Blog
Case Study: Secrets of Simple Graphics Online with Emma Williams
We're speaking with Emma Williams, who attended the inaugural Secrets of Simple Graphics Online back in April 2020, to ask her a few questions about her experience. What motivated you to attend the training in the first place? What problems were you experiencing that...
Visual template: Self Soothing System
Originally shared via newsletter 18.03.20 And here we are. To begin please know you are in my thoughts. At no other time has a sense of community meant so much. I am grateful to you for being here and I hope you and yours are safe and well. I will continue to keep in...
Video: How to draw a symbol for icebreaker
Are you ready to break the ice? When facilitating or training I often use a form of icebreaker to ease people into learning. And whilst mention of term icebreaker can at times invite a rolling of the eyes, any occasion where I experimented with no icebreaker felt...
Why you don’t have to be good at drawing
You really don’t have to be good at drawing to be an excellent visual thinker and here are three reasons why: 1. First and foremost ‘good at drawing’ is a very subjective benchmark. It takes us down the slippery path of ‘What is art?’, the kind of question I left...
Sketchnote: The Growth Mindset
Recently I’ve found myself immersed in Carol Dweck’s book, ‘Mindset: Change the way you think to fulfil your potential.’. It was Dweck who came up with the notion of the growth mindset i.e. a way of thinking where you believe that you have the potential to learn how...
Video: How to draw a car for your parking sheet
Do you use Parking Sheets in your work? They are a great way to invite a pause when delivering a session and the content discussed is either: a. not linked to the session topic b. in too much detail to allow a proper discussion given the constraints of the agenda You...
Three Horizons: A Strategic Visioning Tool
I went along to the Facilitators' Network here in Edinburgh and learned about a strategic visioning tool called Three Horizons. It's a tool that allows us to imagine what an ideal future (H3) may look like. The following diagram gives us an opportunity to reflect on...
Case Study: Simple Graphics in the NHS
We're speaking with Nicola Roy, Learning and Development Technologist at NHS National Services Scotland, who attended Secrets of Simple Graphics back in April 2019. What motivated you to attend the training in the first place? What problems were you experiencing that...
How to build confidence in your drawing Part 2
In Part 1 of series this blog posts, I shared some tips around how to build confidence in your drawing, concluding with the importance of focusing on the process and not the outcome. Because this is such an important topic - lack of confidence stops people over and...
How to build confidence in your drawing Part 1
Feeling a bit wobbly when it comes to putting pen to paper? You’re not alone. If we don’t flex our visual thinking muscles on a regular basis we can easily lose confidence in drawing simple images. Perhaps you’ve been on a course or bought a book, all fired up with...