“…An artist says a hard thing in a simple way.”

I recently came upon this quote from the colorful writer Charles Bukowski: “An intellectual says a simple thing in a hard way. An artist says a hard thing in a simple way.”

I like this quote because it embodies its own message. It encapsulates an immense amount of complexity in two deceptively simple sentences.

And, if we’re doing our job well as graphic recorders, we can walk this edge of clarifying complexity without over simplifying. Through intentional mark making, considering the right questions, and deep listening, we help distill your hard work navigating the unknown future into what simply makes sense.

Once again, thank you from my heart and soul for your support, great senses of humor, brilliant minds, collaboration and what you're each doing to make the world a better place.

Cheers,

Where in the World is ConverSketch?

Wenatchee, Washington: Working with the US Forest Service sharing research and experience on the ground to better plan for risk mitigation for wildfires that cross management boundaries.

Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate Nation, South Dakota: Listening to stories and helping tribal leaders develop a shared vision and priorities for more effective grant-writing to improve their community.

Columbus, Ohio: Back with this awesome team for the second annual Cybersecurity Days capturing best practices, campus innovations, and life hacks for more security online. Here’s my capture of Jerod Brennan’s excellent talk on protecting our digital identities.

West of Fort Collins: Elk hunting for a few days. Unfortunately, we didn’t get one this year, but it never ceases to fill me with gratitude and awe for these animals and wild places. I appreciate that my clients understand when I disconnect, and thank you all for your patience with slower-than-usual response times over the past two weeks between hunting and graphic recording work!

The Biggest Mistake I See Conference Planners Make and How You Can Avoid It

How many times have you signed up for a conference and been psyched for the opportunity to network with other people in your field, thought leaders, and share ideas on the future together…Only to find yourself slipping out early because your brain is full and you don’t want to sit through another panel presentation?

As a graphic recorder, I get to attend events across sectors, from federal agencies to corporate events and everything in between. And working with the event planning team ahead of time, I know how much work goes into pulling off an event of any size, and how deeply those event planners care about the success of the meeting.

And YET…I still see this mistake over and over again. Even if the planning conversations seek to avoid it.

What’s the biggest missed opportunity I see?

Not planning enough time for people to actually CONNECT with one another face-to-face and have the time to WORK on solving a problem together.

Let’s think about it. If you’re hosting an event, you’ve spent heaps of money on doing it right. You’ve brought important, smart people together into the same room…think of what the time of every individual in the room is worth taking a day away from other work to be there!

So, how can you make the most of their time? How can you work to move the field or think of a new solution or build deeper relationships with this group?

It’s tempting to stick with the status quo of panel after panel of people sharing top ideas. And there’s certainly a time and a place for that. I challenge you to think outside the box, and schedule in more time than you think you might want for interactive processes that will leave your participants feeling heard, energized, enthusiastic about their contributions, and creatively fueled by the end!

Ready to work with a graphic facilitator to create a process your participants won’t forget?

Once again, thank you from my heart and soul for your support, great senses of humor, brilliant minds, collaboration and what you're each doing to make the world a better place.


Cheers,

Where in the World is ConverSketch?

Fort Worth, Texas

With an eyecare corporation building relationships and co-creating a strategic path forward. So, what is strategy you ask? These pups can tell you!

Loveland, Colorado

Sharing tips and trick for visual communication with teachers at Bill Reed Middle School!

The Art of Reimagining the Report Out

Workshops with breakouts mean unending report outs, right? Maybe not!

Here are three tips I learned this summer at IFVP from Anthony Weeks on ways to ensure stellar report-backs that can be visually captured for useful synthesis and follow-up:

-          ONE Big Idea: Each group can ONLY share one big idea (it’s okay to share the same thing as another group)

-          Once Upon A Time: Ask each group to create a story arc of their idea to engage the audience

-          The Pitch: Each group gets a short time – one minute or less -- to persuade the rest of the group their ideas are best. Bonus: Offer prizes!

Over the report back? Here are a few other ways to approach visual capture of group work:

-          Visual templates for every group to work through and share, or post for a gallery walk.

-          Experience Walls: Pre-built walls with visuals and key questions that participants can interact with on breaks or built into the agenda.

-          Ask the graphic recorder to focus on creating one illustration summarizing the full day.

If you’re not reporting back but want everyone to hear the main story of what’s evolving, it’s important to still build in time or a strategy for the entire group to hear what others are speaking about. You can invite your graphic recorder to walk the entire group through a quick summary of what they captured.

Once again, thank you from my heart and soul for your support, great senses of humor, brilliant minds, collaboration and what you're each doing to make the world a better place.

Cheers,

Where in the World is ConverSketch?

Middlebury, Vermont: With the Institute for Ecological Civilization partnering with citizens in Vermont to support them as they co-created a vision across urban and rural communities in the state.

Chautauqua at Boulder, Colorado: As a participant/recorder with a group of leaders in the systems thinking sharing tools, building relationships, and deepening a network of practitioners working for social good from carbon neutrality to housing to equity and justice.

In the Studio: Filming the latest Drawing Connections video for the National Park Service, and a video for a team of cross-boundary wildfire and social scientists at the Rocky Mountain Research Station!

What’s Best for Your Event – A Graphic Summary or Chart for Every Session?

Often graphic recorders come prepared to capture every session in detail. However, sometimes we can be of greater service to the group by producing a single summary illustration of the high-level content of the entire day.

How do you decide which is the best approach for you? Here are a few ideas based on how I’ve partnered with clients to create the best outcomes for their specific needs.

Capturing in more detail is helpful when:

-          It’s important to capture many different perspectives and viewpoints to show all voices are heard and/or begin drafting a map of the landscape the group is working in.

-          Part of the event will be knowledge downloads, and part of the event will be tapping the wisdom of the room to address a challenge or problem. Having the information presented posted around as charts helps participants build on and remember what was shared as they develop solutions and next steps.

-          There are juicy keynotes or panels you want to capture and post as a gallery during and after the event to maintain momentum and inspire action with the group.

-          Groups will be taking ideas from plenary and developing them further in breakouts and need details to work with.

One chart for one hour of content from a panel — this was one of many graphics created over the day.

A summary graphic can be more useful if:

-          You’ve got concurrent sessions and only one graphic recorder. I often work with clients to design processes for staff or participants to capture key ideas and help me integrate them into the summary.

-          There is small group work without reporting back every time.

-          You want a slightly more polished piece to share during and after the event in reports, etc.

-          The content is sensitive but capturing the overall process and high-level ideas is valuable for participants. Sensing and holding the energy in the room is important for the process. I become part of the container for the group to move through their path, and the graphic summary can also hold that energy.

An example of a two day summary of back-to-back presentations for Houston Methodist Neuroregeneration Summit.

There are many ways to leverage a graphic recorder to best support your group. I love working with my clients leading up to the event to make sure the graphics are tailored to your needs and help move you toward your goals.

And sometimes, this is a “yes, and” situation – it’s important to capture content from each session, then after the event, I’ll work with clients to co-create a visual summary of the key messages to share moving forward.

Have an event coming up? Let’s connect and brainstorm the best ways to leverage visuals for lasting impact and engagement!

Once again, thank you from my heart and soul for your support, great senses of humor, brilliant minds, collaboration and what you're each doing to make the world a better place.

Cheers,

Where in the World is ConverSketch?

Denver, CO: For the closing session of Regis University’s Orientation Forum. New students reflected on a day experiencing different parts of the Denver community, and shared what kind of community THEY wanted to create together over the next year…and beyond!

Washington, DC: With the Democracy Fund to begin creating a systems map of our country’s democracy. It was complex, challenging, thought-provoking, and the hearts and minds of the people in the room are extraordinary! And another example of a summary of content from the entire day.

Newest Watercolor Video is…Heat Illness: Fun for everyone, right? Here’s a video from the National Park Service on how to safely prepare for fun outdoors even in the heat of the summer.