The answers to your FAQs

New clients often have a lot of questions about what it actually is that I do (and so does my mum) – so here’s some answers! I’ll add to this whenever something juicy comes to my attention, and of course if you’d like to just get in touch and ask the questions yourself – please do!

Graphic recording goes by many names, visual facilitation, scribing, knowledge working, visual harvesting – maybe you’ve heard those terms bandied about… it’s the process of capturing what’s being said and creating a visual representation of that. The graphic recorder is listening, thinking and drawing – all at the same time. The result, is a beautiful combination of words and visuals, captured in real time for all to see.

We start with a phone call, to check availability and what you’re after. I’ll send you a proposal for the work – and if you’re happy you accept!

I’ll send you a briefing form, so I can get an idea of speakers’ names (spelling is important!) and images, branding for the event, colour palettes you’d like to see used, and any information around what you’d like me to listen for on the day.

Once I’ve had a look through the briefing form we’ll schedule a time to have a zoom call with stakeholders and have a quick chat through your hopes and dreams for the event, the agenda or session plan, and also organize any tech checks required (which is vital for bigger events using a full AV back end!)

Before the day, I’ll have my digital canvases set up and ready to go so I can hit the ground running, and if the event is virtual I’ll be in the zoom (or whichever platform you’re using) at least 20 minutes before the show starts.

If we’re in person, I’ll be at the venue an hour before the show starts to set up my projector or hook into the onsite AV (and make best friends with the AV team).

You get my brain power for the day! I work on an iPad Pro with an Apple Pencil in an amazing app called Procreate. It’s whiz bang, and it’s MAGIC.

My digital graphic recordings will be available almost instantaneously at the end of each session or event – my software outputs hi-resolution (A3 200dpi) PDFs for printing, JPGs for use online, and a glorious timelapse video of the capture – which is always a joy to behold!

This is a good question! While I like to keep things fun and am generally a pretty relaxed individual, I certainly understand the importance of the work I do and the absolute privilege of being party to sensitive information and/or subjects. I am always happy to sign an NDA, and for highly sensitive content, once I’ve handed over the completed digital files, can destroy all evidence (what workshop?) at my end if needs be!

You do! I am happy for my work to belong to you, and am also happy for attributions in the public arena – everybody loves a shout out! Every canvas I create will have my name on the work somewhere – I do ask that it isn’t removed. If you’d like to have parts of the completed canvas separated out to use in other ways (lets brainstorm and make the most of that gorgeous thing!) I’m always happy to help – and can quote you separately for studio work after the event if you need.

Word on the street is that I’m pretty quick! I mostly work to an A3 200dpi size canvas and generally can fill one of those in 60-90 minutes. I don’t capture EVERY word – but I have a sneaky way of capturing every important word – and I certainly capture the VIBE.

Over the years I’ve captured everything from Asset Management to Endocrinology, from looking at LDCs and how innovative IF can pull them out of economic collapse to how weather patterns including SAM and IOD are impacting farming in Australia. I learn A LOT! I always ask in advance if folks will be using jargon, initialisms and acronyms on the day and make sure I’m across their meaning. (ie. SAM is not a bloke – it’s the Southern Annular Mode, a weather pattern that affects the bottom of Australia!) And if there are any whitepapers or other pre-reading you’d like me to be across beforehand – I’m happy to oblige.

You can use the graphics as part of your content strategy on social media like my friend Merrick Watts did here, you can email it to your grandma, you can print and laminate at A3 size and stick that baby up in the lunchroom at work…

Or, after a conference we can design a nice little booklet to send out to participants and spark a bit of memory and joy (and ensure they come back next year) – including the graphic recordings from the conference, speaker bios and any other sponsor information.

Or, if you’re writing a report following a workshop, drop that gorgeous thing on the cover (okay or maybe the second page)!

Well hello there new best friend! The facilitator / graphic recorder partnership is a powerful one, and it’s a beautiful thing to witness. When a facilitator can focus on the group dynamic, the nuances and non verbals during a workshop because they don’t have their back to the room just imagine the power and possibility! As your graphic recorder, I’m listening like a BOSS to every single thing you’re saying, and I’m capturing that. I’m waiting for your cues and call outs and I’m capturing that too. What participants see is a single source of truth where they can focus their energy and discussion.

I love partnering with facilitators – so if you’d like to know more about what all that looks like, let’s chat! Also – when you’re writing your report for your client – how much cooler is that going to look with some gorgeous graphics in it? Your summary is DONE. Go and make a cup of tea.

Because it’s not a bulleted list of minutes! Arrgh – no one is going to read that!

With workshops and strategy sessions, it’s important to see the value of getting a bunch of amazing brains into a room… and getting the most out of those brains, and making sure those brains know that they are valued, and they’re not wasting their time, and that what happens in that room will be carried forward in a cool way. Graphic recording can do that. Looking back over a beautifully captured illustration of a session will spark all the neurons and memory, it will create an anchor for those in the room to open discussions more widely, it will hold people to account (Bill you said you were going to do that thing, it’s here on the drawing).

You certainly can! My pricing and packaging is pretty flexible, so if you only need me for a 1 hour webinar or workshop, we can book that in! If you need me in the room at a three day conference, I can do that too! I’m beautifully set up in my home office for virtual work, and am happy to travel – obviously this all depends on my calendar and availability, and if I’m not free, I can put you in touch with other talented and amazing graphic recorders from my professional network around Australia.

Sure can – if you’re running a webinar series and you’d like to see those captured consistently across the year, let’s talk! I can put together a package and we can book in the dates – easy peasy.

Tell us about your setup!