Don’t Say It! Draw it!
Art as a form of communication and self-expression is nothing new, but it takes on a whole new level of importance when we consider the way we can incorporate it in a professional setting. Last month, Startup Grind Oslo hosted its first workshop focusing on the benefits of drawing to communicate down at MESH. Åse Tegner, a project manager with no background in design, led the interactive program to an intimate group of roughly twenty people.
As you can imagine, there is a degree of hesitancy when picking up a pen in a room and drawing your neighbor without being able to look down at the paper. But Åse’s only rule going into it was, “Be proud!” That, in combination with the first exercise broke the ice quite quickly. She then guided us through a series of creative drills, from simply re-imagining how shapes fit together to getting funky with dots.
Thus, we can conclude that drawing opens the door for language- solidifying even the most abstract of ideas into something more tangible. It can be a fulfilling way to tackle challenges no matter which industry you work in, providing a structure that allows for colleagues facing different deliverables to grow and explore their interests in their own ways. Drawing also facilitates community building, filling an otherwise empty vacuum.
One on One with Åse Tegner: Be Proud
I had the chance to sit down with Åse and ask her a few questions behind her inspiration. Key takeaway: the only person holding yourself back from adapting this method is you. Be proud. Pick up the pen. Draw it.
1. Why did you decide to incorporate drawing into your working day?
I saw the effect drawing had on my colleagues. I work as a project manager, building teams and team members that trust each other is my passion. When I work to create a safe space for my team, I find it very helpful to use visual communication. We use large templates on the wall where everybody participates. The drawings are fast and easy, so it lowers the threshold for people to participate. This is also very useful for all kinds of process management.
2. What was the hardest part once you first began drawing to communicate?
The hardest part was to go from sketching in my own notes, to actually using my drawings in large formats where everybody could see them. Since I hadn’t really drawn much since I was a kid, I felt it was looking too basic, but hey… it works and people like it!
3. What major challenges have you solved professionally can be credited to this method of interactive teamwork?
So far, the biggest impact I have seen working visually is when I train people in how to work in teams. There are no slides, and the room is covered with large posters showing all the material we will cover during the day. People find it inspiring and this kind of creative space opens up for discussions and learning.
4. What are some other benefits of using drawing to communicate?
Preferably, drawing should be combined with text. This combination is very powerful when it comes to people remembering what you talked about. If you show somebody a visual message, they can grasp it much faster than a report or slide full of words. It is also much easier to discuss different concepts when we have something to point at and can make different versions showing different solutions.
5. What’s your advice to teams who want to use this method but can’t figure out how?
My advice to teams and professionals that would like to work more visually is to simply get started — jump into it! Start, for instance, with an agenda for your next team meeting, draw some icons to illustrate the different tasks in the meeting, and see how the team likes it. It is important to remember that drawing and visual communication can be used for many purposes, but it is not a solution for everything, so make sure the setting is right and people are open for working more creatively.
6. Why is visual thinking so important?
For me, it is really important to close down my computer in order to get my head out of the operational tasks and think more strategically. When encountering a challenge or problem, I like to sit down with paper and think about different solutions. When I get my ideas down on paper, I am able to evaluate them more objectively; this way I can iterate over my own ideas, and improve them before suggesting a solution.
Visual thinking is essential for us to tell the story we want to tell, and to be able to communicate in a clearer way with each other.
“This workshop transforms the way you approach communicating within a group — it’s refreshing to see the fine art of drawing as a stepping stone to better collaboration.” — Casper Ninteman
“I thoroughly enjoyed this session under Åse’s guidance. It was definitely a way to “think outside the box” when utilizing the tools of drawing to express oneself.” — Heidi Brovold
Åse Lindersen is an engineer and project manager at Making Waves — with no education in design. She loves the impact drawing has had on her workday and runs her own company where she teaches how to work in a more visual way. Åse is very interested in creating teams with high- levels of trust in order to develop the best products. You can find her at @aasetegner on Instagram and Facebook, and check out her website.
Edee Carey is a writer, communications advisor and content creator living in Oslo.
