by Lisa | Sep 21, 2016 | Graphic Recording, Visual Thinking
Graphic recording is the art of capturing conversations with hand drawn pictures so that meetings and events come alive! Check out this time lapse video from one of our projects, to see the visual summary come to life.
Here is a quick video that outlines just a few of the reasons why you should use graphic recording for your next meeting, workshop, conference, or leadership retreat.
The benefits of graphic recording:
- Supports the Facilitator. Graphic recording supports the facilitator by making ideas visible so the group can get on the same page. That’s a good thing.
- Validates Participants. The graphic recorder listens to the conversation during report outs, brainstorming, focus groups and other group discussions. Participants can actually see their input being captured and visualized with illustrations and text.
- Better Decision Making. Ideas are clarified and visible to everyone in the room. “Once the facts are clear, decisions jump out at you”- Peter Drucker.
- Increases Memory and Comprehension. Graphic recording creates a “visual memory” for attendees and it can increase retention up to 30%.
- Helps the Group to Maintain Focus. It’s easy for participants and attendees to get distracted, especially after lunch. Before you know it, someone is yawning and someone is looking at their cell phones. Having a graphic recorder in the room gives participants a way to bring their attention back to the discussion, catch up and stay focused. It’s also great for people who did not attend the meeting or conference. I often hear people say “I felt like I was there” after seeing the completed charts.
- Promotes Creativity. As soon as participants enter the room, they realize this is no ordinary meeting or conference. Big paper means BIG ideas. Graphic recording sets the stage for conversation and creativity.
Learn how you can use the power of graphic recording at your next event, click here.
Please comment below, I’d love to hear what you think about the benefits of graphic recording.
by Lisa | Aug 25, 2016 | Business, Productivity, Uncategorized, Visual Thinking
The International Forum of Visual Practitioners (IFVP) had their annual conference in Washington, DC this year.
You know what that means. It means I had to be there! I live in the DC metro area, so I was delighted to spend 4 days with a group of folks that love visual thinking as much as I do.
Here are 5 ways to make the most out of your next conference. I will use IFVP as an example, so here we go…
- Have a Plan. Conferences can be overwhelming, especially when it spans several days. One hack I tried that worked very well for me is setting an intention each day. Each day before I arrived, I determined what I wanted to practice and what I wanted to learn from others. For example, on Day2 I wanted to practice graphic recording using my iPad. At the end of each day I felt a huge sense of accomplishment because I was focused and intentional.
- Participate. The best way to learn is to DO. After all, that’s why you are at the conference. I know it’s tough, especially when sessions run one after the other and it seems like you have a IV drip of coffee. Make an effort to participate no matter how small. Ask questions during your sessions, talk with your neighbor, and jump in on the exercises and group activities. That’s what I did and it always helped me connect with the people at my table.
Group exercise for building a mobile.
Completed mobile. WOW. Designed by Team Sculptures
- Make time to meet up. Conferences are the perfect time to meet up with friends you don’t see often. The best advice I have for this is to plan before the conference. Find out who is attending and connect with them early so you can make plans for a morning walk or happy hour. I was so happy to see my buddies from the #CincyTakesOnPoverty project.
- Talk to the Vendors. The vendors participating at a conference can give you fresh ideas on how to help your clients. They also have insight on trends in your industry, so learn what’s hot and what’s not from them. You can usually buy supplies, get significant discounts and save on shipping.
Neuland was in the house, so that means stock up on ink and markers. I picked up my free gift too, love the marker bag!
Scribes-To-Go shared ideas on using print materials to make our events POP!
- Have Fun! Look at this crowd. Yes, the photographer told us to say cheese or something like that. But we were all genuinely having FUN together. Such a supportive community to be a part of. The conference theme came true in this picture for us, United We Scribe!
What’s your best tip for getting the most out of a conference? Please share and comment below.
by Lisa | Aug 10, 2016 | Event Planning
Last Wednesday I attended the annual BizBash Elevate Conference. Bizbash is an idea and resource hub for event planners. The conference was held at the illustrious Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, DC.
I pay attention to detail and let me tell you, I was so impressed to walk thru the auditorium and there was David Adler, the founder of BizBash reaching out to shake my hand and thank me for attending. In a time when we are heads down in our phones – texting and tweeting, it was a pleasant surprise for him to offer a smile and a handshake. That will always stand out in my book!
Our day kicked off with a keynote from Ben Parr, the author of Captivology. He shared some gold nuggets about attention triggers and memory. All critical things to know if you want to captivate your audience, your attendees, or your client. Here is my sketchnote from his talk.
After the keynote, I went to the AOL breakout session where they gave us an inside look at how they leverage branding. Their ideas were high tech and high touch, with an emphasis on multiple touch points. For example for Cannes Lions 2016, AOL used creative branding in their catering, elevator doors, and in the swimming pool
Check out dessert, tasty and a beautiful presentation.
Next up, time for the luncheon. During our lunch, I learned so much about the PIC. No, I don’t mean PIC as in picture. I mean PIC as in the Presidential Inauguration Committee. Learning the ins and outs of planning for the inauguration was amazing.
After lunch, I attended 5 Ways to Crush Every Event Challenge, presented by Univision. Paulina Tapia’s gave some great ideas on how to save money and be creative in re-using your marketing and promo items.
The closing session was all about trends and the best ideas from coast to coast. The editors shared tons of unique ideas to shake it up for attendees to return to your event. One of my favorite ideas was using coloring books at events. If it has to do with coloring and drawing, I’m all in!
I want to give a shout-out to some of the great people I met like Nicole Gallub at Pelonkey, Vinh Nguyen and Corey Frank at FoundryCrew, Stacey Powell Williams, Kea Taylor at Imagine Photography, Joe Felperin at CadmiumCD, Ghana Odet Wilson at Film Life, ilana Moreno at Linder Global, Khadija Campbell and Vanessa Gibson at AUSA, Angelique Agutter at dimarva events, Sarah Peterson at Woolly Mammoth, Brittney Lanni at O’Keefe Communications, Craig Weisbaum and Kaitlyn McNaney at Talkingtree Creative, Veronica Carter at GBTA, and Latoya Lewis at Envent U.
Have you attended a BizBash event? Tell me about it. Please comment and share 🙂
by Lisa | Jul 13, 2016 | Education, Visual Thinking
What if teachers could see learning through the eyes of their students?
On Monday, July 11th I had the chance to hear John Hattie and several other speakers answer that question at the Annual Visible Learning Conference hosted by Corwin Press. During this conference I created visual maps of the keynotes throughout the day. The completed charts were displayed in the Exhibit Hall so attendees could get a closer look at take photos. I spoke with so many educators who shared with me how they want to use more visuals in their classrooms. YES! The power of visual thinking is really amazing.
John Hattie Keynote on The Current State of Visible Learning Research
Viviane Robinson Keynote on Building Trust While Doing the Tough Work of Improvement
Pedro Noguera Keynote on Equity and Deeper Learning
Lisa Nelson….Hey, that’s me 🙂
1,000 Attendees at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center
by Lisa | Jun 28, 2016 | Community
On June 25th the Child Poverty Collaborative hosted a Community Summit in Cincinnati, Ohio. This event was built around community conversation to take on poverty by working together to improve the lives of children in Cincinnati. I was a member of the 6 person team hired by Greg Whicker to bring the power of visuals to over 700 attendees.
Over 700 attendees at the Community Summit #cincytakesonpoverty
Each team member worked on a different portion of the 3-D display to capture the harvest.
Working on my portion of the 3-D chart that represents “What’s missing” from the solution to childhood poverty.
The final visual summary, our Gigantic 3-D display was a hit!
Checkout WLWT to see my drawing in action during the news segment.
This was a day of listening, learning, sharing and community. I am so glad that I was able to be a part of this important work. Please leave a comment below.
