table
discussions. I felt that this process stifled creativity, tended
to favour the most outspoken, and led to outcomes which were bland
and disappointing.
By comparison the Communicube seemed to
offer an approach which was stimulating, encouraged creativity
and lateral thinking, and allowed everyone to participate on an
equal footing.
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Photo: John Harris
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Using the Communicube
Participants work with the cube by selecting small
objects from a collection provided, and placing them on the structure.
Objects can represent many different things - including the self and
other people, issues, problems, resources, feelings, ideas, goals -
the possibilities are endless.
As the communicube starts to fill up with objects,
then I might invite participants to step back and take a wider look
at what is emerging…
- Is there significance in
the choice of objects?
- How do the objects relate
to one another?
- Are the five layers starting
to take on a particular meaning?
- Is anything missing?
- What do you see if you look
at the cube from a different angle?
- What feelings arise as you work with the structure?
- Is a story or theme emerging?
Advantages
I find that the Communicube offers several benefits
in working with groups:
- Working with the cube is fun, enjoyable, and encourages
creativity
- People who are not natural verbal communicators
are helped to participate
- The structure acts as a container, which when combined
with the small size of the objects helps to reduce issues to safe
and manageable proportions
- By providing a visual representation, the cube
helps to bring clarity and focus to the subject under discussion
- Themes are captured and recorded by placing them
on the structure, compared to a purely verbal discussion where issues
can easily be passed over and forgotten
- The structure encourages thinking in levels, which
can improve understanding of a situation and reveal solutions to problems
Applications
- Brainstorming
- Team building
- Organisational mapping and change
- Conflict resolution
- Working on relationships
- Creativity
- Goal setting
- Supervision
- Groupwork
- Education and Training
Communicube Workshops
Each workshop is tailored to the needs to the organisation
or individuals involved. I have used it with individuals, and groups
of up to 20 people.
An individual or couple can make good use of the structure
in a 1-hour session, whereas group sessions might typically last 3-7
hours. For workshops lasting more than a day, the position of objects
on the structure can be recorded on a template and recreated at a later
date.
For more information, please contact Maurice
Tomkinson. For information on the Communicube, go to www.communicube.co.uk.
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