Visuals for a Better World
Meetings getting off-topic? Having a hard time moving forward? Voices being cut off, and things feel rushed? Here’s a framework that might take 15 minutes to implement and makes planning meetings easier. Let people know if the agenda item is for information only, for discussion, or if it’s time to make a decision. Facilitating better … Read more Better meetings in 15 mins: For Information, Discussion, or Decision?
A question that new graphic facilitators always ask in our courses, is “what do you do if you’re stuck?” We’ve all been there. It happens! And I could answer this quickly with “it’s all about the planning, because we don’t just show up and draw” – but sometimes, this question is about something much deeper. It’s … Read more I’m stuck! What should I do? Advice from new graphic recorders
There’s a crucial meeting before any graphic facilitation project, and it doesn’t get enough attention. This is the humble-but-very-important preparation meeting, with the graphic facilitator, client team and process facilitator. I used to have a checklist so I could resolve the technical questions I needed (what’s the meeting purpose? Where will I set up?) but … Read more Transform the graphic recording planning meeting – to be exceptional
It’s a best practice in our field to share our graphic facilitation work out loud during a session, and give a summary to the room. But these days, I don’t see it happening as much as it could. Early in my graphic facilitation career, I was lucky that my mentors emphasized the importance of presenting … Read more Don’t overlook this step – a graphic recording share back for accessibility
A Free Visual Planning Tool Need to make a decision, a change, or reach a goal? Don’t feel stuck! Grab a pen and this What, So What, Now What planning exercise to bring new perspectives. This is a visual planning tool for many seasons, featuring cedar, cranberry, hellebore, salal and sunflowers. Instructions Write down your … Read more A Visual Tool for All Seasons: What, So What, Now What
Need a visual way to find your team’s superpowers? Use this free graphic facilitation poster to engage your group in a fun, and meaningful activity. Leadership and Team Superpowers At the core, it’s two key questions: what’s your Superpower? what’s your Kryptonite? (aka, what stops your superpower?) Graphic Facilitation poster – a free download If … Read more What are your Team Superpowers? Free Superhero graphic recording for you to use
Every so often a client will tell me about a bad graphic recording experience: it wasn’t readable or it didn’t make sense to them, so they didn’t see the value. It doesn’t need to be this way! Clients, participants and graphic recorders all need great layouts to provide a flow of information, elevate decisions, and … Read more Graphic Recording: great layouts and planning for success
Graphic Recording and Group Work Go Together Are you planning a highly participatory meeting with lots of small group work, and wondering how a graphic recorder could work in this setup? Need an easy-to-read, and visually appealing, way of theming and synthesizing many small group discussions? Unsure if this meeting should be online or in … Read more Graphic Recording and Group Work Go Together: Free Facilitation Agenda
I got an email this week that gave me goosebumps. My graphic recordings were part of a final report, and it turns out that when the Big Decision Maker saw the images, she was moved to tears – saying she could “see” the voices in the meeting talking about the impact their sector is making. … Read more Starting Your Graphic Recorder Career – first projects and wise practices
Next Generation Meetings: 8 Wise Practices and Creative Tools Here’s my webinar for Tech Soup Canada: Improve online gatherings and foster connection! This far into a pandemic, we’ve all changed our perspectives on what makes a good meeting. Do you find yourself wondering, “What is this meeting about? Is this the best use of our … Read more A new, free facilitation resource for creative meetings in 2022
What’s the best thing to do with graphic recording images after a meeting? Use them! But how? Meetings are a major investment in time and effort. You may have invited graphic recording to help you: inform* people about something, consult and get feedback, involve key groups in discussion or refining ideas, collaborate in decision-making, or … Read more Get the most value from your graphic recording – after your meeting
What do we get when we combine text and drawing … and learning? Sketchnotes! I recently gave a webinar for Wacom Canada called Drawing on the Right Side of Learning: Sketchnoting, Visual Thinking and Making Learning Connect, and here’s free resources for educators from that talk: webinar recording what’s a sketchnote? a free sketchnote template … Read more How to sketchnote – free template and Wacom Canada webinar
Graphic recording helps us see complex information in new ways. It creates more understanding, helps us hear each other and can connect us to purpose – while inviting in more creativity. After hundreds of online meetings during the pandemic, here’s 10 things I’ve learned about adapting graphic facilitation to an online world. Graphic facilitation can … Read more 10 Things I’ve Learned About Graphic Facilitation in a Virtual World
Why strengthen your consensus skills? Better communication! Especially when you want more of a win-win. Here are some of my favourite consensus resources: – when consensus works – when it doesn’t – how to use a gradient of agreement to gather information instead of yes/no/abstain voting – options for disagreement. Plus, here’s my favourite meeting … Read more Supporting Group Decision Making – Consensus Skills
Earlier this year, someone (brilliantly) said to me that when we meet online, we have the opportunity to create good meeting habits, and leave our bad meeting habits behind. So I asked the facilitators and graphic recorders I look up to, “What have you noticed that we need to do more in 2021?” Big themes … Read more What will make better meetings in 2021?