NEW ONLINE COURSE – next cohort starts June 30th
Secrets of Simple Graphics
Communicate with impact using the power of hand drawn visuals.
A six week online course for trainers, facilitators and presenters
‘I would highly recommend Emer’s 6 week virtual simple graphics course. I’ve wanted to do this for a while but could never make the face-face days – this format enabled me to take part in a way that fitted around my other commitments. Emer is a superb facilitator, and takes you through a clearly structured process, whilst really building your confidence and courage to draw and to then share your drawings. I thoroughly enjoyed it and am now finding myself finding opportunities to use graphics whenever I can!’
Let’s take this online!
Secrets of Simple Graphics has been running successfully as open course in Edinburgh for the past five years. The world is changing, and we’re changing with it.
I’m excited to now be able to offer you Secrets of Simple Graphics *Brand New* Online Course!
Easy Access
Tune in from the comfort of your own home.
A greener way to travel 🙂
Brain Friendly
Learn in bite sized chunks.
Time to consider and practice between sessions.
Training for Life
All sessions are recorded so you can review what you’ve learned at any point
No problem if you can’t make a live session.
Hi, I'm Emer
Before I discovered the beauty of simple graphics and visual thinking I used to spend ages online sourcing images for my PowerPoint presentations only for a percentage of the audience to switch off and request the slides to read later.
I knew there had to a be a better, simpler, more impactful way to get my message across. I heard about terms such as graphic facilitation and visual thinking but assumed that these tools were for people who were ‘naturally’ artistic and creative.
I discovered the power of simple graphics when when I trained in Person Centred Planning and suddenly the penny dropped.
Here’s what skills in simple graphics can do for you…
(and the people you work with)
Communicate your ideas with clarity, saving time and avoiding confusion.
Tune in to your creativity – develop personally AND professionally
Bring fun, light and energy into your life.
STAND OUT as the go-to presenter, trainer, faciliator in your niche
Create long lasting impact
Enhance participation and engagement in your workshops and trainings
Connect and build rapport with your audience – hand drawn visuals communicate individuality and humanity
Make learning experiences more memorable and brain friendly for your learners
Make your workshops more lively, interesting and engaging.
Help people to reach a consensus and ‘get on the same page’.
DID YOU KNOW?
- Over 87% of people are visual thinkers
- Images are remembered 60,000 times faster than text
- Research by Stanford University shows that hand drawn presentations score higher than PowerPoint for engagement, enjoyment, credibility, recall and persuasive impact.
Here’s what’s included…
6 x 60 minute content rich LIVE webinars
Every Tuesday 10am UK GMT starting April 7th
Weekly tasks to keep you on track
Private online group to share ideas, ask questions and learn from one another.
Session 1 – June 30th
- Opening Circle – Setting the Scene
- Gathering round the fire – Graphic Storytelling demo and practice
- Starting Points – Belief Scale
Session 2 – July 7th
- The Visual Thinking Landscape
- Graphic Faciliation, Visual Facilitation, Graphic Recording – differences and definitions
- Competitive Advantages of hand drawn graphics
- Your Custom Action Plan
Session 3 – July 14th
- The Building Blocks of Graphics – A deep dive into lettering, icons, bullet points, text containers and more.
- Learn step by step and follow along with me.
Session 4 – July 21st
- Colour palettes and nailing your style
- Visual Formats and Layouts
- The One Pager – creating high level information, balancing text and visuals
Session 5 – July 28th
- Taking it Digital
- Creating graphics on the iPad
- Using the whiteboard function on Zoom
Session 6 – August 4th
- Developing your training toolkit – icebreakers, session ideas and more
- Q &A and Closing Circle
What people say about Secrets of Simple Graphics…
Maggie Newton, Red Clematis Coaching Services Ltd
I’ve just completed Emer’s first online ‘Secrets of Simple Graphics’ course which I thoroughly enjoyed and learnt so much from. Emer is a very calm and engaging facilitator and made everyone feel at ease. I would thoroughly recommend working with her.
Fiona Dee, Midlothian Council
This workshop was fun, engaging and built confidence in my abilities to facilitate groups using graphics. I started the day convinced I couldn’t draw, but using the techniques, hint and tips Emer gave throughout the day I am now raring to go and run a session!
Kathleen McLoughlin, The Improvement Service
Graphic Facilitation is a very engaging way to work with groups of people in a workshop or meeting setting. Emer O’Leary is a fantastic trainer who is very passionate about this. The pace of training over two days was just right, covering basic Graphic Facilitation techniques. If you are considering Graphic Facilitation as an option I’d definitely recommend Emer as a trainer
Eimear Stassin, Standard Life
Fun, energetic, well-paced, interactive with much supportive learning, Emer’s practical workshop has inspired me to unashamedly introduce graphics to my workshops. Emer gently challenged and cajoled the lively group to try it out for ourselves and experiment with drawing and colouring techniques. I also enjoyed taking away the Mindful Focus on Palm exercise which I have used with delegates since Emer’s workshop.
Andrea Mosey, RBS
Emer is great to work with. She has been delivering [Secrets of Simple Graphics] training for PBB Transformation since September 2015. This training involves the use of hand drawn graphics for facilitation and presentation purposes. We had identified a strong need to equip team members with new and innovative ways of communicating and presenting their work. Emer designed a course to perfectly meet these requirements. I would not hesitate to recommend Emer’s services for organisations seeking to explore visual ways of working.
Jane Mason, Fife Council
Emer’s training is really good and has inspired staff to look at things differently in meetings and development sessions. We are using graphic facilitation with schools and nurseries to engage staff and parents in improvement planning and when developing visions and aims. The graphic displays help to make it accessible to parents and young people and provides opportunities for the work to be added to in the future to record progress. It has helped us to move on from a ‘death by Powerpoint’ culture!
Sarah Taylor, Edinburgh Council
Thanks so much for a fantastic workshop – never has time flown so much on a training course before from having so much fun! All the exercises were really enjoyable and were a great way to try out using graphics and cartoons. I came away from the day with a lot more confidence for doing graphic facilitation and I am looking forward to putting my new skills into practice in the workplace.
Jenny Inglis, VIE
Thank you for a really fun course, packed with tips. It was really well structured to enable participants of varying confidence to start or develop their visual practice. Now I’m using graphics much more fluently and frequently; on notes to myself, training materials, and everything in between.
Ryan MacKay, Youth Citadel
The most fun I have had at a training event in as long as I can remember. Not only that, I took away skills and activities that I could actively introduce into my presentations and group workwith both young and older people. Highly recommended for anyone looking to make their flip charts that bit more exciting!
Andonella Thomson, Director at Kingscavil Consulting
Just finished a 6 week visual graphics course online and it was fab! Thoroughly enjoyable, taking me way beyond my comfort zone and learnt loads. Great facilitator, talented lady and was encouraging every step of the way. I’ll look forward to using my new skills. Met some great people too – what a way to network. Thanks a million.
Heather Ballantine, Owner at Be the Bestest Ltd
I just wanted to say a HUGE thanks for the fabulous course you put together. The content, delivery style and learning experience were all just spot on and I have learned so much from the whole experience. Your wonderfully calm and relaxing pace, set a fabulous ‘tone’ to the sessions, and I feel I have learned a lesson there, for myself, that I will definitely be putting into practice once we are allowed to deliver sessions back in workplaces.’
Christine Morrison, CMA Training (UK) Ltd
I just completed my second course with Emer (this time the six-week online ‘Secrets of Simple Graphics) and it was equally fabulous. Emer is warm and friendly with a calm and engaging facilitation style. I met some great people too and it felt like a group of friends meeting up and learning something brilliant together. The structure and content were excellent. The online delivery (Zoom) worked so well and there was plenty of time to practise between sessions. I would love to take part in a follow-on course
Absolutely anybody can build the skills to learn simple graphics.
No experience is required.
Getting together with a diverse range of people, ideas, learning in a creative environment is so valuable. It creates an energy you can’t get from a book!
The training is inclusive, interactive and fun.
By the end of the course you will:
- Look forward to trying out your new skills at the earliest opportunity
- Feel confident about creating your own graphics
- Understand how to use graphics in a variety of contexts
- Have loads of ideas for your next presentation, meeting or workshop
- Be hooked on the joys of working visually
- Develop new ways to express your work and thoughts
- Impress your colleagues and associates with your new skills!
Book Your Place Today
*Early Bird Price*
increases to £309 on June 23rd
One place on the Secrets of Secret Graphics online course starting 30th June 2020.
FAQ
Q. Do I have to be able to draw to go on the course?
Absolutely not! Don’t worry if you haven’t drawn anything for years, or believe you can’t draw. You’re in exactly the right place to build your confidence and practice step-by-step in a safe environment.
‘You don’t need to draw to do the course – it is totally true. At the start of the day no-one wanted to do anything on a flipchart but by 4pm the pens were not for being put down! Really useful tips and tools for using in work‘
Audrey MacNeill, Administrator | Kinharvie Institute
‘I started the day convinced I couldn’t draw, but using the techniques, hint and tips Emer gave throughout the day I am now raring to go and run a session!’
Fiona Dee, Organisational Development Business Partner | Midlothian Council
Q. Is there any pre-course work?
No. If you have specific questions about how to apply graphics to your work do bring these on the day.
Q. Do I need to bring anything?
All materials are supplied on the day. All you need to bring is an open mind.
Q. Will I have to draw in front of other people?
Exercises are varied and include working alone, working in pairs and working in groups. If you don’t feel comfortable about engaging in any element of the course that’s no problem at all. As with anything new there is often an element of stepping out of your comfort zone. My intention is to support people to learn in a safe environment, not to coerce people into doing something that makes them feel uncomfortable!
‘A great course! Despite my initial trepidation, I now feel more confident about using graphics with my clients. Emer’s patience and pragmatism meant that all of us on the course learned a lot, were able to practice in a safe environment and now have the tools and techniques to apply our learning back in the “real world”.’
Rachel Letby | Crail Consulting
Q. Is it about graphic facilitation or something else?
The course is an introduction to the different ways simple graphics can be used and includes: the advantages of graphics, the four main ways of using graphics (graphic facilitation is one of these main ways), building blocks of graphics. You will get lots of tips on how to create simple images quickly and will get the opportunity to practice your skills as you learn them. The final exercise involves creating a one page piece which you may use for presentations, training or simply to explain an aspect of your work.
Q. Will you be judging our drawings?
You can be assured I won’t be judging anything! As a group we will look at what we have produced and discuss its effectiveness and application in a work setting. It may help you to know I don’t have a background in art. On the course you’ll also learn how graphics differs from art (phew!).
Q. Is it just for trainers and facilitators?
No. We have had people from areas as diverse as law, marketing, interior design and counselling as well as trainers, facilitators, coaches, presenters. If you are in the business of communicating you will benefit from this personal development course.
‘The course was fantastic – really inspiring and instilled confidence that you can use graphics in your own workplace – no matter what your intended audience.’
Alison Marron, Solicitor | Scottish Legal Complaints Commission
‘Undoubtedly the most fun CPD course I have ever attended!’
Dr Nicky Imrie, Training Officer | Scotland’s Urban Past
Q. What about post-course support?
Following the course you can book a 45 minute 1:1 coaching call with me to further embed your learning and work on your personalised action plan.
Q. Where is the training held?
The training is held virtually using the Zoom platform. Join in online from the comfort of your own home! There will also be a private Facebook group where you can network with your fellow participants, share ideas, and upload weekly tasks.
Q. What is the cancellation policy?
Places cancelled are not entitled to a refund, however may be transferred to another person from the same organisation.