Adults Are Children Now; Bosses Have to Let Them Draw All Over Everything
The Wall Street Journal published a story Wednesday about a trend of companies encouraging their employees to organize their ideas and explain complicated concepts through "doodling."
Every once in a while, a line would slip in that revealed the kinds of "doodles" these people are really doing – lines and boxes:
"You don't have to be amazing artists... It's mostly boxes and lines and stuff like that to get your point across."
But, for the most part, the Journal was determined to conjure images of a corporate world-turned-Baby-Sitters Club, where whimsy is currency and every CEO is Claudia.
Here are the five best lines from the article:
1. Adults are teaching other adults how to doodle:
Firms are holding training sessions to teach employees the basics of what's known as visual note taking.
2. What actually happens when you give people classes on "visual note taking":
The company's offices are filled with jottings, from mathematical equations to doodles of cats and dollar signs.
3. If it cannot be conveyed via a cartoon, adults aren't tryna hear that noise.
[Other companies…] are hiring graphic recorders, consultants who sketch what is discussed at meetings and conferences, cartoon-style, to keep employees engaged.
4. The offices at Citrix Systems, Inc., a software company run by Claudia Kishi:
Whiteboards cover almost every wall and table. Markers, sticky notes and construction paper are readily available. There are also pipe cleaners and foam balls for 3-D models, and employees make props like hats and glasses to help them act out concepts.
5. What we learned today:
Mr. O'Hare says he isn't a good artist but the workshop taught him it was "OK to stand up in front of a group and draw stick figures…"
Also, everyone's doing a great job with their doodles and we're really proud of them for trying.