Chaos Clarified: Visualizing Systems Cycles

As I was floating in a river canyon last week, thinking those sorts of nebulous thoughts, a memory clicked into place while gazing at the ancient stone and water around us. 

Way back in 2018 (that was at least 15 years ago, right?), I partnered with the Environmental Defense Fund and Colorado State University to graphic record a series of systems thinking workshops looking at pollinator habitat in midwestern agricultural lands. Over several months, this thoughtful team took a deep dive into systems thinking and I visually mapped out the process and ideas as we went. 

With so many moving parts, mental models, things we can/cannot control, emotions, perspectives, and information to sort through, it felt overwhelming to make decisions or know what we could do to make a positive change.

As we leaned into the systems thinking tools, we began to practice and see how they were one way to help us clarify complexity, map out relationships, and illuminate patterns or points of leverage that had previously gone unrecognized.

So, this last week as I was wondering why it felt like so many complex and difficult things are colliding right now in my country, and why the heck can’t we think long-term and collaboratively to solve problems, a sketch from 2018 popped into my mind: 

This drawing shows the time cycles of different elements of the pollinator/ag system we were mapping, and how each element’s cycle is quite different than the others. 

For example – our political cycle is four years, while many ecological cycles are much longer (100+ years). And the agricultural cycle is much shorter – just one year. So, if each of these cycles is driven by a different time constraint, the patterns of misalignment start to become clear. And the motivation to create policy or strategies that wouldn’t come to fruition until 10, 20, 100 years later…those are less persuasive in an election year. 

Systems mapping also created a framework to being understanding where changes could be made, and where ripple effects might begin. 

I love this question from Hugh McLeod: Where can the smallest change make the biggest difference?

So, in times where challenges seem enormous, pick up a pencil and make a few marks – you might be surprised at what becomes clear and where YOU can make a difference.

I am delighted to get to share some Very Exciting News!

When I first found out about graphic recording back in 2010, I took a training in the Bay Area which shaped how I approach the work and gave me a strong foundation to build my practice on. Since then, I’ve had the delight to become friends with one of the instructors, Emily Shepard of The Graphic Distillery. Em is kind, funny, compassionate, extremely talented, and an exceptional teacher. 

Why am I telling you all this? Because she just launched her new online course, Draw It Out! If you’ve ever wondered if YOU could take better visual notes or become a graphic recorder, this is your moment. She created this course to help equip people with tools to better understand each other and communicate more easily. Check out her course overview and outcomes here!*

And if you want a MASSIVE discount of $100 off, be sure to register before Friday, October 9th at 8 pm Pacific using the code birdflightdio. 

This is an affiliate link, so if you register I get a kickback because that’s how Emily rolls. For the record, I’d promote the sh*t out of this class regardless because she’s amazing.

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 Virtual World is ConverSketch?

Children with Medical Complexity: In the last of a series of virtual reflections with universities and health campuses across the country, the graphics summarize lessons learned, accomplishments, and where these teams can focus in the future to support families and children in their health.

On Trails and the River: We snuck out for a small rafting trip in Western Colorado/Eastern Utah last week. Here’s a plein air watercolor I sketched at camp one evening. Spending time in nature fuels my creativity and soul, and I am feeling particularly privileged to have access to public lands, equipment, and time away. 

Water Research Vision 2050: Phase one of this project is also coming to a close this fall, and we are gearing up for the final Writing Workshop later this month to refine a framework for the Agricultural Research Service’s vision for water research in the coming decades.

My Favorite Ways to Harvest Ideas

It’s high summer, which means making the most of long days, and heaps of veggies coming from the garden. This weekend we hung garlic to dry, shelled peas, and stemmed gooseberries to freeze for making jam later.

Sometimes I look around and realize I’ve completely missed harvesting something before it’s gotten too old or overripe (How did all the cilantro bolt already?).

The same can happen in meetings or conferences – raise your hand if you’ve ever been on a call which was supposed to be interactive, then with 10 minutes left, the speakers finally relinquish the floor and you only have a few minutes to try to work together?

Without intention, the time can fly by without truly making the most of the opportunity to cross-pollinate ideas together.

Working with my clients as a virtual graphic facilitator, I delight in partnering together to harvest ideas, show systems, and create shared understanding for deeper, more effective, and long-lasting work.

Here are a handful of my favorite ways to harvest ideas in virtual meetings:

• Using the “rename” function to include first name and one-word response to a warm-up question such as “How are you feeling right now?” to “One word we should to carry forward from this meeting”

• Creating a visual template to guide report outs and upload to a shared platform for future use

• A facilitated go-round where each person shares their response to a prompt, giving air time to everyone

• Using a Google Doc template with tables and visuals to work synchronously and include more detailed notes

• Have everyone write down a word or phrase on a sticky note or paper on their desk and hold it up to the camera – then take a screen shot! These images can be incorporated into a report or summary web page

• Working with a graphic recorder or facilitator to synthesize key ideas and energy into a visual summary

What are your favorite ways to harvest ideas in virtual spaces?

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 Virtual World is ConverSketch?

Wild places are a blessing I am privileged to experience and enjoy – our trip on the Middle Fork of the Salmon was one for the books – here’s a watercolor I painted one evening while waiting for dinner.

Preparing for ShapingEDU’s Learning(Hu)Man -- a virtual hands-on summer “camp” for dreamers, doers, and drivers in higher education focusing on best practices in learning design, edtech tools and development, and the art of the possible to support students’ success.

Wrapping up a studio project for my local county department of health and environment I can’t quite reveal yet…stay tuned!

Toward Equity in Meetings: Making Space to Include All Voices

These past weeks have been a time to sink in to the discomfort of learning, listening, reflecting on the systems of oppression that many of us are reexamining and questioning.

As graphic facilitators, we are in a position of power to design a process that helps our groups move toward their goals and work more cohesively as a team. We have an opportunity to design ways of understanding one another and to create spaces in which different ideas are valued and disagreements can happen in a safe and healthy way.

This can be especially complex to do authentically in a virtual space, so here are some strategies to create space for all the voices in (and outside of) the room.

Before designing the process, ask questions like who will be there? Is English a second language for anyone? Are there different cultures (workplace or other) that should be considered when designing? For example, how does staying on time resonate with different groups attending? Is it rude to run over time, or rude to cut off a respected speaker before they’re finished?

Create opportunities for different ways to process information -- time for people to write or sketch ideas before speaking, or working in pairs.

Do a Circle Check In – call on each person so they each have an opportunity to speak.

Co-create Group Agreements to share the air: Three Before Me is a new favorite that indicates everyone should wait until at least 3 others have spoken before they speak again – to create space for others to speak.

Ask yourselves “Who isn’t here that should be?” What might they say? Challenge the group to think outside of who’s present to seek inclusive paths forward.

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,

Let’s design a process together for your team.

Where in the Virtual World is ConverSketch?

Heads Up! I’ll be on the river June 28-July 7 and will not have access to phone or internet during that time. Thanks for your patience and I’ll look forward to connecting with you before or after.

Children with Medical Complexity: In the first of a series of virtual reflections with universities and health campuses across the country, the graphics will capture lessons learned, accomplishments, and where these teams can focus in the future to support families and children in their health.

New Hand Painted Video: Castillo de San Marcos in St. Augustine, Florida is in danger from sea level rise. The newest Drawing Connections video for the National Park Service will focus on the colorful history and what millions of tiny shells can teach us about resilience. You can see the other videos we’ve created here.

Education NC: Supporting Teachers in North Carolina in the Time of COVID as they move through a design thinking sprint process this summer to think holistically about how to support their students and families in remote learning situations.

Look Like A Pro in Your Next Remote Meeting with This Undercover Tool

You know when you think you’ve got a good hold on a tool? You’re proficient and use it all the time, feeling pretty good, then BAM! Someone shows you a simple trick that makes it WAY better! Like Instagram filters or no-knead bread.

Well, this week I had the pleasure of learning from Brian Tarallo and Lauren Green of Lizard Brain and they showed me with style and wit that I was missing out on the major potential of one little tool and what it can do for online collaboration: Google Docs.

Here’s what I love about Google Docs:

• This tool is free.

• It’s easy to use! If you know how to use Word, you know how to use it.

• With a great workshop or meeting design, Docs supports highly interactive, relationship-building, actionable meetings.

Here are three take-aways I’m putting into action with my Google Docs right away:

Use Format tools to make navigation easy. Using headers for each section so participants can click on the navigation bar on the left and be able to quickly find and jump to any section. Set the background color to make tables and other images pop out.

Use Add-Ons. Not into drawing but into visuals? Check out the Noun Project for icons and Pixabay for stunning photos. Having trouble staying on time? Use the Meeting Timer to herd your cats and keep things moving. Want to quickly pull themes from text? Try Word Cloud Generator – drop it in and ask for reactions from your group.

No Google Account? No Problem! When sharing your Doc with the group, click “Get Sharable Link” and be sure to set access to “Anyone with the link can edit” -- no need to create an account to join!

Bonus tip: Send people the link ahead of time and ask them to spend 15 minutes familiarizing themselves. That way, you can all jump right in during the meeting!

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 Virtual World is ConverSketch?

Graphic recording for ARS and the Water Research vision for agriculture and sustainability. This is the third remote collaboration workshop we’ve held with over 40 researchers tuning in from all over the country to co-create the future!

Visual coaching and vision mapping with a local start-up focused on facilitating access to local, healthy food that supports equity and disrupts the current industrial food system. Front Range locals, ping me to learn more!

You and your team deserve to make the most of your time. Let’s talk about designing a meeting or workshop that leaves you energized and clear on how to continue moving forward!

What's It Like to Work with a Remote Graphic Recorder?

Okay, so you’ve decided you want to partner with a remote graphic recorder for your online meeting. Does that mean you’ve signed yourself up for hours of extra prep and planning? The answer is a big, tall glass of “nope”!

Here’s a look at how easy it is to bring in a remote scribe.

The short version:

Send me your agenda, and I’ll prepare as needed. You research mycelium? I figure out how to draw mycelium. You lead an innovation team? I sketch ideas for how to visualize the intangible ideas.

Then I hop on the meeting platform about 20 minutes early to test screen sharing, and make sure we’re on the same page about transitions. You do your thing, I do mine, and you get a gorgeous summary of key content to share and leverage moving forward!

The more complex version:

If we’re collaborating on a series of meetings or a longer event, there’s typically at least two planning calls per meeting where we get clear about purpose, how the visuals will best serve your goals, and brainstorm creative ways to leverage the visuals.

Do you want to create a cohesive brand around a series of meetings and the visual outputs? Let’s design it!

Will custom templates support breakout groups’ discussions and facilitate a concise and focused report back? Let’s make them!

How will visuals be shared and used long-term? Let’s design a communication strategy to keep participants involved!

In addition, there’s often 1-2 hours of practicing tech and transitions before the event to make sure everything runs smoothly, and we have backup plans if Murphy’s Law strikes.

After an event, it’s also really useful to do a 15 minute debrief with the core planning team and make sure next steps and who’s responsible are clear, as well as how visuals will be shared and if there’s any follow-up drawing that needs to happen to achieve your goals.

What do you get in return? Here’s what Deborah Gilburg said this week:

“Karina is creating a lot of opportunity for people to think differently by creating these drawings.”

This is our time to think differently! To create opportunities for what we believe in, and to let go of what’s not serving us.

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 Digital World is ConverSketch?

Infrastructure Masons’ Global Member Summit: Industry leaders focused on sustainability and innovation in the world of data centers. I was honored to capture the keynotes with Kate Brandt; Chief Sustainability Officer at Google, and Noelle Walsh; Chief Sustainability Officer at Microsoft. Hearing their visions, backed by action, intelligent teams, and big hearts reinvigorated my hope for our planet’s future!

ShapingEDU: Applying AI to the Student Debt Crisis. This launch introduced the grassroots approach to leveraging AI to solve massively complex problems like convincing policymakers the need for solar infrastructure in Nigeria, and now focusing on student debt. Anyone is invited to join this global AI hackathon until June 30th!

YOU Can Prevent Your Coworkers from Becoming Zoom Zombies!

Alright folks, time for some real talk.

We’re likely all experiencing the mixed blessing that is remote video meeting platforms. I mean, according to the company, Zoom’s daily users grew to more than 200 million in March from a previous maximum total of 10 million!

Here’s a personal example: One of my friends who happens to be a bosswoman told me she had 34 meetings scheduled last week. That’s pretty much 7 meetings a day for 5 days!

Let’s let that sink in.

On top of the other stresses each of us is figuring out how to navigate (I’m looking at you, Uncertainty!), all of a sudden, our days are filled with video calls which are exhausting. Tell me they’re less exhausting than a normal meeting. Go on.

Jocelyn K. Glei frames a solution in a simple mindset shift: If we think of the time in our calendar that is scheduled as the productive time, we find our calendars filled up with meetings and calls. HOWEVER, to do the creative, meaningful work we want to, we must preserve time outside of meetings. She calls this applying white space to the calendar. And here’s my take on how to practice inviting in white space in various ways.

White Space in Your Calendar to Get Stuff Done: Simple in concept, difficult in practice.

So, what tools do we have to create space and help us avoid Meeting Overload, and these days, Zoom Zombiedom? In classic facilitator fashion, have I got some questions for you!

Here are 3 questions to ask yourself to help you decide if you REALLY do need a meeting:

• Is there a key person I can call to have this conversation/make a decision instead of holding a meeting?

• Does the meeting have clear goals? If not, create them or don’t have it! Clear goals allows for more action, and more time between follow-up meetings.

• Do your goals require real-time conversation to achieve? What other tools could you use to share or receive the same information?

And for those of you who have cancelled or rescheduled a larger event, here are some process questions(from So You Want to Host a Web Meeting to help your planning team make the best decision about whether to take your event online.

Larger Event (or smaller one too if you’

• The meeting is important to the work, life, and interests of the people interested. We know this because ______. (Give evidence. Is it important because it’s mission critical? Because someone in charge said so? Be specific and concrete! Take participants’ perspectives into account)

• By the end of the meeting we (conveners and participants) will have ______. (Describe what will have happened in as much detail as possible, using STRONG action verbs - “heard” is not one!)

• The reasons this meeting should be held online is ______. (Probably because of COVID-19. Be clear why it is a good or not so good option.)

• If we didn’t have this meeting, _______ will happen. (If there isn’t a good reason for the meeting, don’t have it!)

My final bonus recommendation for those meetings you DO decide are absolutely necessary: Take pauses regularly to breathe, even if it’s just for 30 seconds.

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? At home! I hope you are too :)

This digital real-time graphic is from Arizona State University’s Public Service Academy’s Virtual Design Conference last week. Leadership shared how the program prepares the next generation of public service professionals for real-world solution seeking.

I’m partnering with USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) on a series of virtual meetings leading up to an in-person event. This diverse team of researchers is co-creating a vision for agricultural water resources for the next 30 years.

I got to collaborate with the US Fish and Wildlife Service in February on their social science summit, and the folks I worked with liked my Work From Home tips so much, they asked to share them on their internal site! Can you spot the ConverSketches above?

If you’re also finding yourself on more video calls than ever before and need a way to keep participants focused and anchored to their shared story, let’s explore how to leverage digital graphic recording or remote facilitation for you!

How to Manage Uncertainty and Adapt on the Fly: Five Remote Meeting Strategies You Can Implement Today

How are you all doing? I hope this email finds you and your loved ones safe, healthy, and making time for a few deep breaths. Be gentle with yourselves, have as much fun as you can, and let me know if there’s anything I can do to help you as we navigate this wild time.

Speaking of wild, it’s hard to imagine that a month ago, I was at the third annual ShapingEDU Unconference at Arizona State University. We all know how rapidly the COVID situation has been evolving, and though we had initially expected over 200 invite-only participants to join us at ASU, around 50 folks made it in person with many more joining remotely from around the world.

Karina graphic recording in person at Arizona State University - ShapingEDU Day 1

However, after first full day the organizing team made some difficult decisions. Ultimately, they decided to shift to a fully remote meeting for the final half day of the Unconference.  

That’s right: On Thursday the Unconference was blended in-person and online, and on Friday morning, all participants were fully remote. Without missing a beat, this remarkable group kept co-creating together – we weren’t going to lose the opportunity!

Screen sharing in Zoom, graphic recording on my iPad (behind my shoulder) - ShapingEDU Day 2

So, what made it possible for this group to pivot and adapt so quickly? How can your team learn from ShapingEDU?

Here are five observations as to what enabled this agile Unconference to remain successful despite unprecedented hurdles, that you can learn from and implement today!

1. The group was already used to blended learning – we meet regularly for webinars throughout the year between Unconferences to keep the work going.

   What you can do: Take some time to make sure your people are comfortable with the platform you’re using and make support accessible. Practice often!

2. We had a killer tech team supporting the whole event – streaming multiple cameras to Zoom, using mics so remote participants could hear, and a team of people monitoring the chat and Slack channels to answer questions and help with technical issues.

   What you can do: Have someone designated to help you run your remote meeting and be clear on expectations and roles for the two of you. Who will guide the conversation? Keep time? Monitor the chat? Even if it’s just you, think about how you can set expectations and build in time during the call to check on the chat, answer questions, and provide support.

3. Organizers communicated changes clearly and transparently – they were swift to share updates and how to continue participating. They leveraged multiple avenues for sharing how and when to stay involved, and kept it simple.

   What you can do: Have templates prepared ahead of time for various scenarios that might emerge. Post language for different outlets in a Google Doc that’s shared so your team all has the same info, and have a plan for who will make sure it’s shared where.

4. Graphic facilitation was leveraged in-person and remotely to provide continuity and engagement – at ASU, we created towers with boards on-site and live-streamed visuals to remote participants, and when we moved remotely, we shifted to screen sharing digitally created graphic notes. Watching the literal shape of the report outs emerge kept participants interested and helps catch people back up on the most important ideas, even if they do need to step away for a bit.

   What you can do: Partner with a graphic recorder before your remote meeting to brainstorm ways to leverage visuals to minimize the temptation of multi-tasking, keep track of many ideas, and build a shared picture of the conversation.

5. There was continuity throughout and after the Unconference -- from live to online sessions to continuing to work remotely between Unconferences, the ShapingEDU team knows that the visuals provide a solid foundation for building on ideas over time. They were sure to make the most of the graphics created during the Unconference in a follow up email (see below) with a clear call to action for next steps sparked memories and kept the community engaged even afterwards.

   What you can do: Create a communication strategy with a clear summary of the event and next steps for action from participants. Work with your graphic recorder so you’ve got visually engaging content that helps transport participants back to the ideas shared during the meeting, and carries the key ideas forward.

The follow up email after ShapingEDU 2020.

While meeting online often means lowering expectations for what is doable, you don’t have to sacrifice everything. Let’s explore how to leverage digital graphic recording or remote facilitation for you!

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?

Staying Home Even though live events have been cancelled for the next few weeks, I’m always impressed with how my clients adapt and innovate on the fly, and I’ve been digital graphic recording live for remote meetings.

How Can I Use the Graphics After an Event? In January I supported the National Council for Science and the Environment (NCSE) during their annual conference in DC. They’ve just released the conference re-cap website packed with videos, Tweets, and highlighting interactive pieces of the conference. You can see how they wove in the graphics in multiple ways – here are the Sights and Sounds of NCSE, the Experience Wall in Engagement with Purpose, and a full Graphic Recording Gallery.

For another perspective on how ShapingEDU pivoted on the fly and a couple of shots of me working at ASU, you can read the one and only Paul Signorelli’s blog about it here.

5 Surprising Ways to Partner with a GR to Create Ripples of Impact Before, During and After Your Event

One of the things I love about partnering with you, my stunning clients, is helping create customized experiences at events beyond visual notes. Here are some ideas for how to make the most out of working with your graphic recorder before, during, and after your next event!

Prior to the Event

Take some time to talk with your graphic recorder about ways to brand the event. While I DO NOT consider myself a logo designer, I do enjoy creating fun sketches that can be used for name tags and posters. A few new ideas I co-developed with the Fish and Wildlife Service last week included printing the sketch on the covers of notebooks, as well as the Powerpoint template for the event. AND T-SHIRTS!

You can also work with your graphic recorder to design custom illustrated worksheets for participants. These are especially useful in breakouts, or as an accountability tool for everyone to walk away with.

During the Event

If your graphic recorder is comfortable, make the most of their unique perspective by having them walk the group through the graphics they’ve created. I love doing this at the end of each day, or just before a final synthesis session so everyone refreshes themselves on the massive amount of work done, key ideas, and can use the charts as references to build on. V important - ask them ahead of time so they are mentally prepared to do this well!

Even better, co-present WITH your graphic recorder – last week one of the core team members developed a beautiful PowerPoint summary of their key takeaways while participants were in breakout groups. We tag-teamed walking the group through my charts each sharing themes we observed, and the participants got to soak in our different perspectives (and wacky humor) to reflect and build on the ideas.

Post Event

Ask your graphic recorder how you might continue leveraging the work they created moving forward. This might include simply sharing the digitized charts with participants, or could be a thoughtful follow-up email or social media campaign.

Another excellent add-on service is a summary illustration to distill the work into a communication tool that leadership or participants can share with people who didn’t attend, share online, and use in future meetings to spark memories of key ideas.

Are you ready to partner with a graphic recorder to make your event extra special?

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?

Shepherdstown, WV: With the US Fish and Wildlife Service at the National Conservation Training Center creating a strategy to support their conservation work with effective social science. With a master’s degree in environmental communication, it was fun to have a deep understanding of content and connection with participants.

Minneapolis, MN: With chiropractors at Northwestern Health Sciences University’s Homecoming event. Not only did I learn about the history and future of chiropractic, I also got to graphic record in the Sea Life Aquarium next to the stingrays!

Loveland, CO: At Bill Reed Middle School infusing visual notes into classrooms! These 8th Graders rocked at visualizing the Bill of Rights!

Where is YOUR Team’s Energy Going? One Way to Clarify for Sure.

Have you ever thought about something, then a few days or weeks later, that little thought has popped up in your life as a reality?

It’s such a treat to experience “energy flows where attention goes” -- in my personal life, and with groups using the graphics I create with them.

The visuals serve as focal points for groups to make connections or build shared agreement, illuminate a previously murky story, and reflect on their experiences together. They can also become “professional vision boards” for the organization to keep what’s most important front-of-mind among the complex systems they’re working in, for the coming weeks, months, even years.

It’s delightful to notice when thoughts seem to bring things to life, and for me it’s important to take time to appreciate them. Paying attention and offering gratitude is one of my favorite ways to stay centered, especially in the crazy times (cough, holidaze anyone? Click that link for some strategies to take it on with style and grace).

This week, as folks across the US take time to practice gratitude, I’d like to say I’m SO appreciative for you, my readers! Even if we haven’t met in person, you matter to me and I put my energy into these missives because you’re worth it! So, here’s a favorite from a few Novembers past – let’s draw turkeys!

Looking for ways to focus your team’s attention on what matters most?

Once again, thank you from my heart and soul for your partnership, 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?

I’m on vacation this week! Thanks in advance for slower than usual response times. Here’s what’s been happening in November:

Denver, Colorado: For the second annual Water in the West Symposium. Professionals across the food, environment, and municipal landscape discussed solutions to the challenges around water in the high desert.

Scottsdale, Arizona: With an executive leadership team. While I can’t share what I captured, here’s a digital welcome illustration I created for the first morning.

Denver, Colorado (again): To graphic record a visioning and relationship-building workshop for the Housing Innovation Alliance Live Round Table. The Alliance brought stakeholders together and designed a conversation-based day to ideate around the concept of creating Attainable Housing for All.

Albuquerque, New Mexico: When the office is the children’s science museum, you know it’s going to be a great day. Explora Museum brought me in to capture hands-on presentations about how to integrate STEAM (science, technology, engineering, ARTS, and math) into early childhood education!

The CSU Powerhouse: Graphic facilitating for leaders in Colorado’s hydrogen energy development. The group shared the state of the science and explored Colorado’s potential to lead the path toward massive decarbonization by using hydrogen.

In the Studio: Working on several studio illustration projects. Here’s a snapshot of a digital illustration for the team at IPBES to bring the words and details of their capacity-building strategy to life!

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!