One of the great things about sketchnotes in my opinion is that you can practise your skills and use them in your day job. I’ve been lucky enough to do so in the past few years, so allow me to suggest a few ways in which you can do so too:
Workshops
It all started when I was introduced to sketchnotes at a work meeting in Germany. During the workshop we explored different ways to use sketchnotes for work purposes, such as event posters or even a visual CV. As part of the exercise I had a go at drawing an event agenda.
I also attended an event where one of the workshops was about sketchnotes and visual recording. So if you are looking for a creative workshop at a work event or you want to explore a different way to brainstorm, then I do recommend you to look into it.
Event agenda
I only made an event agenda once, but I did find it a very useful exercise to visualise the structure of a day in a clear and creative way. At that time I was working with youth organisations that were very receptive to it, which was really encouraging.
Attending work-related events
Using sketchnotes is a great way to summarise the content of a session or even of a whole event you attended. I started off doing sketchnotes on the train on my way back after an event. Later on I took notes in pencil during a session and then finalised them during the break or after the event. As a final step, after building up a lot more confidence, I am now drawing them ‘live’ during an event.
Training sessions
I’m one of those people who takes note by hand as it helps me to remember things better. Another way of doing that is by creating a sketchnote. The added value of this is that it makes the training takeaways a lot easier to share with colleagues afterwards.
Illustrating reports
Something I did more recently was using sketchnotes to visually summarise the first Flagship Conference organised by Social Platform, as well as its key messages. I also used sketchnotes to create a sort of infographic for a report on the Multiannual Financial Framework Social Platform published not long ago.
Meeting notes
Last but definitely not least, I use sketchnotes often during meetings. Especially when I was working at the European Commission I used them to capture the different points during a team meeting and turn them into a meeting summary. In other cases it is more handlettering or doodling, but it really helps me to stay present and follow the conversations.
For more sketchnote inspiration, check out my blog posts on:
Are you using sketchnotes at work in a different way? Let me know! 🙂
Annelies Explores 