For the last fifteen years I have been using my image making and listening skills to record and facilitate meetings.
I learned the power of drawing as a group communication tool when working on a joint planning exercise with some people with learning disabilities.
When I used images as well as written language to record the deliberations of the meeting there was a noticeable increase in engagement, participation and productivity.
The process worked well and I was asked to use it to record further meetings. In this process images can expose things that words can be used to hide. A combination of words and images recorded on the big picture enables participants to make connections and have insights that remain hidden to conventional conference and meeting processes.
Working in real time and in a public space mean that the artist is exposed, there is no room for ego, the images and words recorded have to be those of the participants. The veracity can be checked. The drawing is only useful if it is honest and in public ownership. Paraphrasing and interpreting participants words, images or metaphors can lead to the work being rejected. In this work the joy of making is aligned to serving the group
