Crackerjack Visual Thinking

Tag: Visualise

  • “An idea that remains trapped in your head serves no purpose” #visualthinking #communicate

    “An idea that remains trapped in your head serves no purpose” #visualthinking #communicate

    An idea that remains trapped in your head serves no purpose.

    The above is rather a blunt statement – but is intrinsically true.

    If you have a great idea but are not able to articulate it to others or implement it by yourself, then nothing will have been gained by having an idea that could have been the ‘next big thing’!

    That’s why helping people find ways of unlocking their thinking and then sharing this with others is so critical to all organisations.

    Unlock head

    In my experience, helping people visualise their thinking through sketches, diagrams and doodles (either by encouraging them to do this themselves or capturing their thinking for them) helps them focus their thinking, experiment more freely with their ideas and find ways to more easily explain their ideas to others.

    The creativity of the visualisation process adds a new dynamic and energy that cannot usually be achieved through simply talking about an idea.

    So, why not get your teams to visualise their thinking at your next team meeting and see what great ideas can be released from your teams heads!

    John

    To find out more about how Crackerjack can help you develop your ideas, please CONTACT US.

  • It’s a great time to #review your #achievements this year and #visualise what you will #achieve in #2018

    As we approach mid-November, the end of the year is looming into view rapidly. Before the Christmas period begins, it’s a great time to review what you and your team have achieved this year and also to think about what you want to achieve in 2018.

    Reviewing 2017…

    Graphic facilitation involvement

    A great way to review the year is to take a large sheet of paper (the bigger the better!) visually map your 2017 achievements against a timeline of the year. Use drawings/cartoons/doodles in addition to words to really bring this to life. Get everyone involved – remember it’s not about creating ‘art’ but it is about creating a way for everyone to see what they’ve achieved over the course of the year.

    Visualising 2018…

    Looking forward to 2018, why not ask your team to each create individual images showing what they think the team needs to achieve in the coming year. You can then compare these to look for similarities and differences – and drive a great conversation that will help really focus people’s mind on the year ahead. You could then get the team to work together to produce a finalised visual version of the plan for 2018. Display this on a wall when complete and regular review your progress against this during the coming year.

    Alternatively, feel free to contact us to help you create a rich picture (like those shown above) of your teams vision for 2018 (and beyond!).

    For support with any of the above ideas, please do CONTACT US. 

  • My #graphicrecording nearly made someone cry!!! #engage #communicate www.crackerjackvisualthinking.com

    Last week, as part of an event I was supporting, I was lucky enough to graphic record in real-time the inspirational career journey of a champion of diversity and equity in the NHS, Yvonne Coghill OBE.

    Her story was thought provoking and clearly highlighted how people can champion and enable diversity and equity for all. Clearly people were moved, challenged and energised by the story of her career journey.

    Afterwards, Yvonne came and had a look at the graphic recording I had created of her journey. Her response was one of amazement as she was able to review her career journey visually for the first time. She said she found it very emotional to see her journey mapped out on paper and almost felt like crying (in a good way I hasten to add!). She was also kind enough to Tweet about it after the event.

    yc-1

    yc-2

    She liked the graphic recording of her journey so much that she wants to use it in future presentations that she gives about her work and journey.

    For me, this once again highlighted the power of visualising information and the effect this can have on individuals (and in turn teams and organisations). Engagement is the shared goal of virtually all organisations and therefore I would encourage everyone to think about how visualising information in a way that stimulates and connects with people can help them in this goal.

    To explore how visual thinking can you engage the people in your organisation, please feel free to call 0775 282 6227 or contact us.

    John Ashton
    Crackerjack Visual Thinking

  • Crackerjack’s graphic recording featured on UN Women’s #HeForShe global website #engage #communicate #UnitedNations #graphicrecording

    We’ve just been informed that the graphic recording Crackerjack Visual Thinking created for the University of Leicester’s #HeForShe global ideathon is featured on the #HeForShe global website. View the article here.

    #HeForShe is a UN Women backed campaign developing solutions to ensure the safety of everyone on university campuses worldwide. The University of Leicester is one of 10 IMPACT universities worldwide supporting this campaign and the global ideathon was one element of the UN’s 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Based Violence campaign in November 2016.

    heforshe

    heforshe-nov-2016

    The graphic was created live during a 2 hour session. It’s great to see our work being used to visualise and communicate ideas as part of this important global campaign.

    If you would like to have your next event or conference captured visually using graphic recording, please contact us.

     

  • Don’t take our word for it! Read about a clients experience of work with Crackerjack Visual Thinking #communicate #engage

    Don’t take our word for it! Read about a clients experience of work with Crackerjack Visual Thinking #communicate #engage

    Here’s a link to a blog article by Andrew Scott (of Andrew Scott Training) describing how Crackerjack worked with him to provide graphic recording support during an Open Space session for the University of Newcastle he was facilitating:

    Open Space and Graphic Recording

    Here’s the completed graphic recording capturing the rich detail of the day:

    university-of-newcastle-hass-open-space-22nd-sept-2016-web2

    If you would like to discuss how we can provide graphic recording support and other services to help you in your work, please contact us, call +44 (0)775 282 6227 or visit www.crackerjackvisualthinking.com

  • We’ll soon be ‘revealing all’ about our busy summer here at Crackerjack! #visualthinking #communication #engagement

    We’ll soon be ‘revealing all’ about our busy summer here at Crackerjack! #visualthinking #communication #engagement

    Hope you all had a great summer!

    Whilst we’ve been able to fit a few holidays in over the summer, we’ve also been busy supporting clients  in a number of different ways. Whilst we can’t yet reveal everything we’ve been doing (client confidentiality, hence the blurred images below!), we can tell that we’ve doing lots including:

    • Creating a new interactive toolkit to help managers improve quality and care at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust. The toolkit is due to be launched in the next few days.

      screen-shot-2016-09-15-at-10-39-33

    • Graphic recording for number of clients including Northumbrian Water, National Trust and Oxford University Hospitals.

    • Delivering our first 1:1 Scribble Lab coaching programme for a client at EVHR Consulting.

    • Creating a rich picture detailing Solent NHS Trusts new strategic direction.

      Screen Shot 2016-09-15 at 10.26.13.png

    We’ll be revealing more details on this work over the next couple of weeks. In the meantime, why not visit www.crackerjackvisualthinking.com to find out more about our work. Alternatively, feel free to contact us to discuss your requirements in more detail.

     

  • Great client feedback for Crackerjack #visualthinking

    Crackerjack Visual Thinking is very pleased to be able to share this feedback received from Geraldine Walsh, President of the Institute of Asphalt Technology:

    “John of Crackerjack Visual Thinking was employed by the Institute of Asphalt Technology to create both a rich picture of our new vision and a graphic recording of our 50thanniversary conference. It is evident from the quality of his work that he has a true talent not only in terms of creating the actual artwork itself but also in terms of listening, understanding and interpreting our requirements. His work is outstanding on many levels. Never before have I received such positive commentary on any project.  Thank you John – it was a pleasure to work with you.”

    Here’s what we created for Geraldine:

    IAT Vision 2016 Small
    Institute of Asphalt 5 Year Vision Rich Picture
    Institute of Asphalt Technology Smaller
    Institute of Asphalt Technology 50th Anniversary Conference Graphic Recording

    To find out more about the work of Crackerjack Visual Thinking, please contact us or visit www.crackerjackvisualthinking.com

  • Sneaky Peak! #visualthinking

    Sneaky Peak! #visualthinking

    Just thought I’d share a few small elements of a much larger rich picture I’m creating for a client to help them communicate their new vision and engage their target audience in their work.

    Sneaky Peak-01 copy

    The staring point for the rich picture was a powerpoint presentation containing outline bullet points for each element of the new vision. I then worked with the client to really understand and explore the vision and identify the real-life impact this would have on their target audience.

    From this exploration I’ve been able to create a rich picture that visually shows how their vision will enable their target audience to make a real impact to the lives of the general public.

    I’m hoping to be able to share the whole graphic with you in June once it’s been launched at the organisations annual conference (where I’m also creating a live graphic recording of the key themes, thoughts and ideas emerging from the event).

    To find out more about our work, please visit www.crackerjackvisualthinking.com or contact us.

  • Now that’s a novel use for black insulation tape and a whiteboard! #visualthinking

    Just spotted this advert for a new TVR sports car which uses just black electrical insulation tape and a whiteboard to visualise a teaser image of the new car.

    Just shows that you don’t have to stick to pens and paper to communicate your ideas visually!

    For more ideas on how to visualise your ideas and drive communication in your organisation visit www.crackerjackvisualthinking.com or contact us.