The Harvard Business Review published an article, "Vision Statement: Tired of PowerPoint? Try This Instead." highlighting the value of visual note taking both during and after conversation.
The goal: to help people make connections and better recall key points. “The artwork generated a tremendous amount of interaction.”
An esteemed colleague of mine said, "I want somebody who hasn’t been in the conversation to be able to look at something I’ve done and quickly digest the key points.”
Professor Martin Eppler of the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland has studied how well visual representations boost recall. He found that graphic recording trumps PowerPoint slides, particularly if people feel invested in the drawings. “You remember best what you’ve created yourself,” Eppler says. With PowerPoint, presenters make the slides in advance; it’s not interactive or participatory. With graphic recording, all participants actively contribute ideas to the image, so they feel that their hands are in it.
However, Eppler’s research suggests that software programs that let participants create their own visual representations—Let’s Focus or SmartDraw, for instance—may be more effective than a pricey artist’s handiwork. (Experienced professionals charge from up to $3,500 a day.)
“For me, the drawings are really a trigger,” says Nicole Polarek, associate director of organizational development. “I can look at the picture and remember the conversation.” Jason Dirks, Kraft’s director of training, says graphic recording keeps people interested and engaged on two levels. “You have this initial ‘wow’ factor while watching this person draw the image,” Dirks says, and afterward people can study the depiction more closely. “The artists are able to capture a lot of depth.”
Comments