YOU Can Prevent Your Coworkers from Becoming Zoom Zombies!

Alright folks, time for some real talk.

We’re likely all experiencing the mixed blessing that is remote video meeting platforms. I mean, according to the company, Zoom’s daily users grew to more than 200 million in March from a previous maximum total of 10 million!

Here’s a personal example: One of my friends who happens to be a bosswoman told me she had 34 meetings scheduled last week. That’s pretty much 7 meetings a day for 5 days!

Let’s let that sink in.

On top of the other stresses each of us is figuring out how to navigate (I’m looking at you, Uncertainty!), all of a sudden, our days are filled with video calls which are exhausting. Tell me they’re less exhausting than a normal meeting. Go on.

Jocelyn K. Glei frames a solution in a simple mindset shift: If we think of the time in our calendar that is scheduled as the productive time, we find our calendars filled up with meetings and calls. HOWEVER, to do the creative, meaningful work we want to, we must preserve time outside of meetings. She calls this applying white space to the calendar. And here’s my take on how to practice inviting in white space in various ways.

White Space in Your Calendar to Get Stuff Done: Simple in concept, difficult in practice.

So, what tools do we have to create space and help us avoid Meeting Overload, and these days, Zoom Zombiedom? In classic facilitator fashion, have I got some questions for you!

Here are 3 questions to ask yourself to help you decide if you REALLY do need a meeting:

• Is there a key person I can call to have this conversation/make a decision instead of holding a meeting?

• Does the meeting have clear goals? If not, create them or don’t have it! Clear goals allows for more action, and more time between follow-up meetings.

• Do your goals require real-time conversation to achieve? What other tools could you use to share or receive the same information?

And for those of you who have cancelled or rescheduled a larger event, here are some process questions(from So You Want to Host a Web Meeting to help your planning team make the best decision about whether to take your event online.

Larger Event (or smaller one too if you’

• The meeting is important to the work, life, and interests of the people interested. We know this because ______. (Give evidence. Is it important because it’s mission critical? Because someone in charge said so? Be specific and concrete! Take participants’ perspectives into account)

• By the end of the meeting we (conveners and participants) will have ______. (Describe what will have happened in as much detail as possible, using STRONG action verbs - “heard” is not one!)

• The reasons this meeting should be held online is ______. (Probably because of COVID-19. Be clear why it is a good or not so good option.)

• If we didn’t have this meeting, _______ will happen. (If there isn’t a good reason for the meeting, don’t have it!)

My final bonus recommendation for those meetings you DO decide are absolutely necessary: Take pauses regularly to breathe, even if it’s just for 30 seconds.

Once again, thank you from my heart and soul for your support, great senses of humor, brilliant minds, collaboration and what you're each doing to make the world a better place.

Cheers,

Where in the World is ConverSketch? At home! I hope you are too :)

This digital real-time graphic is from Arizona State University’s Public Service Academy’s Virtual Design Conference last week. Leadership shared how the program prepares the next generation of public service professionals for real-world solution seeking.

I’m partnering with USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) on a series of virtual meetings leading up to an in-person event. This diverse team of researchers is co-creating a vision for agricultural water resources for the next 30 years.

I got to collaborate with the US Fish and Wildlife Service in February on their social science summit, and the folks I worked with liked my Work From Home tips so much, they asked to share them on their internal site! Can you spot the ConverSketches above?

If you’re also finding yourself on more video calls than ever before and need a way to keep participants focused and anchored to their shared story, let’s explore how to leverage digital graphic recording or remote facilitation for you!

How to Manage Uncertainty and Adapt on the Fly: Five Remote Meeting Strategies You Can Implement Today

How are you all doing? I hope this email finds you and your loved ones safe, healthy, and making time for a few deep breaths. Be gentle with yourselves, have as much fun as you can, and let me know if there’s anything I can do to help you as we navigate this wild time.

Speaking of wild, it’s hard to imagine that a month ago, I was at the third annual ShapingEDU Unconference at Arizona State University. We all know how rapidly the COVID situation has been evolving, and though we had initially expected over 200 invite-only participants to join us at ASU, around 50 folks made it in person with many more joining remotely from around the world.

Karina graphic recording in person at Arizona State University - ShapingEDU Day 1

However, after first full day the organizing team made some difficult decisions. Ultimately, they decided to shift to a fully remote meeting for the final half day of the Unconference.  

That’s right: On Thursday the Unconference was blended in-person and online, and on Friday morning, all participants were fully remote. Without missing a beat, this remarkable group kept co-creating together – we weren’t going to lose the opportunity!

Screen sharing in Zoom, graphic recording on my iPad (behind my shoulder) - ShapingEDU Day 2

So, what made it possible for this group to pivot and adapt so quickly? How can your team learn from ShapingEDU?

Here are five observations as to what enabled this agile Unconference to remain successful despite unprecedented hurdles, that you can learn from and implement today!

1. The group was already used to blended learning – we meet regularly for webinars throughout the year between Unconferences to keep the work going.

   What you can do: Take some time to make sure your people are comfortable with the platform you’re using and make support accessible. Practice often!

2. We had a killer tech team supporting the whole event – streaming multiple cameras to Zoom, using mics so remote participants could hear, and a team of people monitoring the chat and Slack channels to answer questions and help with technical issues.

   What you can do: Have someone designated to help you run your remote meeting and be clear on expectations and roles for the two of you. Who will guide the conversation? Keep time? Monitor the chat? Even if it’s just you, think about how you can set expectations and build in time during the call to check on the chat, answer questions, and provide support.

3. Organizers communicated changes clearly and transparently – they were swift to share updates and how to continue participating. They leveraged multiple avenues for sharing how and when to stay involved, and kept it simple.

   What you can do: Have templates prepared ahead of time for various scenarios that might emerge. Post language for different outlets in a Google Doc that’s shared so your team all has the same info, and have a plan for who will make sure it’s shared where.

4. Graphic facilitation was leveraged in-person and remotely to provide continuity and engagement – at ASU, we created towers with boards on-site and live-streamed visuals to remote participants, and when we moved remotely, we shifted to screen sharing digitally created graphic notes. Watching the literal shape of the report outs emerge kept participants interested and helps catch people back up on the most important ideas, even if they do need to step away for a bit.

   What you can do: Partner with a graphic recorder before your remote meeting to brainstorm ways to leverage visuals to minimize the temptation of multi-tasking, keep track of many ideas, and build a shared picture of the conversation.

5. There was continuity throughout and after the Unconference -- from live to online sessions to continuing to work remotely between Unconferences, the ShapingEDU team knows that the visuals provide a solid foundation for building on ideas over time. They were sure to make the most of the graphics created during the Unconference in a follow up email (see below) with a clear call to action for next steps sparked memories and kept the community engaged even afterwards.

   What you can do: Create a communication strategy with a clear summary of the event and next steps for action from participants. Work with your graphic recorder so you’ve got visually engaging content that helps transport participants back to the ideas shared during the meeting, and carries the key ideas forward.

The follow up email after ShapingEDU 2020.

While meeting online often means lowering expectations for what is doable, you don’t have to sacrifice everything. Let’s explore how to leverage digital graphic recording or remote facilitation for you!

Once again, thank you from my heart and soul for your support, great senses of humor, brilliant minds, collaboration and what you're each doing to make the world a better place.

Cheers,

Where in the World is ConverSketch?

Staying Home Even though live events have been cancelled for the next few weeks, I’m always impressed with how my clients adapt and innovate on the fly, and I’ve been digital graphic recording live for remote meetings.

How Can I Use the Graphics After an Event? In January I supported the National Council for Science and the Environment (NCSE) during their annual conference in DC. They’ve just released the conference re-cap website packed with videos, Tweets, and highlighting interactive pieces of the conference. You can see how they wove in the graphics in multiple ways – here are the Sights and Sounds of NCSE, the Experience Wall in Engagement with Purpose, and a full Graphic Recording Gallery.

For another perspective on how ShapingEDU pivoted on the fly and a couple of shots of me working at ASU, you can read the one and only Paul Signorelli’s blog about it here.

Rooted in Green Practices: ConverSketch’s Sustainability Philosophy

Since I was a child, natural places have always been a core piece of who I am and what I value. It’s only natural (heh) that sustainability and environmentally-conscious decisions have permeated ConverSketch since it’s business childhood. Since the business was born while I was finishing my master’s degree in environmental communication focusing on climate change, I love that many of my clients are in the sustainability and natural resource field, with work that makes the world a better place.

So, I figured its high time I shared a few of the ways that I embody my value of sustainability in the work as a graphic recorder and facilitator. Workshops can be resource-intensive, and I’ve made some intentional choices about materials, medium, and travel to align with my values.

• Carbon Offsets: Each trip is calculated through Native Energy, a carbon offset company that’s approved of by the Sierra Club.

• Refillable Markers from Neuland mean I’ve had the same marker bodies since 2012 when ConverSketch began. You can even replace the tips to keep them fresh!

• Digital Graphic Recording: An option that means no paper products nor markers used – all drawings are captured via iPad and projected up on screens for participants to enjoy!

• Falconboard: Recyclable alternative to foam boards, these mean I can still provide “analog” graphic recording with markers and boards or responsibly-sourced paper.

• Reusable Wooden Stands (or Easels): To prop the boards up to be free-standing and easy to move.

• Everyday Lifestyle Choices: I always keep a set of reusable wooden utensils in my purse to avoid single-use plastic utensils, and when I can, I ride my bike to local meetings and events, as well as growing veggies in the summer and raising hens for fresh eggs. Boy, those birds are happy!

Want more tips on plastic-free living and good environmental news? Check out the wildly talented Sarah Uhl and sign up for her monthly newsletter for quality content!

Ready for some evergreen drawings to keep your ideas and planning sustainable long-term?

Once again, thank you from my heart and soul for your support, great senses of humor, brilliant minds, collaboration and what you're each doing to make the world a better place.

Cheers,

Where in the World is ConverSketch?

Fort Worth, Texas: At an eye care digital summit. We spent the week building relationships across a global team, clarifying goals, strategies, and how to differentiate in the market. Although I can’t share specific content, I was able to work in some sea life with extra-special vision.

Nail these 2020 Event Trends by Partnering with a Graphic Facilitator

Many of you amazing people know what it takes to put on an event, and I tip my hat to every single one of you!

When I read this list of trends for events in 2020 from top event planners, I couldn’t help but come back to how graphic facilitation fits and enhances almost every one!

For example, an Experience Wall where the graphic recorder is gathering stories and responses to key questions over the course of the event provides “Experiential, focused not only on traditional objectives such as education and networking, but also on making attendees part of the event and providing them with unique activities to participate in and share on social media.”

As a graphic facilitator partnering with my client to co-design processes for meetings, another trend matches: “Events will make greater use of non-traditional meeting formats, flexible seating arrangements and the innovative use of space, in order to provide more opportunities to connect and interact (not just “network”).”

One of my favorite things about making meetings visual is the deeper connections across seemingly different­­ people. This human hunger to find connection ripples through another trend that can be achieved through graphic recording -- “Greater diversity, building bridges between cultures and sparking new ideas.”

And of course, when leveraged to their full potential, graphics can provide “Value and content before, during, and after events”.

Are you making the most of your next event? Let’s brainstorm how to set yours above and beyond!

Once again, thank you from my heart and soul for your support, great senses of humor, brilliant minds, collaboration and what you're each doing to make the world a better place.

Cheers,

Where in the World is ConverSketch?

Washington, DC: With the National Council for Science and the Environment (NCSE) annual conference. Over 600 professionals working on using science to promote sound policy decision-making gathered and I got to work digitally AND create a massive Experience Wall based on participants’ ideas, synthesizing while everyone was in breakout sessions.

A digital graphic recording of a panel on diversity and climate change from NCSE 2020

Where is YOUR Team’s Energy Going? One Way to Clarify for Sure.

Have you ever thought about something, then a few days or weeks later, that little thought has popped up in your life as a reality?

It’s such a treat to experience “energy flows where attention goes” -- in my personal life, and with groups using the graphics I create with them.

The visuals serve as focal points for groups to make connections or build shared agreement, illuminate a previously murky story, and reflect on their experiences together. They can also become “professional vision boards” for the organization to keep what’s most important front-of-mind among the complex systems they’re working in, for the coming weeks, months, even years.

It’s delightful to notice when thoughts seem to bring things to life, and for me it’s important to take time to appreciate them. Paying attention and offering gratitude is one of my favorite ways to stay centered, especially in the crazy times (cough, holidaze anyone? Click that link for some strategies to take it on with style and grace).

This week, as folks across the US take time to practice gratitude, I’d like to say I’m SO appreciative for you, my readers! Even if we haven’t met in person, you matter to me and I put my energy into these missives because you’re worth it! So, here’s a favorite from a few Novembers past – let’s draw turkeys!

Looking for ways to focus your team’s attention on what matters most?

Once again, thank you from my heart and soul for your partnership, great senses of humor, brilliant minds, collaboration and what you're each doing to make the world a better place.

Cheers,

Where in the World is ConverSketch?

I’m on vacation this week! Thanks in advance for slower than usual response times. Here’s what’s been happening in November:

Denver, Colorado: For the second annual Water in the West Symposium. Professionals across the food, environment, and municipal landscape discussed solutions to the challenges around water in the high desert.

Scottsdale, Arizona: With an executive leadership team. While I can’t share what I captured, here’s a digital welcome illustration I created for the first morning.

Denver, Colorado (again): To graphic record a visioning and relationship-building workshop for the Housing Innovation Alliance Live Round Table. The Alliance brought stakeholders together and designed a conversation-based day to ideate around the concept of creating Attainable Housing for All.

Albuquerque, New Mexico: When the office is the children’s science museum, you know it’s going to be a great day. Explora Museum brought me in to capture hands-on presentations about how to integrate STEAM (science, technology, engineering, ARTS, and math) into early childhood education!

The CSU Powerhouse: Graphic facilitating for leaders in Colorado’s hydrogen energy development. The group shared the state of the science and explored Colorado’s potential to lead the path toward massive decarbonization by using hydrogen.

In the Studio: Working on several studio illustration projects. Here’s a snapshot of a digital illustration for the team at IPBES to bring the words and details of their capacity-building strategy to life!

Many Groups, One Facilitator? Here’s How to Guarantee Great Breakout Notes

Hey folks! I’m writing you from Central Washington. I’m here to graphic record for a workshop convened by a team of wildfire researchers I’ve been creating a series of videos for – I’m hoping this deep dive with stakeholders in the community leads to some interesting dimensions in the final video of their series!

There will be several breakout sessions, so to support the groups visually, I worked with the facilitation team to develop a series of templates to fill in. Here’s where they really shine:

• They keep the visual aesthetic of the entire meeting similar – everything is custom and hand-drawn.

• When each group has the same key questions to answer, we ensure that the information shared back to the group is focused and at the right level of detail to move the group toward meeting goals.

You don’t have to be a master painter to create a useful template – check out these other examples from graphic facilitation clients I’ve created recently.

Want to guarantee the notes from your next breakout group are top notch?

Once again, thank you from my heart and soul for your support, great senses of humor, brilliant minds, collaboration and what you're each doing to make the world a better place.

Cheers,

Where in the World is ConverSketch?

Wenatchee, Washington: Working with US Forest Service wildfire researchers, social scientists, and local fire stakeholders to share findings and ensure research is providing useful and actionable information for local practitioners.

Fort Collins, Colorado: Graphically facilitating a retreat for the City Natural Areas citizen advisory board focused on visioning for the future. Here’s a template individuals filled out then shared with partners.



Chicago, Illinois: For some professional development to improve my digital graphic recording skills to broaden the remote services I can provide and enrich in-person digital work. Here’s a photo of some street art I played with during an exercise in the course. I HIGHLY recommend Raquel’s workshops!

The Biggest Mistake I See Conference Planners Make and How You Can Avoid It

How many times have you signed up for a conference and been psyched for the opportunity to network with other people in your field, thought leaders, and share ideas on the future together…Only to find yourself slipping out early because your brain is full and you don’t want to sit through another panel presentation?

As a graphic recorder, I get to attend events across sectors, from federal agencies to corporate events and everything in between. And working with the event planning team ahead of time, I know how much work goes into pulling off an event of any size, and how deeply those event planners care about the success of the meeting.

And YET…I still see this mistake over and over again. Even if the planning conversations seek to avoid it.

What’s the biggest missed opportunity I see?

Not planning enough time for people to actually CONNECT with one another face-to-face and have the time to WORK on solving a problem together.

Let’s think about it. If you’re hosting an event, you’ve spent heaps of money on doing it right. You’ve brought important, smart people together into the same room…think of what the time of every individual in the room is worth taking a day away from other work to be there!

So, how can you make the most of their time? How can you work to move the field or think of a new solution or build deeper relationships with this group?

It’s tempting to stick with the status quo of panel after panel of people sharing top ideas. And there’s certainly a time and a place for that. I challenge you to think outside the box, and schedule in more time than you think you might want for interactive processes that will leave your participants feeling heard, energized, enthusiastic about their contributions, and creatively fueled by the end!

Ready to work with a graphic facilitator to create a process your participants won’t forget?

Once again, thank you from my heart and soul for your support, great senses of humor, brilliant minds, collaboration and what you're each doing to make the world a better place.


Cheers,

Where in the World is ConverSketch?

Fort Worth, Texas

With an eyecare corporation building relationships and co-creating a strategic path forward. So, what is strategy you ask? These pups can tell you!

Loveland, Colorado

Sharing tips and trick for visual communication with teachers at Bill Reed Middle School!

The Art of Reimagining the Report Out

Workshops with breakouts mean unending report outs, right? Maybe not!

Here are three tips I learned this summer at IFVP from Anthony Weeks on ways to ensure stellar report-backs that can be visually captured for useful synthesis and follow-up:

-          ONE Big Idea: Each group can ONLY share one big idea (it’s okay to share the same thing as another group)

-          Once Upon A Time: Ask each group to create a story arc of their idea to engage the audience

-          The Pitch: Each group gets a short time – one minute or less -- to persuade the rest of the group their ideas are best. Bonus: Offer prizes!

Over the report back? Here are a few other ways to approach visual capture of group work:

-          Visual templates for every group to work through and share, or post for a gallery walk.

-          Experience Walls: Pre-built walls with visuals and key questions that participants can interact with on breaks or built into the agenda.

-          Ask the graphic recorder to focus on creating one illustration summarizing the full day.

If you’re not reporting back but want everyone to hear the main story of what’s evolving, it’s important to still build in time or a strategy for the entire group to hear what others are speaking about. You can invite your graphic recorder to walk the entire group through a quick summary of what they captured.

Once again, thank you from my heart and soul for your support, great senses of humor, brilliant minds, collaboration and what you're each doing to make the world a better place.

Cheers,

Where in the World is ConverSketch?

Middlebury, Vermont: With the Institute for Ecological Civilization partnering with citizens in Vermont to support them as they co-created a vision across urban and rural communities in the state.

Chautauqua at Boulder, Colorado: As a participant/recorder with a group of leaders in the systems thinking sharing tools, building relationships, and deepening a network of practitioners working for social good from carbon neutrality to housing to equity and justice.

In the Studio: Filming the latest Drawing Connections video for the National Park Service, and a video for a team of cross-boundary wildfire and social scientists at the Rocky Mountain Research Station!

Tales from New Jersey: Where the Field of Graphic Recording is Headed and How I’m Showing Up PART 1

Where do you find yourself thinking “I’m so at home right now, I feel surrounded by my people!”?

Last week I had the pleasure of getting to connect with MY people at the International Forum of Visual Practitioners (IFVP) conference. This year was special for me because I was selected to present a workshop session (more on that later) and got to shake up a few mental models about myself and the field.

Over the next few weeks, I want to share some key takeaways of where I see the field of visual practitioners going and how that is shaping my practice!

So this week, the first thought to actions shift I want to share is…

We are MORE than fun artists to liven up an event (although that’s part of what we do)!

As graphic recorders, we can provide value from the very first conversation by offering digital visual notes of a scoping or planning call to help our clients see their thoughts more clearly. This simultaneously shows how visual capture provides value in a tangible and relevant sample.

Better yet, attending a pitch or scoping meeting and providing live graphic recording to show even the most skeptical and budget-conscious decision-makers how powerful visualizing the conversation can be! This also serves to show how the facilitator you’re partnering with is different and more effective than the average bear.

The deeper mental model shift here for me is that as a graphic recorder, I have VALUABLE EXPERTISE and a UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE that can help my clients, and it’s MY RESPONSIBILITY to step up and share what’s possible when working together.

If this is a client’s first time working with a graphic recorder, they may not know all the dimensions and ways we can tailor our work to best support their group…unless we help them see what’s possible!

I also choose to show up as a Thought Partner for the facilitators and clients I work with by asking key questions like “What does success look like?” and “Why are you interested in having a graphic recorder at your event?” so I can listen and capture content that will best serve the needs of the group. And I provide a custom list of suggestions tailored to each client to help them continue to leverage the charts after the meeting to provide longer-term value beyond the event itself.

Looking for a visual thought partner for your next event? Let’s connect.

Once again, thank you from my heart and soul for your support, great senses of humor, brilliant minds, collaboration and what you're each doing to make the world a better place.

Cheers,

Where in the World is ConverSketch?

Montclair State University: Attending this year’s International Forum of Visual Practitioners conference!

Here’s a shot of me capturing a session for the inspiring change-maker Sita Magnuson (photo courtesy of the one and only Emily Jane Steinberg).

A stunning digital capture by Raquel Benmergui done during the session I gave on email marketing for our industry, where explaining what we do and why it’s valuable can be a challenge!

Crossing the Divide – How to Find Common Ground Among Diverse Perspectives

Whether it’s national politics or internal to your organization, we all hear stories about polarized viewpoints, and the challenge of working across silos.

At the same time, we know that diversity is not only healthy, but also builds resilience when things don’t go as planned.

So how do you harness the inherent tension that bringing diverse perspectives, and potentially combative ones, together to build a strong, shared path forward?

Here are four suggestions for finding common ground from my experience as a graphic facilitator:

-          Create space for context setting and relationship building. Often overlooked or dismissed as “wasting time”, building in time at the beginning of the event, as well as throughout, to clearly outline the “why” of the meeting and for participants to get to know one another allows for more ease when conversations get difficult.

-          Put more time than you think into developing questions to surface shared values, such as “What is important about the work we do?” can provide a window into the group. Having a few open-ended questions like “What should we do about __________?” provide space for participants to surface concerns or solutions the planning team might have missed, but are integral to moving forward successfully.

-          Build in less structured time. This is another piece that often feels like a “waste” of time, but is vitally important to cultivating trust and creativity. This is especially true if much of the agenda will be presentations or panels – you’ve invested in bringing all these important people together to work toward a goal, now give them the freedom to use those brains and hearts to do the work!

-          Draw it out with the intent of surfacing shared ground. Graphic facilitation or recording is a tool to leverage to literally show the group where they’re in agreement. Partnering with a graphic facilitator who can work with you to listen and capture through a particular “lens” to help surface shared values or tensions helps the group keep track of complex, moving parts to build a shared picture of what’s important.

Have you been looking for common ground on an issue? Click that button to explore how we can leverage visual tools for lasting success.

Once again, thank you from my heart and soul for your support, great senses of humor, brilliant minds, collaboration and what you're each doing to make the world a better place.

Cheers,

Where in the World is ConverSketch?

The Colorado Front Range: Working with a public health team and their partners as they evaluate an assessment to use the data to support the community, and hospital managers to think more deeply about building trust in their teams.

In the Studio: Painting up another explainer video for the US Forest Service’s Rocky Mountain Research Station (RMRS). This video will be available in October, but for now, here’s another look at a video created for the RMRS last year.