by Lisa | Aug 28, 2019 | Facilitation, Productivity
Upcoming brainstorming session on the schedule? We have some go-to bits of advice for you to incorporate into your next team brainstorming meeting to ensure that the time together is a success! These are the 5 ground rules for facilitation a brainstorming session for you and your team.
Rule #1 – There are no dumb ideas
Encourage your team to share any and all ideas throughout the process. Make the disclaimer at the start of the session that each idea is a great one and could lead to a stream of thoughts that could benefit the rest of the group.
Rule #2 – Replace any instances of ‘but’ with ‘and’
Use any idea as a chance to build on ideas and not tear them down. Instead of rebutting an idea, add to it and see where it could lead. This also goes back to the first rule of encouraging everyone to share everything. Create a safe space.
Rule #3 – The more the better
You want to focus on the number of ideas as well. The more you throw out there, the more you can evolve ideas into something really spectacular. Consider a speed round of sorts to get team members to not second guess their ideas and contribute to the number of ideas in the group.
Rule #4 – Everyone participates
As a facilitator, you will need to keep up with who is and is not contributing. No need to call anyone out on this, but encourage those who have not spoken up to share what they are thinking. The more quiet team members may have been in deep thought over an idea and just haven’t felt confident enough to share just yet. Give them the opportunity to contribute.
Rule #5 – No distractions
Tell team members to silence phones and shut down laptops. You may need to collect all technology at the start of the meeting if you are worried about team members being tempted to check those notifications. Use your own discretion.
These quick and easy rules can really improve a brainstorming session for your team and company! Try them out next time you have a session on your calendar. Make sure to go over the rules before starting the meeting as well to set expectations!
Need help with facilitating a brainstorming session? Check out our sketchnote services to help get ideas flowing!
by Lisa | Jun 5, 2019 | Business, Facilitation
You’ve planned the event, prepped the speaker and got the seats filled with participants! So exciting. Now for the fun part. In this previous blog post we shared all about what prepping for an event with See in Colors services looks like, and in this post we are going to tell you all about our day-of duties.
We make sure to arrive early to set up, stocked with our markers and paper, supplies that we take care of. We know what tools of the trade work best to make your content pop off of the page. We set everything up in a spot that works best for your preference and the room layout. We end up in a spot where we are able to create, but also listen in to what is being shared. Our role is to listen closely and synthesize the information. We sketchnote the essence of the conversation, drawing out major quotes, tidbits, key takeaways and more.
Think of our team as your “visual thinking partners.” We keep in mind the audience that is at your event and how they will retain the information that is being shared. If you are anything like us, and the science backs this theory up, most of us are visual learners. While lectures and keynotes are amazingly helpful and insightful to industry teachings, trends, etc. – visuals are the way to go when sharing information. We make sure to tap into this learning style when we design and doodle our materials.
We draw a visual that represents your event well and shares major themes that you audience is looking for. Items like key phrases, major pull quotes, fresh ideas and more. We include other marketing items into our creations like your event hashtag or your company’s brand colors and logo. We wrap up everything on-site, filling in any last minute details or phrases that may have been missed once the event has completed. It all comes together in a one of a kind presentation, perfect for social media sharing as well as a fun item to display in the office. While we may take a few photos ourselves of the finished product, the physical chart is yours to keep.
Told you this was the fun part! We love working with companies and businesses to bring a fun and fresh new element to their event program. Want to learn more? Visit our services page here!
by Lisa | May 1, 2019 | Event Planning, Facilitation, Graphic Recording, Visual Thinking
Annual meetings are a time of brainstorming, collaborative thinking and intensive informational exchange. Participants can feel a sense of burnout at various parts of the process, so keeping them engaged is crucial. Utilizing a service like a visual facilitator can provide unique imagery and perspective. Use this unique visual storytelling for a time of reflection. You can strengthen your agenda and keep your team energized and open the pathways to learning.
Here are some ideas for using reflection for meaningful discussions and recall. These reflections can be captured by a graphic recorder as well!
- Previous Year Reflections: Allow each member around the room to highlight what worked well and lessons learned from the past year. You could also suggest that they collaborate with their department for their contributions to the discussion.
- Internal Reflections: Prompt participants with the question, “What have you learned about yourself so far?” before lunch or scheduled break in your meeting. Give your team a heads up that you will be asking this question during the session so they don’t feel “on the spot.”
- Silent Reflections: Set a timer for 5-10 minutes for a period of silent reflection. Calming background music is also a great addition to this part. While the silence may feel a little odd at first, it will provide time for those in the room to reset of their mind. At the end of the timer ask if anyone would like to volunteer a thought or two from their “meditation.”
Let the group think back to what they learned throughout the meeting and share their takeaways. Give time for the graphic recorder to illustrate each members thoughts. At the end, you can decide collectively how to share these visual notes. Are you facilitating an annual meeting? Breakout sessions? Let our team help with the visuals! See our portfolio and learn more here!
by Lisa | Nov 14, 2018 | Event Planning, Facilitation, Graphic Recording
Tired of boredom in the boardroom? Us too! Those company meetings do not have to be the same thing every time. There is nothing worse than losing your audience when you go over those numbers with the team. Sleeping supervisor in the corner? No more! We have some tips to help you keep your coworkers engaged throughout the meeting agenda!
Bring back inspiration and participation to your meeting with motivational quotes! Transform the blank walls in your space with colorful quotes, one-liners and more. Use that blank space to your advantage. Prepare some quotes ahead of time for your presentation, using them as references throughout your discussion. Spark some new ideas, productivity and more with motivational quotes. Keep your quotes colorful. Neutral tones can be dull and fade into the background. You can use flip charts to draw your quotes and post them on the walls throughout the room. Space them out to help draw the eye in each spot of the meeting area.
Right away, your coworkers will notice a difference and be excited for what’s to come. The switch up of scenery can be just want your meeting needs for a renewed spirit in the workplace. This update can be the perfect solution to ease tension for large company planning meetings as well! Help get team members comfortable and excited to contribute to the meeting.
As you talk about these quotes, ask your participants to share what quote resonates the most with most. This feedback can help you with future presentations as well. If there is a certain type of quote, idea, theme that stands out the most – make a note of it. You will want to continue sharing items along those lines with each presentation or meeting.
Do you have a big meeting coming up? Let our team help prepare some visuals for your space. Get ready for a great time with your team thanks to motivational quotes! For additional help, be sure to download our free guide to a better workshop HERE!
by Lisa | Sep 5, 2018 | Business, Facilitation, Productivity, Uncategorized
You have all of your content ready for your big presentation – graphs, stats and more. So how do you get your presentation noticed by the team? Keep your employees and co-workers engaged with your presentation thanks to these quick tips!
- Keep the colors simple – Use solid colored backgrounds for your slides, no need for a custom background. A strong palette can keep your presentation visually appealing. Refrain from using too many different colors. Stick to 3-5 different colors throughout your slides.
- Make it legible – Reading is fundamental! When creating your presentation, make sure people can actually read it. Font sizes are key to getting your message across. Keeping sizes large, about 30 pt size or larger, will allow team members to take notes and really see the information that you are sharing. Keep with the ‘Rule of 7’ for your presentation. There should not be more than seven lines of text and keep to seven words per line.
- Use visuals – Elements like bar graphs or photography and illustrations can draw attention to your presentation. When using visuals, make sure that they are high-quality files. Stay away from blurry photos. Test your slides out on the big screen before you present and make sure that everything looks crisp.
A few presentation bonus tips!
Infographics – Provide an infographic as a presentation handout. Allow your audience to follow along with your information in a fresh and visual way. Our team can help with creating these visuals for your presentation. Check out our services here!
Stay on time – While you may have a lot to share, watch the clock and keep it on time. There’s nothing worse than going over time when there are other presentations after you. Be respectful of your team’s time as well. This will also help keep them focused on what you have to say if you provide an expected timeframe for your content. You can also assign someone to be the timekeeper. This will be helpful to provide 10 and 2-minute warnings during the presentation.
Thanks for reading! If you find this valuable, please share this with someone you know.
Are you or maybe someone you know planning a conference? Keep the attendees engaged, they need to SEE the big picture. Just contact me for a free consultation. I’m happy to help (smile).
by Lisa | Aug 25, 2017 | Business, Education, Facilitation, Graphic Recording
What happens when you are running a meeting or a workshop and the group starts to stray away from the agenda?
Maybe someone mentions a topic and another person jumps in to add their thoughts. Before you know it, the entire group is now discussing something outside the scope of your meeting. I have seen this happen time and time again. And so have you right? When I am supporting a facilitator with graphic recording, I always offer to create a Parking Lot for the meeting.
The Parking Lot is a placeholder for capturing ideas that should be followed up at a later date outside of the meeting. It keeps your meeting on course and it shows the contributor that you acknowledge their idea/concern.
Here is a quick video that explains how to use the technique.
What’s your favorite method for keeping meetings on track? I’d love to hear it.
Facilitating a meeting involves juggling a number of moving parts. We hope this technique will help you during your next meeting or workshop. Learn how we can support you with visual notes and meeting design, click here
