Humans live in language. It defines what we do, how we do it, and why we do it. Language is the bedrock of our cultures and societies. As with fish in water, we go about our daily business without paying much attention to the language around us and how it influences us. Information architect and author, Jorge Arango developed Semantic Environment Mapping years ago to make visible the everyday language through which we so naively swim.
Object of Play
The Semantic Environment Canvas will help you understand the language, rules, and power dynamics that make it possible for people to accomplish their purposes in particular situations—or hinder them from doing so.
Number of Players
1-6 players.
If you have more than six people, consider breaking them into groups and assigning separate environments to each group.
Duration of Play
20 minutes – 40 minutes
Materials Required
To run a good session, you will need:
- A large print of the Semantic Environment canvas. Preferably on A0 size. A1 – A3 will do the job. Downloadable here
- Flip chart paper with adhesive backing
- Duck tape
- Sticky notes of different colors
- Markers and pens
- Camera to capture the results
- It may be helpful to read more about Semantic Environments in Jorge’s blog posts here and here
How to Play
- Print out the Semantic Environment canvas on a large sheet of paper and hang on a wall with the duck tape. (It’s easiest if you do this exercise using sticky notes — especially if you’re collaborating with others.)
- Inform the players we’ll be filling out canvas sections one-at-a-time. For each section we will individually brainstorm and then conduct a group conversation.
- Facilitation tip – if an insight or thought aligns better to another section of a canvas simply place it in the appropriate section and return to it at a later time, i.e. do not discard it because it was in the “wrong” section
The Environment
- Ask the players to take 2 – 3 minutes to brainstorm characteristics of the environment. As prompts, ask them to consider the following:
- What is the general area of discourse we are designing for?
- Does it employ the language of law? commerce? religion? Etc.
- What are the intended purposes of this environment?
- What are the environment’s key terms, including its basic metaphors?
- Discuss as a group and agree on a name for the environment. The name should be clear, but also compelling; you want the language to come alive!
- Write the name on the canvas.
The Actors
- Now let’s think about the actors in the environment. Inform the group these could be individuals, but they can also be roles or groups within an organization. (More than two actors can participate in a semantic environment. For the sake of simplicity this canvas focuses only on two. You can print out additional canvases to map other relationships.)
- Ask the group to individually brainstorm all the actors or roles they envision in the situation. Brainstorming prompts:
- Who are the people performing within the semantic environment?
- How well do they know the environment’s rules?
- How well do they know the environment’s language?
- After 2-3 minutes, ask the group to discuss their thoughts. From the discussion, have the group choose and name Actor A and Actor B; fill in the canvas.
- Ask the group to discuss the relative power of each actor in the situation. Are they peers, or is one actor more powerful than another? How do the actors experience their power differentials?
- Fill in the Power Relationship section of the canvas.
Their Goals
- Move to the goals section of the canvas. Ask to the players to individually brainstorm why they think the actors might participate in this environment; write one thought per sticky note. Begin with Actor A. After a few minutes, ask the players to focus on Actor B. Some prompts for the brainstorm:
- Why are they having this interaction?
- What do they expect to get out of it?
- How will they know when they’ve accomplished it?
- After the brainstorm, ask each player to present their ideas by placing their sticky notes on the canvas. After all players have presented their ideas, let the group discuss.
The Rules
- Now let’s consider the rules that govern the situation. Explain to the players that these rules can be spoken or unspoken.
- Ask to the players to individually brainstorm the rules for each Actor; write one rule per sticky note. Begin with Actor A. After a few minutes, ask the players to focus on Actor B. Brainstorm prompts:
- Are the actors expected to behave in some ways?
- Are there behaviors the actors are expected to avoid?
- What happens when they don’t follow the rules? (Does the communication break down entirely? Or do they shift to another semantic environment?)
- After the brainstorm, ask each player to present their ideas by placing their sticky notes on the canvas. After all players have presented their ideas, let the group discuss.
The Key Words
- Move on to the Key Word section of the canvas. Ask the players to consider the key words the actors use in the situation. Explain: All semantic environments have what Neil Postman called a technical vocabulary: words that have special meaning within this environment.
- Ask to the players to individually brainstorm the Key Words for each Actor; write one per sticky note. Begin with Actor A. After a few minutes, ask the players to focus on Actor B. Brainstorm prompts:
- What are the environment’s basic terms?
- What metaphors could apply to this environment?
- After the brainstorm, ask each player to present their ideas by placing their sticky notes on the canvas. After all players have presented their ideas, let the group discuss. Group discussion prompt:
- Who controls the environmental metaphors?
- Do both actors share an understanding of what these words mean?
- Who or what is in charge of maintaining the definitions?
The Touchpoints
- Move on to the Touchpoints section of the canvas. As the players to consider the key touchpoints that allow the communication to happen.
- Ask to the players to individually brainstorm the touchpoints for each Actor; write one per sticky note. Begin with Actor A. After a few minutes, ask the players to focus on Actor B. Brainstorm prompts:
- Do the actors meet in person?
- If so, do they have to be in a special physical environment?
- If they meet remotely, are there particular technologies involved?
- What is the mood surrounding the touchpoint?
- After the brainstorm, ask each player to present their ideas by placing their sticky notes on the canvas. After all players have presented their ideas, let the group discuss.
The Analysis
Now that the canvas is complete, you can analyze relationships between different sections and discuss their implications.
Questions to help make sense of it all:
- Is there potential for ambiguity over what sort of environment this is? What can create such confusion?
- What are the purposes that are actually being achieved by the way this environment is currently organized?
- Is there a difference between what is intended and what is being achieved?
- Are there contradictions in purpose between the environment and its sub-environments?
Tips for visualizing the analysis:
- Draw arrows between sticky notes to clarify relationships around words, rules, goals, and so on.
- Use colored stickies to represent whether certain words, goals, rules, etc. help (green) or hinder (red) the actor’s goals.
- Identify and explore related semantic environments. In a single process (for example, a sales pipeline) one actor may transverse various environments as he or she interacts with other actors. Also, semantic environments can be nested: some environments contain sub-environments where language and rules become ever more specialized.
- Pin up multiple semantic environment maps next to each other; this can help you spot situations in which the same words appear under different guises or with different meanings.
Strategy
When collaborating, people must be clear they’re using language in the same ways. However, they often take the words they use for granted; they don’t question their meaning. Other collaborators may understand them differently.
Mapping the semantic environment clarifies the language people use and the expectations they bring to an interaction. (In other words: always and everywhere!)
For example:
- Your team may be struggling to communicate effectively with other teams in your organization; mapping the semantic environment may lead you to discover you’re unwittingly using similar words in both teams to mean different things.
- You may be facing a difficult political environment. Mapping out the semantics of the situation can help you understand other people’s goals and trigger phrases so you can manage tensions more effectively.
- You may be designing a complex software system and need to understand how the various parties involved — including the system’s users and stakeholders — use language to accomplish their goals. This understanding can then inform the system’s conceptual models and information architecture.
Credits
The canvas is adapted from Neil Postman’s semantic environment framework, and inspired by the canvases of Dave Gray and Alex Osterwalder.
The canvas was originally published on jarango.com