Co-performance and co-visualization

Top athletes use visualization to improve their personal performances. To ski down hill like a champion. To jump higher than ever before. To swim the fastest race.

They imagine themselves winning. They practice their "moves" in minute detail, step-by-step, in real time, in amazing detail, in glorious color and with a soundtrack to boot.

What if we could use these same techniques to improve everyday joint performances? And go beyond a personal achievement.

What if we could help teachers become brilliant provocateurs, challengers and inspirers and at the same time as their students practice new roles as fabulous conversationalists, writers, pattern detectors and knowledge creators?

What if we could transform all kinds of relationships by co-visualizing co-performances for couples, families, community groups, business and sports teams?

So instead of daydreaming/watching television or just being bored, we use quiet moments together to create vivid mental pictures of doing stuff together, and "exercise" pretty much the same muscles as if we were performing the action in real time.

So here's a series of questions to start thinking about the concept of co-visualization.

1. What did you first see when you woke up this morning? OR Picture what you might have for lunch today?
2. Turn to your partner and recall a most remarkable, amazing, wonderful or happy event in your life. Visualize that moment. Then describe, step by step, what happened, what you saw and heard.
3. Imagine yourself as a tight rope walker. Describe in detail what you do, how you begin, how place your feet, balance yourself, and walk along the wire, and how you feel when you reached the end of the wire. What happened? Describe what you saw in as much detail as possible.
4a. For the teacher. Pick a topic. Imagine yourself as an inspirational teacher, somewhat Robin Williams in Dead Poet's Society. You get the very best from your students. You organize great conversations. You ask rich, amazing questions that guide the students through a thinking process. That keep them engaged for ages. Make a list of all the steps in the performance.
4b. For the student. Pick the same topic as your teacher. Imagine yourself engaged in conversation with other students, generating possibilities, discussing the alternatives, and giving reasons for your suggested solution. Make a list of all the steps in the performance.
6. What helped you to improve your visualization performances?
7. Make a checklist of 5-10 rules for co-visualizing your performance.
8. Choose a new activity to visualize and use the checklist to improve your performance.

Stop press: Watch this space for a series of workshops from Marie Dalloway in Phoenix, Arizona to help you practice and develop co-visualization skills.