Introduction

Icon of two people drawing together on a white board.
Cartoon image of five blocks placed side to side, along with an image each representative of them drawn above them. These blocks are together labeled “the five building blocks,” and are individually labeled the following, from left to right: (1) discover your visual language, (2) design your collaboration process, (3) define key questions, (4) create engaging templates, and (5) prepare to scale. Drawn above these are cartoon images of a sheet of paper on which a human icon is drawn, a lit bulb over a sheet of paper with an icon of a rightward pointing arrow, a thought bubble containing a question mark, several sheets of paper, the topmost of which has a diagram of a horizontal line with a downward dipping kink in the middle; an arrow points from the portion of the line before the kink to the portion after it; and a flip calendar with a symbol of the play button at the front, respectively. Two people standing on these blocks are engaged in different tasks, and a third is reading a book while climbing up on to the first block at the left. The staircase this person is using to climb up is labeled “introduction.” Continuing on the right are four more blocks, with three people upon them engaged in various tasks. These blocks are labeled the following: (6) enable group learning, (7) map your skills, (8) activate your resources, and (9) dos and don'ts. Above these blocks are cartoon images of person talking to two other people inside a room, a person holding a large pencil, a marker and a poster on an easel, and a person who seems to be thinking, respectively.

Why draw?

Drawing is an age-old discipline that we all can learn and which the brain grasps faster than it does speech or text. When we draw, we create clarity, and in a digital world, handmade drawings stand out.

Cartoon image of a sheet of paper on which a dot, a straight line, a wavy line, a triangle, a square, and a circle are drawn. Cartoon image of a person drawing on the walls of a cave, and two more people sitting nearby, looking the person who is drawing. Cartoon image of a person with a thought bubble containing a house and a tree; an arrow labeled “house” is pointing at this person.
Cartoon image of a thought bubble containing a person resting on a hammock tied to trees on a tropical island. Cartoon image of a smiling person drawing a heart on a sheet of paper. Cartoon image of a sheet of paper on which there are drawings, and above which there is a pencil whose top is like that of a funnel, and several speech bubbles are on their way down into this funnel.

Who can draw and where?

Everyone can use drawing as an effective tool for communication. Technology has given us new means to draw, adjust, and share our drawings with one another.

Cartoon image of several charts and a white board on which diagrams are drawn. Cartoon image of a person who is drawing and writing on a board on an easel, and three people sitting around a table looking at this person. Cartoon image of three people holding stationery while standing in front of a white board, with one of them drawing on it.
Cartoon image of a person drawing a diagram on a tablet, which is being projected on to a large screen, and another person uploading an image to cloud storage from a smartphone. Cartoon image of three people standing on a part of an arrow on the floor, drawn by one of them, which is continued forward as a drawing on a board put up on the wall in front of them.

Why draw together?

To see the bigger picture, we need a greater knowledge base than we see on our own. Visual collaboration is when we draw together to learn from other perspectives and build shared responsibility and ownership. Drawing together can create a common language across cultures, positions, and national borders.

Cartoon image of four people discussing a large, completed jigsaw puzzle that is put up on a wall in front of them. Cartoon image of four people conversing with each other, while holding pieces of a large jigsaw puzzle that is being arranged on the wall in front of them. Cartoon image of four people holding a large poster, and having a common speech bubble that says “ours.”

Vocabulary for Visual Collaboration

Visual Collaboration ...

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