Draw While You Talk
Drawing simple illustrations while speaking can improve understanding, engagement, and audience attention by making abstract ideas concrete and using familiar symbols.
THE IDEA
Why You Should Draw While You Talk
• Draw while you talk. When they are drawn in real time, even imprecise or arbitrary elements are understood by the viewer – and treated more leniently.
• Pictures say more than a thousand words. Draw an iceberg to draw attention to a growing problem, a temple if you want to illustrate pillars of success, a bridge to show connections, rough outlines of countries to establish a geographical context, a conveyor belt for procedures and processes, a funnel if you want to consolidate ideas, a pyramid for a hierarchy.
• Create connections: Drawing simple models will help to structure your thoughts in a coherent way and establish connections. On the following pages you will find an overview of models that can be drawn by hand.
• Familiar but different. Everyone understands traffic signs – or the play and pause button signs on the remote control. Even better: surprise your audience by turning traditional symbols (e.g., $) or abbreviations (e.g., “t” for time) into pictograms.
• Sketches are vital. If you draw while you speak, you direct attention away from yourself and onto your subject. You are no longer standing in front of a jury, you are speaking with the jury about a separate issue.
• Wrong but strong. If you draw a crooked line, don’t go back and correct it, because the line of your argument will then be interrupted. The same applies if your circles come out looking like eggs. These are abstract illustrations, not works of art.
• Play Pictionary. Practice makes perfect.
When to use it
Explaining a step-by-step process (e.g., manufacturing workflow) with a conveyor belt drawing.
Illustrating a hierarchy or power structure using a pyramid sketch.
Showing connections between different departments or ideas by drawing a bridge.
Consolidating multiple ideas into a single direction using a funnel diagram.
FROM THEORY TO EVERYDAY LIFE
In practice
Growing Problem Iceberg
When discussing a growing problem in a business meeting, draw an iceberg on a whiteboard. The visible tip represents the immediate issue, while the submerged part conveys the underlying, larger concerns. This visual helps the audience grasp the scale and complexity without lengthy explanation.
Familiar Symbols as Shortcuts
Instead of explaining a pause in a process, draw the universal pause symbol (two vertical bars) from a remote control. The audience instantly understands without further elaboration, making the conversation more efficient.
A MOMENT TO REFLECT
Put it to work.
How could you incorporate drawing into your next presentation or meeting to clarify a complex idea?
Think of a recent situation where you struggled to explain something. Would drawing a simple diagram have helped?
What everyday symbols (like traffic signs or app icons) could you repurpose to represent key concepts in your field?
CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION
Source texts
- The Decision Book Fifty Models for Strategic Thinking