Making magic from post-its
As Visual Practitioners it’s our job to serve groups and individuals by helping them to organise, synthesise and make thoughts visible.
In this case here in Madrid we were visualising group work related to the company values. The staff was divided into smaller groups, each one with a facilitator who supported the brainstorming sessions. This is actually one of the more common situations where we help companies reach sustainable results.
Step one
The groups elaborate on the company’s core values and what they mean both internally and externally. The output is first documented into post-it notes.
Step two
The facilitators gather the post-it notes and hand them over to us by the visual wall.
Step three
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We synthesise the content from the post-its into clear concepts, using visual metaphors and supporting text. This work is usually done with extreme time-constraints. Imagine processing 100 post-its in 30 minutes.
Luckily for us, in this case, the groups went for lunch after the group work which allowed us to put the final touches on the visual wall.
The staff and managers later met up in the cafeteria to view the results and it will remain as a collective memory made by the entire company. It was indeed a strategic place to organise the visual wall, as it’s a space for people to have lunch, enjoy a coffee or simply hang out and reflect.
Clear output by visualising in big
Everyone’s thoughts are summarised into one common artwork. It inspires reflection and helps people to remember what was said during the day. Ultimately, it’s a great way to encourage commitment.
And here comes today’s tip by Headmaster Toni Arribas: Post-its are useful when used in the right way.
Use a post-it to synthesise your thoughts by using one or a very few words. It’s easy to misuse a post-it by writing a small essay on it instead. A little bit like smashing lots of text on to a PowerPoint slide. It does take an extra effort from the person writing on it to think more and synthesise. But it’s good practice on your way to make magic.
/Mina & Toni
Mina Legnered — Founder & Enabler mina@simplydrawitbig.com 0046735012155
Toni Arribas — Live Scriber & Headmaster Visual Viking Academy toni@simplydrawitbig.com 0034652762219
