The Art of Visual Notetaking: An interactive guide to visual communication and sketchnoting How To Use This Book This book is formatted just like the live workshops I teach. Visual notetaking is simple to look at (that’s the whole point!), but there’s a lot beneath the surface that you may not realize! It’s important to progress through this book in order. Don’t jump ahead or skip any section! Visual notetaking is an additive process, and each lesson builds on the last. We’ll build a strong foundation, add skills and tools, and in the end, you’ll have a strong, complete framework of knowledge you can be confident in. Each section features instruction, practical tips, and exercises to help you practice the skills you learn, along with some fun stories from my experiences along the way. I encourage you to use an unruled journal or sketchbook for practice. Bound books keep your work contained in one place, and they’re easy to transport and store. If journals aren’t your style, use whatever paper you have on hand. Above all, I can’t reiterate enough that you must KEEP YOUR WORK! It’s so important to look back and see your progress as you grow. My first sketchnote was pretty bad, but I got better with practice! I’m so glad I have my old work so I can see where I’ve improved and how far I’ve come, no matter how embarrassing it might feel. Turn the page to get started building that foundational knowledge! You’re probably eager to start practicing visual notes on paper, but first we have to build a foundation and learn the why and what behind visual notes. If you don’t know why you’re doing something, you probably can’t do a very good job at it! Let’s dive in. Tools: The Visual Notetaking Arsenal Of Skills Finding Information Fast Your Visual Library Visual Metaphors What Makes Visual Notes 'good?' Sharing Your Visual Notes Improving Your Craft: Track Your Trends Professional & Educational Visual Notetaking HEAD-TO-HAND LISTENING For The Purpose Of Retaining Information The overall goal with visual notes is to remember the information that was shared or experienced. Information has zero value if it can’t be remembered or shared! Visual notes help information retain its value over time. 1) Hear: The first step to good listening is being in a good position to hear well. If you’re in a smaller setting with no sound system, get as close to the presenter as possible. 2) Focus: Remove any distractions. Put your phone on 'Do Not Disturb' mode. 3) Listen: This is the final step to good listening—actually listening! There are two kinds of listening: head-to-heart and head-to-hand. The Basics: What Are Visual Notes? Visual notes, also referred to as 'sketchnotes,' are made for the purpose of retaining information. Visual notes are hand-rendered, visual records of information or an experience using drawings and written text. Hand-rendered Visual notes must be done by a human hand, whether in real time or after the fact, digital or on paper. The human element is essential for effective visual notes. Visual Records Of Information Just like a photograph is a visual representation and documentation, visual notes are a visual representation of imparted information or an experience. Drawings & Written Text This part is really important to master! With visual notes, you either create clarity or confusion. Visual notes exist to visualize, clarify, and organize information. Visuals Are The Shared Human Language Visuals transcend culture, age, gender, spoken language, and just about every other difference. Human beings are highly visual—we always have been. Visual Notes Are Not Just Information While the information always takes priority in visual notes, it loses its driving power without the aid of illustration. A wall of written words is overwhelming and not interesting (or memorable!). Hand a sheet of written text to a person and ask them to read it—they’ll probably groan! If you hand them a sheet with images and text on it, the reaction will probably be different. Visual Notes Are Not Doodles The definition of a doodle, according to the dictionary, is 'a rough drawing made absentmindedly.' Visual notes are Anything but absentminded! Effective visual notes are taken with complete focus. As we learned earlier, the illustrations are intentionally related to the information being shared. Visuals Are The Shared Human Language Visuals transcend culture, age, gender, spoken language, and just about every other difference. Human beings are highly visual—we always have been. From the Lascaux cave paintings in France to modern-day emojis, we love communicating visually! If you were to go to France and needed to ask for directions to the Eiffel Tower, all you’d have to do is draw a picture and you would be understood. Whiteboard Recall that whiteboard visual notes are done on a larger scale and are called “graphic recording.” With whiteboards, you can easily correct mistakes. But you have to be smart about making corrections. Every time you focus on editing, you’re not focused on listening. Whiteboards can also be disappointing. A passerby can easily brush up against it and erase your work. You might even accidentally erase something yourself!
✔ Author(s): Emily Mills
✔ Title: The Art of Visual Notetaking: An interactive guide to visual communication and sketchnoting
✔ Rating : 4.4 out of 5 base on (397 reviews)
✔ ISBN-10: 1633226220
✔ ISBN-13: 9781633226227
✔ Language: English
✔ Format ebook: PDF, EPUB, Kindle, Audio, HTML and MOBI
✔ Device compatibles: Android, iOS, PC and Amazon Kindle
Readers' opinions about The Art of Visual Notetaking by Emily Mills
Jillian Neel
I'm still in awe of the intricate plot and the way everything seamlessly came together. The twists kept me guessing until the very end. It's one of those rare books that leave a lasting impact.
Daphne Garner
The author's writing style is so captivating; I couldn't put the book down. Every sentence was beautifully crafted, and the descriptions painted vivid images in my mind. A true literary gem.
Kara Snyder
The characters in this book felt like old friends, and I was sad to say goodbye to them at the end. It's a testament to the author's talent for creating memorable and relatable personas.
