I See What Your Saying

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I See What You’re SayingHow Visual Tools Make Meeting More Interesting and Effective

by Kelly Kingman

Kelly is the Marketing Director & Graphic Recorder for Imagethink. As graphic facilitators, ImageThink transforms complex ideas into powerful visual stories.

MULTI-INDUSTRY

How many times have you left a meeting without a clear sense of what was discussed or decided? Most meetings are very heavy on verbal and textual information. There’s nothing wrong with the

information itself, but the human brain can only process it in chunks. When it comes to communication, text and speech are like a dial-up internet connection, and visual information is like fiber optic cable — it is much faster, and goes straight to the central processing areas of our mind.

What is a visual meeting?A visual meeting utilizes visual tools and techniques to enhance communication and unlock participants’ creativity. Visual tools

can be anything from sticky notes that are moved around on a wall, to hiring a graphic recorder to capture the group discussion in a blend of images and text.

Visual tools help to clear up confusion that can arise from conflicting mental models of information. If an image doesn’t match one participant’s interpretation of an idea, then all can discuss the differences.

Tools for Visual MeetingsPaper: Make sure you have flip charts or large rolls of paper on hand. Paper can be taped up on a wall and used to draw maps, capture brainstorms, make lists and assign next steps. The advantage of using paper over a whiteboard is that you have a permanent record of the conversation and decisions.

Sticky Notes: Sticky notes in different colors can be used to cluster and organize lots of different ideas. Assign each color of sticky note a meaning or category — for instance, green notes for ideas on sustainability, et cetera.

People are physically involved in the information — writing down their ideas, moving them around at the wall — which energizes the entire group.

Dot Voting or Polls: Dot stickers, available at most stationery and art supply stores, are a great way to analyze and discuss information that has been captured visually in a meeting. Give each person a number of stickers equal to about one third of the items you are assessing. Then ask them to place their dot in a specific location near each item. When all the votes are cast, what you have is a strong visual representation of the group’s opinions or interests.

Graphic Facilitators and Recorders:Hiring a graphic recorder to capture your next strategic planning session in a blend of words and pictures is a great way to enhance engagement in the meeting process. Graphic recorders will create a permanent chart of the conversation or presentation that cements the information in the mind of everyone present. Graphic facilitators can use different exercises that help the group build consensus and understanding organically, which builds trust and collaboration.

When you use visual techniques in your meetings, participation increases dramatically. Each person has a concrete representation of what they are contributing to the conversation — they can point to an idea on a sticky note or in an image that acknowledges it was heard by the group. Visuals get everyone literally on the same page.

“If an image doesn’t match one participant’s

interpretation of an idea, then all can discuss the

differences..”“... it is much faster, and goes straight to

the central processing areas of our mind.”