Thinking with photo cards - a tasting note of SPARK?

There are plenty of methods and tools available globally for facilitation, training, and development. While I enjoy exploring new options, I prefer tools that are easy to use, versatile, and thoughtfully designed.

At first glance, I was impressed by the aesthetic appeal of the SPARK?card. However, the more I used it, the more I realized its potential to enhance facilitation—especially for individuals like me who want to apply facilitation in the workplace and community building to foster collaboration and engagement.

In this #FacSnippet, ?I shared the different scenarios in which I see photo cards making a difference.

Disclaimer: This is not an advertorial and solely represents my personal experience in pursuing facilitation.

1. Enhance icebreaking and check-ins

Photos are a universal language, which makes SPARK? cards fairly easy to use because it's easy to understand and interpret by both facilitators and participants.

One of the simplest ways I use them is as icebreakers or for check-in/check-out activities.

For those less familiar with facilitation language, this is what we call starting and closing a session—usually, the check-in helps participants share their feelings or set intentions for the session, while the check-out allows them to reflect on their experience and leave with a sense of closure.

For example, I often ask participants to choose a card that represents their answer to a specific question, such as:

• "How are you feeling at the moment?"
• "What is your superpower?"
• "What would you be doing if you were not here?"

Most participants can pick a card within a minute or less because of a specific object, color, or feeling it evokes. I’ve seen a stack of books remind someone of staircases near their home, or a fresh carrot spark memories of a trip to Japan.

At a recent book club I facilitated, I used SPARK? cards for both check-in and check-out. When participants arrived, I asked them to pick a card that showed how they were feeling. Before leaving, they used the same card to share their takeaways.

During check-in, one participant said she felt like a cloud because she had just woken up, while another said the card represented a fresh start, as he had read the book years ago and was excited to find new insights.

Interestingly, during check-out, the meaning of the waves image changed. At first, it symbolized being carefree, but later it became a reminder that making waves (creating impact) requires embracing helpful conflicts in a multicultural team.

This is what I love about photo cards—they inspire interesting and creative answers, allowing people to express themselves authentically,

2. Sparking quick and meaningful reflection

My other favourite way to use SPARK cards is during World Café sessions, where small groups gather for timed, focused discussions. The first time I tried SPARK cards was with 50 designers from the Friends of Figma Hong Kong community. The theme was how A.I. is impacting design, and one of the questions focused on how participants felt when using A.I. versus not using it.

Feelings can be hard to express, especially in many Asian countries where there’s often a limited vocabulary for emotions and storytelling. With just 15 minutes per round and participants from diverse cultures, I needed a tool to help them share their thoughts quickly and meaningfully.

The cards served as a bridge to help facilitate these conversations. With a visual on hand, participants can express their feelings visually and verbally. Even the less vocal ones found it easier to articulate their thoughts by describing the images, colors, or elements on their chosen cards.

This also helped others to understand their ideas more clearly, by not just listening but also seeing their ideas and thinking process.

Since then, I’ve used SPARK cards in over 10 World Café sessions, including:

• Year-end reflections for a Casual Tech Meetup community to share their proudest moment and challenges of 2024
• Community engagement for individuals over 60 years old to share their childhood stories and connections to the neighbourhood
• Marketing workshops with international teams to uncover customer value - what values they see now, and in the future
• Valentine’s Day events for singles to discover their aura by identifying sharing their needs and vision, and for couples to reflect on their shared ups and downs that sustain relationships

The versatility of SPARK? cards makes them perfect for dynamic group discussions, ranging from casual, fun topics to strategic corporate conversations, and adaptable for groups as small as 8 people or as large as 50.

3. Assist in personal development and storytelling

When I’m not facilitating groups, I use SPARK? cards for myself.

Last week, when I was invited to share my career journey with students aged 14-18 at my alma mater, I decided to use photo cards instead of just speaking verbally as I had done in the past.

I spent 10 minutes selecting 10 cards that represented key phases since graduation. From feeling confused about which path to take, to discovering the joy of studying journalism—like solving puzzles.

From taking my first steps into the workforce and spending five years working hard in design, to reflecting during the COVID era and pivoting into the medical tech industry. And now, we are entering the A.I. era.

This approach worked out really well:

1. It facilitated my own reflection.
2. It made it easier for others to ask follow-up questions.

For example, one girl asked, "Your journey spans many industries. What were you thinking when you decided to make a change?" A teacher walked by, saw the photo of the robot, and asked me about how we can better use A.I. in education.

These incidents made me appreciate the design of SPARK?, which meticulously selects photos to invite diverse interpretations.

When I attended the certification course led by the card designer, Kelvin Fung , he shared that the theory of Art Appreciation, Visual Thinking, and Process Design forms the core of SPARK?. Combined with his years of experience in consultancy, these insights have crystallized into tools designed for both training and personal development.

Final thoughts

As I mentioned at the beginning of this article, there are many more tools available, including other photo cards designed for facilitation, training, and development. As a facilitation practitioner, I am grateful for the abundance of resources we have to explore.

So far, I have had a great experience using SPARK? because it is versatile and can add excitement to my workshops, events, and even provide personal inspiration. I am excited to discover the surprises that SPARK? could bring, and I look forward to sharing other tools I have found helpful with you.

1. Do you have any experience with photo cards, whether as a facilitator or as a participant in workshops or meetings? What was your experience like?
2. What questions do you have about this approach to facilitation?
3. Where do you think this method could be applied in your work or personal life?

Let me know in the comment box, and let’s work together to expand our facilitation toolbox!

Facilitation Snippet is a newsletter by Shirley Lam, offering bite-sized insights, methods, and learnings to help individuals cultivate a facilitative mindset.