When lines create clarity: Graphic facilitation workshop
How do you make complex ideas understandable to everyone? The answer is quite simple: with a marker and a blank sheet of paper. On 23 January, a group of SHAPE participants attended a workshop at AIAS where they gained insight into how graphic facilitation can be used to communicate clearly and create engagement—whether you're used to drawing or not.
With graphic facilitator Ene Gro leading the way, participants explored how simple drawings and icons can be used to make complicated topics easier to understand. It wasn't about creating works of art but about finding ways to communicate ideas through simple lines and images that provide a common framework for understanding.
‘It's not about being an artist. It's about using drawings as a language that makes it easier for everyone to understand,’ said Ene Gro. And the participants quickly realized: you don't have to be good at drawing to communicate clearly—it's about the courage to use the lines.
Workshop programme: From theory to practice
The day began with a short welcome and warm-up, after which the participants were ready to take the field. Through a series of practical exercises, they learned how to use graphic facilitation as a tool to communicate in meetings, teaching, and research. The focus was on basic drawing techniques and how to create simple visual templates that make it easier to share and understand complex ideas.
The programme included, among other things:
- An introduction to graphic facilitation as a methodology
- Drawing exercises and techniques to create simple icons
- Creating visual templates for participants to use in their own projects
- A safe learning environment to practice, make mistakes, and gain the courage to use the field
Everyone can join in—regardless of experience
One of the biggest takeaways was that you don't need any special drawing skills to participate. ‘Drawing is not just for those who can already draw,’ was the message. Anyone could join in—the most important thing was to have the courage to draw and use it as a tool to create clarity and engagement in your work processes.
Participants left with a whole new approach to their work and a new understanding of how they can use graphic facilitation to communicate and engage their colleagues, students, or business partners. And maybe some of them thought on the way home: ‘Maybe I’m more creative than I thought.’
Read more about graphic facilitation and Ene Gro here.