"But how do you know what to capture?"
It's one of the most common questions I get asked about graphic recording. People watch me work and wonder: How do I decide what goes on the wall and what doesn't? How do I know which moment matters?
The answer? I'm listening at different levels.
Kelvy Bird, a thought leader and author of Generative Scribing: A Social Art of the 21st Century, teaches about listening lenses through her four levels of scribing. Each level corresponds to a different way of listening:
Level 1: writing down what people say word-for-word
Level 2: listening for facts and connections
Level 3: empathic listening that picks up on emotional undercurrents
Level 4: what she calls "generative listening" - tuning into the emerging potential in the room
These listening lenses are a foundational part of my work and core to how I approach supporting you before, during, and even after an event.
Sometimes a meeting needs Level One or Two—accurate data capture, clear facts, who said what when. Those lightning-fast conversations where we need to track the complex information as it flies by to refer to or build on in the future. Other times, though, something deeper is happening. The container has been created for deeper work. There's an energy shift in the room. Someone says something that makes everyone lean forward. A theme that's been circling finally lands. That's when I move into those deeper levels of listening.
Here's what I've learned over the years: my body tells me what level we're in before my mind catches up. If I'm feeling impatient or confused, that's information. If I notice everyone has gone quiet, that's a signal. The room has its own wisdom, and part of my job is to sense it.
Kelvy describes this beautifully: "The less you can hold, the faster you have to go. The more you can hold, the more you can slow down." When I'm newer to a topic or a group's culture, I'm drawing fast, trying to keep up. But when I can hold the complexity—the multiple threads, the undercurrents, the patterns—I have the patience and confidence wait for the right moment to capture what matters.
But here's something important: this listening work really starts before the meeting even begins. Having a clear understanding of your goals for the event help me begin thinking about what might best serve the group through imagery, layout, and amount of detail.
This is why I always arrive early to your meetings. I'm not just setting up paper and testing markers. I'm tuning in. What's the container we're creating together? What's does the space feel like? Sometimes I'll sit with a blank wall for a while before anyone speaks, sensing what is emerging.
And here's the thing: I get it wrong sometimes. I capture something that turns out to be a side trail, or I miss a nuance in the moment. But that's part of the practice too. The drawing isn't meant to be a perfect court transcript. It's meant to reflect back the essence of what's happening so the group can see their own thinking, feel their own energy, and move forward together.
When someone asks me how I know what to draw, what I'm really hearing is: "Can I trust you to see what matters?"
And my answer is yes. Because I'm not just listening with my ears, I'm listening with my whole being, attuned to the field of energy and connection in the room, to what's said and unsaid, to what wants to become visible.
That's the gift of this work. We get to help groups see themselves.
Thank you for your collaboration, humor, and what you do to make the world a better place.
Cheers,
Where in the World is ConverSketch?
Denver, CO: Supporting a community listening session focused on how health care providers and organizations can better support communities with access to fewer health resources with the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.
In the Studio: Working on the next installment of the Individualized Education Programs video series, focused on transition plans once students graduate high school. Here’s a still from the storyboard, the final video will be published soon!
