I have been following a visual communication course for a couple of weeks and I realized that drawing really transformed my way of working. I started seeing processes and data literally in front of my eyes and I started to say less but draw more.
Last week I applied drawing for the first time for a team struggling with a project planning. So i took a flip-over and started to ask questions. By setting the end and start date I asked the team to name the last phase and roughly the lenght of it. I continued doing so, adding milestones, presentation moments etc. People started adding new ideas so rapidly! At last I dtrated to plot actions to take (the ? marks) and even names. I did not even take the time to make it nice and ready to be reported officially which is my next step. How come this simple way of working aligned the team and resulted in a planning in such a high speed?
1, drawing visualizes the whole proces and as we know a picture says much more than words. So people all see the whole thing in front of them.
2, it simplyfies. You leave complex terms and unnecessary terminology behind. You focus on the essence. So its much easier not to forget important steps.
3, it involves the entire team. Its “our”plan instead of the managers’ etc.
4, it is really fun. It engages colleagues to laugh if you draw something ugly.
5, it is super interactive. Corrections and valuable discussions happen instantly.
It might seem simple but definitely worth to try and experience how it changes your team proces.