There are a few ways of exploring with figures:

Spectograms
This is taken from sociometry, also developed by Moreno as a way of researching social groups. Spectrograms are based on simple scales going from ‘Very Little’ to ‘Very Much’ where people place themselves according to their view or evaluation of a particular issue. Figures can be placed on a line on the table to illustrate how a person sees different people’s evaluation of particular themes and the dialogue can centre on various aspects of these evaluations.
Themes might be
Influence in decision making
Motivation for a change
For or against - Positive Negative attitude toward…
Anxiety (and other emotions)
Engagement in a matter
The dialogue can continue about the reasons people stand where they are, the implications of their positions, the likelihood of change and so on.

Role play
The figures can also be used to demonstrate events and situations that have been important to the person, what they remember and how they experienced them. They can be used to explore particular situations or incidents that are or have been significant to the person, their relationships and self-image through playing out how a person remembers the situation. This would involve setting out figure of the people involved to make a small scene in the table. Articles from the room could be added to help set the scene. The situation can then be played out as a figure theatre to show how the person remembers it.
It can also be played out again from another person’s point of view.
It is also possible to play out a ‘repaired’ version of a situation where someone or something intervenes to prevent it turning out badly and make it turn out well. This can to take some of the pain out of the memory of what has happened and can reduce self-blame that often accompanies being subjected to a traumatic experience.
If there are issues for children at school, they can select figures for teachers and other pupils that are involved. Many issues centre around rejection, mocking, threatening and bullying in the classroom, playground or on the way to school. These stories are often hidden from the parents and teachers even when they have a good general understanding of the school environment.

Role-reversal
One form of exploring is inviting a person to put themselves in the position of another person and answer in the way they think they would answer. They can hold the figure of the person concerned to help focus their thoughts on how the other person would answer question about the situation.
Role-reversal and is taken from psychodrama therapy method developed by Jakob Moreno. To go further with this method, it is helpful if they move and sit in another chair to mark that they have changed perspective. You can ask about how they think the other person would describe them if they were asked. It is now possible to talk with the person in the role of another and discuss their views and opinions of a situation and how to deal with it. In role reversal there is often a conversational exchange between the person and an imagined other where the person swap seats as they swap roles.

Externalising problems
Michael White and David Epston developed the narrative method of externalising problems. An externalised problem can be represented in some way - by a figure, an article, drawn on a card, modelled in plasticine. Figures can be used to set up and play out a scene typical for the dominant narrative where the externalised problem is causing difficulty. Dialogue can move to situations that turned out better, who or what would made a difference and how to use this information to help tame the problem and regain control of one’s life.

Solution focus
A scene can be set up with figures where a particular difficulty is no longer present and the person or family can talk about what life is like now, how relationships have changed and what is concerning the people now. The dialogue can trace back to how they managed to arrive at this situation.
Whenever people set out figures they will be exploring as well as demonstrating their own perspective. There is a duality of statement and question ‘This is how I see it’ and ‘Is this how I see it?’

Relationship Overviews

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