All week, I have had this question just constantly tugging at me. I could be walking to get coffee at work, or just washing the dishes after dinner, or laying there in bed ready to sleep, and the question just jumps in and dominates my thoughts. As individuals, are we becoming more positive when we talk? As I scan the web, or I join in the dialogue on social sites, or I just read stories on line, I see so many positive interest stories, they out number the traditional news reporting of isolated murders, natural disasters, and other bad news. I tend to have a smile on my face when I log off the computer After watching the evening news or reading the headline of the paper, I rarely smile.
Even though the economic news looks bad this last year, I still feel positive after being on the web. OK, you get your occasional idiots on line. But, they do not last long, and they get their appropriate shame and then they are drowned out by the surrounding positive talk and smiles of others. I think individuals and society tend toward the positive--sometimes they get drowned out by filters, well meaning people who edit and report the unique, which is normally bad stuff--because it is not unique to be positive. So, I think online talk tends to be positive, and that is good.
First Visual Talking Experience
After posting the first blog last night, I kept thinking about my first dramatic life changing visual talking experience. My note to my first girlfriend with a heart and my picture with the words "kiss me" does not count. I was only six years old (and Lisa, if you are reading this, it was a great kiss!).
I mean my first professional wow!! breakthrough moment with visual talking. About twenty years ago I was leading a group of very talented people to build a new product. We carefully took all the "requirements" from the customer, wrote them done, discussed them and agreed that here is the "word specification" we would build. No pictures, just words. We thought we all "saw" the same things in our minds. Well, you could guess, we built a monster that the customer did not recognize, so we needed to start over from scratch. But, this time, we would clearly "see" the product before we built it. Just how to do that was the real question. Well, we brought in cartoonists to help everyone draw their view. We shared views and through a very collaborative process we all "red-lined" the imagery to final design. It really worked. The customer loved it. I still have that final sketch. This was the beginning of a an exciting journey - how to easily talk with pictures.
I mean my first professional wow!! breakthrough moment with visual talking. About twenty years ago I was leading a group of very talented people to build a new product. We carefully took all the "requirements" from the customer, wrote them done, discussed them and agreed that here is the "word specification" we would build. No pictures, just words. We thought we all "saw" the same things in our minds. Well, you could guess, we built a monster that the customer did not recognize, so we needed to start over from scratch. But, this time, we would clearly "see" the product before we built it. Just how to do that was the real question. Well, we brought in cartoonists to help everyone draw their view. We shared views and through a very collaborative process we all "red-lined" the imagery to final design. It really worked. The customer loved it. I still have that final sketch. This was the beginning of a an exciting journey - how to easily talk with pictures.
Talking with Pictures
I have been talking with pictures for a long time. Whenever I want to fully express my thoughts or ideas, I combine images, crude hand drawings, and scribbled words in somewhat of a sentence format and then show my "listeners". They understand. They respond back in a simliar fashion. And I respond back to them. We fully understood each other. It really works. We have a great conversation! I get my thoughts across in as much detail as I like, and I see the same from my "listeners". It is just that simple.
I wish everyone could talk with pictures. We would understand each other more ...we would be more creative..we would be more productive..we would be happier...We would be better.
Have fun talking with pictures.
Mark - the creator
I wish everyone could talk with pictures. We would understand each other more ...we would be more creative..we would be more productive..we would be happier...We would be better.
Have fun talking with pictures.
Mark - the creator
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