Crackerjack Visual Thinking

Tag: Visualise

  • Small details = Big Conversations #visualthinking #engagement

    I’ve just completed a rich picture for a client to help them communicate some important ideas to one of their key customers. As with all of our visual thinking work, the images we create are there to facilitate the right conversations between people.

    To do this we ensure each element of the image serves a purpose and communicates a key message. It’s often the small details included in the images that can create the biggest conversations!

    The example below shows just a few small elements of a much larger image we created for the client:

    To find out how Crackerjack Visual Thinking can help you visualise the small details you need to facilitate the ‘big conversations’ in your organisation, visit www.crackerjackvisualthinking.com or email info@crackerjackvisualthinking.com

  • Seeing the ‘big picture’ #visualthinking #engagement

    One of Crackerjack’s clients sent through a picture of the rich picture we created of their organisations past and future journey. It was great to see it in pride of place in their office!

    A Crackerjack rich picture
    A Crackerjack rich picture visualising an organisations journey in one of our clients offices

    We created the rich picture using a collaborative approach with the organisations team members, using their initial thoughts and ideas as the basis for the final image.

    The rich picture is used to by existing team members to keep the organisations mission and objectives at the front of their minds in the work they are doing. The rich picture is also used as part of the induction process for new team members and as an introduction for visitors to the organisation and its work.

    To find our more about our work visit http://www.crackerjackvisualthinking.com or email info@crackerjackvisualthinking.com

  • Crackerjack featured in Research to Action article on Visual Note Taking at Conferences

    Very pleased to be featured in an article by Laura french-Constant of Research to Action about Visual Note Taking at Conferences. You can read the article by clicking here.

    To find out more about how Crackerjack Visual Thinking creates images that start a conversation, contact us at info@crackerjackvisualthinking.com or call us on +44 (0)775 282 6227.

  • Open an ‘art gallery’ to drive #innovation in your organisation!

    If you’re looking for an effective way to increase innovation, creativity and communication in your organisation, here’s a plan:

    1. Buy enough coloured marker pens and large sheets of paper for everyone in your business!
    2. Give them the confidence and skills (via appropriate visual thinking training) to be able to sketch/scribble/draw their thoughts, ideas and moments of genius.
    3. Encourage them to share their sketches with others in the business.
    4. Encourage people to (constructively!) add to, amend, change and develop each other’s sketches.
    5. Set up an ‘art gallery’ (real or virtual) and display everyone’s sketches and masterpieces.
    6. Arrange for everyone to visit the gallery and ask everyone to show which sketches they would buy (i.e. which thoughts/ideas they think have most potential to move the organisation forward) by either ticking the sketch or sticking a post-it to it.
    7. Identify the top three most popular sketches/ideas in your art gallery.
    8. TAKE ACTION! Try and implement the top three idea/s in your organisation! After all, a good idea that isn’t actioned remains just an idea!

    Visit www.crackerjackvisualthinking.com to learn more about how visual thinking can be used to drive innovation and creativity in your organisation.

  • Holiday’s help you refresh your view of the familiar

    Whenever I return from a holiday, I’m always struck by how I notice even very small changes that have occurred in the area in which I live. It could be that someone has painted their door a slightly different colour, or that someone has planted a new plant in their garden.

    I then wonder if I would have noticed these small differences if I hadn’t had some time away from where I live?

    It would seem to me that familiarity can make us less likely notice the changes around us.

    Putting this into a work context, do we need to find ways of having ‘holidays’ from the projects we are working on in order to better understand what might have changed since we began our work?

    Sometimes recognising these changes (however big or small) could provide us with vital information that will allow us to refine and further improve our work.

    So, why not give yourself a ‘holiday’ from your work (even if it’s not two weeks in the sun!) and see if you can spot what’s changed since you went away?

    Happy holidays!

    #change #visualise #holiday

  • Engage your people through visual thinking…

    Are you wanting to engage more fully with your people and help them see that their organisation wants and values their thoughts, ideas and opinions?

    Do you have an opportunity to meet with your people in the next few weeks (e.g. a meeting, conference or event)?

    If so, Crackerjack Visual Thinking would be happy to have a (no obligation) discussion with you to explore how visual thinking tools and techniques can help you truly connect and engage with your people.

    To contact Crackerjack, please click here.

    We look forward to talking with you!

  • Visualising your achievements during 2012…

    Next month sees the end of another year.

    I’m sure that you’ve achieved a great deal during 2012 and it’s important to allow yourself to recognise this.

    However, sometimes it’s not always easy to remember your own successes (and indeed learning’s) from the last year.

    My suggestion is that you try visualising what you’ve done in 2012. Here’s one way of doing it:

    • Take a blank piece of paper (the bigger the better!) and use words, pictures, lines and arrows to create a picture of your past year.
    • Some people find using an analogy (e.g. a landscape or vehicle of some description) helps them structure their thinking more effectively.
    • Don’t worry about making mistakes or what your drawings look like!
    • The important thing is to get your memory’s down onto the paper in a way that makes sense to you.
    • Trust your brain to help you do this – it works most effectively when it’s not constrained by having to work in a linear list-driven manner and is able to work visually.

    I hope this is helpful to you – do let me know how it works for you!!!