At BigBlueGumball... we have a dream... that one day... everyone... will recognize the power of visual communication.

As communicators and presenters, we all recognize the power of words.  What is often overlooked though, is the added impact that visuals have on an audience.  The power of visuals not only comes from the things we see, but also from the things we hear.  When Martin Luther King, Jr. told us that he "has a dream," he painted his dream for us using vivid language, metaphor, and tone that automatically turned our minds into a canvas for our imagination.

Last week, Todd and I had the opportunity to be guest presenters for VizThink NYC.  Through a series of interactive exercises including VizProvization, VizBiz Pictionary, and sketch-noting, we explored the power of visual communication, and unleashed the power and creativity that existed in all who attended. 

VizThink events tend to attract incredibly creative, talented, insightful, and friendly people from around the globe, which always makes each event a fantastic experience.  Last week's event drew people from as far away as Sweden, California, Westchester, Long Island, and the Upper East Side...!

To more fully engage in the experience, please check out the following links:

VizThink.com (event write-up)
http://vizthink.com/blog/2011/04/02/the-power-of-visual-communication

Pictures on Flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/merrybrain/sets/72157626408290350

Visuals For Change (blog post with sketchnotes)
http://www.visualsforchange.com/blog/2011/03/31/vizthink-nyc-presents-the-power-of-visual-communication-with-bigbluegumball/

Present Your Story (blog post with sketchnotes)
http://www.presentyourstory.com/blog/2011/4/5/vizthink-nyc.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Special thanks to VizThink, MJ Broadbent, Ray DeLaPena, Amanda Lyons, Nolan Haims, and Liquidnet.

Last week, VizThink NYC hosted another fantastic event for the visual thinking community.  As always, I'm thrilled to be a part of the VizThink NYC crew, and thrilled to be associated with such great people. 

Here are a few excerpts from the post-event recap:

No, the picture on the right is not from some ritualistic cult ceremony or a crazy torture experiment…it is from the February 2011 VizThink NYC event entitled “Drawing for Thinkers Workshop” led by guest presenter Liz Burow.......

“Draw like a robot…or a caveman” were among the mantras for the evening, as participants honed their skills to increase effectiveness and confidence to communicate ideas, visualize problems, and create stronger human connections....

For the full event recap, please check out the post on the VizThink blog:

http://vizthink.com/blog/2011/03/01/drawing-for-thinkers/

And please let us know if you'd like to be informed of upcoming events...!

*Click here to watch video of this presentation. 

This past week, Todd was one of the three keynote speakers at a tremendous learning event held by HR/NY, the New York chapter of SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management).

Sponsored by the organization's fast-growing Career Planning & Profesional Development SIG, and attended by an enthuiastic group of approximately 75 attendees, Todd's interactive and engaging talk was entitled, "10 Top Training Tips for HR Professionals: A Wild, 30-Minute Roller Coaster Ride!"...and that it was!

In response to participant questions about where and how to find relevant and impactful (and free) visual images to create more effective powerpoint presentations, Steve was on hand to jump into the discussion and contribute his expertise in this area.

Also in attendance to lend their support and encouragement were a few of BigBlueGumball's best friends, fans, partners, and clients, including our great friend, the Queen of Networking, Andrea Nierenberg (http://www.nierenberggroup.com/); Camille Gargiso, the head of HR for NASFT; and Karin Sibrava-Cherches, BigBlueGumball's #1 fan and supporter.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, the 10 Top Tips, each of which were brought to life in the course of this fun, visual, and interactive presentation, were these:

1.Do not read your slides word-for-word.

2. Decide what to leave out.

3. Open strong.

 4. Be creative, innovative, interactive, and fun!

5. Focus equally on content, design & delivery.

6. It’s all about your participants.

7. Remember the 3 E’s: Educate, Entertain & Excite. TM

8. Satisfy all 3 Learning Styles.

9. Use Visuals & Storytelling.

10. Practice, practice, practice.

11. Exceed expectations!