Everyone has their preferred method of communicating, and mine happens to be with pictures. I find myself grabbing a pen or marker when I need to communicate even the simplest of ideas.
My preferred method of sketching is up on the whiteboard. Here are 3 reasons to consider giving it a try.
1. Standing up draws engagement.
When you grab a marker and head for the whiteboard, the room dynamics change and people tend to participate more. The act of getting ideas, yours and your teams, on the board gives pause to the conversation as the team focuses on making sure the ideas being communicated are accurate. Team members are more apt to point out gaps when they are staring them in the face.
2. The person with the marker leads the conversation.
Holding a marker is a lot like holding the keys — everything has to pass through you in order to get on the board. When conversations have gone off into the weeds, grab a marker and head to the whiteboard. You’ll be amazed at how focused the conversation gets.
3. Whiteboards are ultra forgiving.
One of the primary reasons for getting out of the computer and sketching is because you’re more apt to take bigger risks when the price for correcting course is low — and correcting course on the whiteboard is about as cheap as it gets. It’s easier to lay a stroke or erase a mistake than anything else I’ve come across (and I’m an avid Wacom user).