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The mechanics of visual recording

Legibility, alignment, and navigability are the keys.

1. Write in large, clear block letters.Write big enough for people to see from across the room (aheight of two finger widths is a good guide). Be consciousabout your marker strokes and find a legible font that suits you.

USE CAPITALS FOR TITLES & SHORT TEXT.Lowercase letters are often more legible for sub-text and longersentences.

2. Use colors strategically to provide clarity.- Headlines and main points: Energetic colors (Orange, Red)- Body: Neutral, bold colors (Blue, Brown, Green, Purple)- Hold the other pens between the fingers of your free hand.- Alternate colors for visual relief and navigability

3. Move your whole body to keep alignment.Slide your feet as you write across, and bend your knees as youwrite down. Use board edges as reference to make thealignment parallel to them.

4. Plan your space and leave extra room.Think about where you’ll write each section and how muchroom you’ll need. When making lists, keep them about 3 feetacross for readability and ease of capture. Leave room fortangential discussions that you can’t anticipate.

5. Warm up beforehand.Get your brain and arm loosened-up beforehand. Creating anagenda is a good way of doing this.

Planting your feet and moving just your arm is a huge cause oftilted lines and misaligned paragraphs. Periodically step back andlook at line alignment.

Legibility and alignment comes from good mechanics.

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What to capture

Choose your format carefully and provide proper emphasis.

1. Format follows function.Think about both the content and the desired outcome whendeciding how to capture the conversation.- Clusters - Brain-dumps, warm-ups, emerging ideas.- Mindmaps - Group discussions, longer presentations.- Lists - Brain-dumps, debriefs, agendas, next steps.- Frameworks - Problem solving, group alignment.- Timelines - Strategic planning, next steps.- Diagrams - Process flows, non-verbal information.

2. Capture neutrally, in the words of the group.Use the words of the group to aid recall. However, to transferidea ownership to the group in meetings and workshops, don’trecord speakers’ names.

3. Listen carefully and use short term memory.Keep a constant stream of words coming into your ear and keepa back-log of the main points in your short term memory. Leavespaces and write placeholders if you get really behind.

4. Synthesize with key words and phrases.Listen to the essence of what is being said, pick up on keyphrases, and write selectively (use shorthand as well). Thinkabout what you are capturing and slow down.

5. Use graphics to add punch and emphasis.Adding simple graphics adds visual interest and helps peoplenavigate to important points. Practice a standard set of iconsthat you can draw quickly.

Choose the form based on content and desired outcome.

Mindmaps work well for capturing longer, free-flowingdiscussions and presentations.

Diagrams and frameworks helpexplain processes and abstract ideas.

Lists or clusters workfor brain-dumps.

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Two finger-widths.

Stroke mechanics

Practice makes perfect. Find your own font.

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Using graphics

Simple graphic elements can add punch and emphasis.

PictographsSimplified, or cartoon versionof the thing it represents.

IdeographsNon-literal pictures or symbolsthat represent an idea.

MarkersSymbols to addemphasis to text.

Keep them simple. Minimize the number of strokes on your drawings. Use them sparingly. Focus on capturing content. Try to avoid visual clutter.