How much content do you consume in one day? For those of us who are continuous learners, the majority of our time awake can be spent reading, watching, and listening as we gather knowledge to improve skills, increase our effectiveness, and better adapt to change.
There is so much out there! Podcasts are lengthy, newsletters overwhelm inboxes, breakthrough books are released continuously, and social media is a whole different beast. We want to know it all but the deluge can be overwhelming. 4
In order to retain information, there are four main styles of learning - visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and reading and writing. For something to really stick, you must utilize two of these four styles at the same time. Another option is to pair one style with an emotional experience. This is the simple formula to successful learning.
Are you going to retain this information? Is the information you are sharing with others easy to remember?
As Sunni Brown shares in her Ted Talk on doodling, visual communication engages all four of these styles and the emotional experience is often present as well. By drawing or sketch noting our thoughts, we are nearly guaranteeing that learning will occur.
The image above was created from Joe’s keynote speech at the Chesapeake HR Association spring conference in April. While it doesn’t capture every detail of his illuminating presentation, the major facts are clearly stated, shapes and colors not only tell the story but also intentionally move your eyes around the image, and you can almost hear the anecdotes as they genuinely connect to your own knowledge and experiences.
Like a more personal and informal infographic, visual notes are the key to truly understanding the next topic you master.
