Online Timeline of Transformation

1. Prepare a blank timeline template in an online collaborative environment such as Jamboard or Miro. Decide which time frame you are working with, and whether the ‘now’ moment should be placed at the end of the timeline (when concentrating only on the past), in the middle (when concentrating on both past and future), or at the beginning of the timeline (when focus on the future);
2. Introduce the activity, the purpose, the amount of time you expect to take, and some guiding questions. For example, you might ask: ‘What are the major tipping points in the development of your organization or community?’ or “What moments in your life represent a significant change or transformation?” For a future focus a backcasting approach can work (first introduce the concept of backcasting and use a process for defining a specific desirable future)
3. After the introduction, post a link to the online whiteboard in your chat and give a short tutorial, leaving enough time for people to experiment and ask technical questions.
4. Next ask participants to add events to the timeline with digital sticky notes, using images from the web, or by adding photographs of objects in their own house or environment that represent a specific transformative event (for future focus is it also possible to combine with the Photographs of the Future method);
5. (Optional) Give participants the opportunity to explain why they added specific events or images.
6. Collectively reflect on the timeline using guiding questions such as “does anything on here surprise you?” or “which events do you find the most powerful?” This can be done either in plenary or in breakout groups.

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