Ideas visualised: The perks of sketchnoting

Hosting live discussions, both in-person and online, is one of the best ways to facilitate knowledge sharing among peers. However, you may find that your clients might start to yawn or shoot puzzled looks at each other at times during your event.

Looking for a surefire fix that’ll liven up your discussions? We’ve got just what you need: sketchnoting! This creative approach to note-taking will surely breathe new life into your thought process.

Sketchnoting at a glance

Sketchnoting is a visual-thinking technique that enables a more creative organization of thoughts by combining simple illustrations (sketches) and text (notes). It’s also a more interactive, real-time method of collecting new insights shared among participants in a live discussion. 

Since our brains process visual information 60,000 times faster than it does text, sketch noting allows us to organise our thoughts more efficiently, retain new information more effectively, and communicate ideas more clearly. It’s also a great way to exercise your thought-processing skills and maintain mental sharpness!

Organise thoughts more efficiently

At times, discussions tend to bombard us with so much information (aka. leave us “infoxicated”) that we can’t note down all of these new ideas altogether.

Sketchnoting allows us to highlight just the most relevant information and organise these ideas clearly and logically. Not only is it an efficient way to arrange new knowledge, but it’s also a great approach to filtering unnecessary information!

Retain information more effectively

Visualising ideas allows us to recall information much more quickly and thoroughly. Illustrations serve as a stronger foundation for establishing internal connections between ideas. 

Because it helps us filter unnecessary information, sketchnoting enables us to retain only the important bits of a talk or a discussion. Unconsciously, this technique also improves our cognitive capacity exponentially.

Communicate ideas more clearly

Ponder on this question for a moment: would you rather read a 15-page report or scan a one-page visual mindmap?  

Sketchnotes are some of the best examples of how a picture is worth a thousand words, especially during live discussions. Participants in a knowledge-sharing event can communicate their insights much more clearly and interactively when they see their ideas illustrated in real time during their discussion.

Exercise thought-processing skills more productively

It’s been said that our brains are split into two hemispheres: the left, which thinks logically and methodically, and the right, which thinks visually and intuitively. Our cognitive functions are maximised when both hemispheres are tapped simultaneously with the right balance.

All three activities—organising, retaining, and communicating—make up a good exercise routine for your brain. As we sketchnote, the left hemisphere of our brains activates when we filter the information we take down, and the right hemisphere switches on when we visualise this information.

Ortus Draws makes knowledge visual by illustrating ideas shared in live discussions. With sketchnotes, knowledge-sharing experiences become more vibrant, engaging, and insightful for all participants.

Contact Ortus Draws today to book a live illustrator for your next event!