Do you ever wish that meetings were more productive and fun?
Do you sometimes feel people losing sight of the 'big picture' or the purpose of the meeting?
The good news is that there is a way for meetings to lead to more innovation and action. Visual meetings keep the 'Big Picture' in the room and get everyone 'on the same page'... literally!
How does it work? Visual meetings use a combination of text and graphics portrayed on large charts. The charts are created on large sheets of paper, either during the meeting or in advance.
Custom Charts - These are created before a meeting, training, or retreat. The information that will be discussed in the session is represented graphically, and a smaller take-away version is given to the meeting participants. People are able to 'see' what you are talking about and they are thrilled that they get to take a mini-chart back to their offices.
Graphic Recording / Visual Meeting Notes - Visual meeting notes are created as the meeting progresses by a graphic recorder. The recorder creates a graphic summary of the key information coming from the group. Graphic recorders are not active participants in the discussion, rather attentive bystanders capturing the important points of the discussion.
Graphic Facilitation - This involves structured facilitation in combination with graphic recording. In this process, the graphic charts are co-created by the group and the facilitator, or team of facilitator and recorders.
Why Visual Meetings?
Here are some of the ways that Visual Meetings can help you and your organization:
1. Engagement and Participation - People are fascinated by graphic charts. They want to be involved in the interactive graphics process, and they remain engaged because they can 'see' that they are being heard.
2. Comprehension and Clarity - Over 88% of people are visual or kinesthetic learners. Graphic charts facilitate big picture thinking by allowing people to see patterns, make connections, and map ideas. This increases understanding of concepts and directions.
3. Individual and Group Memory - When people are engaged with the key information in a way that they can easily understand, retention, followthrough and productivity are also increased. The chart serves as a memory aid after the meeting, making it easy to share the main ideas with others who were not in attendance.
4. Innovation and Creativity - Visual meetings get the creative juices flowing. Innovative solutions emerge as people access their imaginations and visualize new ways for projects to succeed.
5. Save Time and Minutes - The need for traditional meeting minutes is reduced because the visual meeting notes become part of the record. Visual Meetings can also reduce meeting time.
When are Visual Meetings useful?
Visual Meetings are useful in almost every industry, and are commonly integrated into the following types of sessions:
- Visioning Retreats
- Leadership and Teambuilding Workshops
- Strategic Planning Meetings
- Brainstorming Sessions
- Focus Groups
- Keynote Presentations
- Marketing / Branding Meetings
- Professional / Personal Development Events
- Training Curriculum Design
- Conferences
Energize your meetings and transform your organization! Contact us to see the power of graphics in action at your next event.