Graphic recording, why it works. By Sue Fody, graphic recording artist at Got It! Learning Designs in Denver, Colorado.This is a graphic of me. I’m intelligent, creative, etc. However, when it comes to complex concepts like financials, my eyes widen and get a scary looking haze, my brain freezes up, my hearing gets fuzzy and my body goes into a ‘no fight…serious flight’ mode.

Well not completely true, but when I draw financials it is SO MUCH EASIER to understand! Graphic recording simplifies complex concepts and helps people get past those barriers. It saves otherwise intelligent people from not having to ask questions that might embarrass them. This scenario is one of the reasons this company got its name. We want to take learners from ‘huh?’ to ‘AHA….GOT IT!’ Did you know that the brain processes imagery 60,000 times faster than it can read text?

That’s a mind-boggling figure, but think how fast images communicate important messages. I am also an instructional designer, meaning I create custom training. Graphic recording is a powerful tool I integrate into most of the training I develop. That’s because graphic recording helps learners ‘get it’ faster. In training classes, the cognitive theory of multimedia learning (Mayer, 1997) states that coherent summaries which highlight relevant words and pictures are more effective than longer versions of written summaries. We realize people learn differently, so combining multiple modes of communication make for a very effective learning.

Graphic recording is pretty, but it’s not primarily made to be art. Training class participants get smaller replicas of the large graphic recording map. Because it’s pretty it usually gets displayed in the participant’s workspace after training. One of the biggest challenges trainers and managers face is to ensure learners remember and apply what they learn in training. What a great way to have key elements of the training content “in your face” on a daily basis. Graphic recording is an effective way to simplify complex concepts (like financials, data, scientific content) on a one-page visual summary and reinforce learning!

We graphically illustrate complex concepts like finances, and capture multi-day strategy sessions to communicate the message simply and visually. Contact us if you’d like to see your message clearly!

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