It's not about art it's about communication

Here at WorkVisible Studios we teach and use visual facilitation. We're not alone either. Companies such as Amazon, Lego, Grants Whisky, Google, Adobe, Walmart, Zappos and Ford have all used visual facilitation in one form or another.

But why use visuals?

Some people assume visual facilitation is just about creating pretty pictures.

But it’s not about creating art, it's about enhancing communication.

Here are just some of the ways using visuals change communication for the better.

It Simplifies

To communicate visually we have to first take what we want to say and create an image out of it.

By translating a concept or an idea from words to an image, it forces us to simplify it down to it’s key elements.

Instantly making complex ideas and data more accessible. Allowing us to see the big picture, define problems and communicate what matters.

We’ve found that this translation doesn’t just make it easier for the other participants to understand but also deepens our understanding of the original concept or idea. 

Without getting lost in unimportant details.

It Accelerates

We’ve all heard that a picture is worth a thousand words.

But a picture doesn’t just say more, it says it faster. 

Our brains process visuals 60,000 times faster than text. (Semetko & Scammell, 2012)

And 65% of people learn better visually (Yapton, 1998).

Meaning your message can be communicated faster and easier.

One of the things we do in visual facilitation is create “key visuals”. A picture to represent the overall message.

We’ve found that using these gets everyone on the same page much faster. Setting the stage quickly and effectively.

Allowing you to get to the discussions that make a difference.  

It Changes The Conversation

Having visuals to point at keeps the conversation focused.

But it does more than that. 

It changes the way we think.

When we see information presented in visuals it gives us a different point of view. This helps us draw connections between different concepts and ideas

Breeding collaboration and sparking new ideas.

Leading to conversations that wouldn't have happened otherwise.

This is backed up by Martin Eppler, professor of media and communication management at the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland.

“We’ve found in our experiments that using visuals during meetings creates more ideas, creates better ideas, and increases recall.”

It Inspires Action

Using visuals also has an effect on what people do.

A 3M-sponsored study at the University of Minnesota School of Management found that presenters who use visual aids are 43% more effective in persuading audience members to take a desired course of action.

Furthermore, one study found that people following directions with text and illustrations do 323 percent better than people following directions without illustrations (Levie & Lentz, 1982).

It Engages

On top of everything else, visuals are simply much more engaging.

There’s a reason there’s been a dramatic rise in the use of images across the media.

It simply grabs our attention.

For example, posts on facebook with visuals get 53% more likes and 104% more comments.

Visuals don’t just engage us they also help us remember more, and not in the "do you remember that time that guy drew during that meeting"...

We actually remember much more of the content when visuals are involved. A study found that people who read text paired with visuals remembered 80% of what they read three days later. While the people who read text only could only remember 10% three days later. (Medina, 2008)

If you want to act like some of the world’s largest companies by facilitating great communication using visuals, then get in touch with us to find out about our Bikablo training.