Saragrafix

The first thing I do when I answer the phone is pick up a pen. Doodling helps me think. How about you?

The best part of my job is doing something I love with the most amazing people. Thank you for dancing with me Julie Rae Ringel!

A picture is worth a thousand words. This age old adage couldn’t be more relevant than in our visual world of today. We have grown up looking at screens as soon as we can sit up and push a button. We have hours of conversation using our eyes and fingers instead of our voices and ears. The popular mode of communication, in both our private and public lives, has evolved into one where visuals, meaning anything that we look at, not necessarily but most often on a screen, s...pread our messages. As a graphic recorder, I spend my time making sense out of people’s conversations, presentations and shared information by turning them into pictures. It’s not about the aesthetics of the images but how they serve the participants. In a group process three are basic goals we work to achieve, aside from the specific subject matter at hand. 1. CLARITY of information so all participants are on the same page 2. ENGAGEMENT so all participants participate and feel valued and connected 3. RETENTION so all participants can remember and share their story A drawing addresses all of these issues in one fell swoop. It clarifies by removing all the noise of multiple conversations or words in a document; it engages by activating multiple parts of the brain and it improves retention by creating visual persistence that embeds the image in the brain. John Medina, a developmental molecular biologist who studies how the brain works, believes that vision trumps all of the senses. When we hear information we remember only 10% three days later but when we add a picture, we remember 65%. Furthermore, studies on the impact of drawing on the brain are showing a significant improvement in recall when words are drawn rather than written. Can you imagine a children’s book without illustrations? As a toddler my daughter used to sit down with a book and tell the story by following the illustrations. She couldn’t yet read but by reading the pictures (clarity) she interacted with the story (engagement) and was able to retell it in her own way later (retention). Using visuals is not a new phenomenon, we’re just starting to maximize the power of them. Are you a presenter delivering a keynote? A leader committed to engaging your disjointed team? Are you challenged by internal logistics or getting ahead of today’s rapidly changing markets? Instead of endless discussions, try SEEing the big picture.

A graphic recorder's nightmare became reality last week. Day 1: Great clients who are thrilled with my work. End of day: Hang three charts and prep board with paper for the next day...the room looks great! Day 2: Walk into the ...empty room. Long story short, the cleaner threw everything out! Even the blank paper on the board...whattt?!?! Dumpster has already been emptied and no one took any pics. Wow...ok...calm the client...breathe...and carry on. Thank God for my meditatio...n practice! In the end, I recreated what I could and did without the non-essentials. Client was grateful for my calm solution-oriented demeanour. Me too. The moral of my story: ALWAYS TAKE PICS OF YOUR WORK AT THE END OF THE DAY! Even if it's just with your phone. Keep breathing and focus on what you CAN do. Your client will remember your energy as much as your skills. See more

Have you noticed that our lives are governed by cycles? Aside from the obvious ones like nature or history, our bodies, our relationships, our emotions and our careers all follow rhythms that inform all that we do. I have spent the last year regrouping, figuring out how to continue evolving after pouring all of my energy into graphic recording for the past ten years. Why do I need to change anything if I have a thriving business that I am good at and gives me pleasure? Am ...I crazy? I realized that I work on a ten year cycle, where a little voice begins to remind me that it’s time for a little push, to gather all the puzzle pieces and see what needs to be added. It’s important to recognize all of the skills required to do our jobs well, and where our strengths lie within that set. We generally are most successful at the tasks that use our strengths, as they come more naturally and engage us more fully. In the business world, these STRENGTHS are what define our VALUE PROPOSITION and help us navigate the endless paths open to us. Graphic recording is a gift as it requires me to tap into my strengths: creative, organized, intelligent, thoughtful, intuitive and focused. There are many graphic recorders who would say the same thing. I realize the strength that has buoyed me on every part of this journey and is core to who I am and all that I do is the way that I partner. I had a eureka moment last week when chatting with a facilitator whose work I admire. The more we shared our experiences and views with each other, the more we realized that we share the same values and work ethic. We got so excited with the possibilities of how to bring together the best of her facilitation skills and my visuals skills that we began to strategize on an integrated design for a couple of jobs. It wasn’t about her work or my work rather, what we could create together. In that moment, I realized that my next cycle is about PARTNERSHIP working with others in a wholly transparent way so that our personal goals are an integral part of our shared goals. Appreciating the value of each other’s contributions. Being part of a team that is fulfilled from a sense of DOING TOGETHER. How long are your cycles? Which of your strengths will you focus on as you map out the next steps of your journey? The more we understand ourselves, the more success we will enjoy in every part of our lives. Isn’t that what it’s all about?