Gregory Tall teaches private workshops to make people better communicators–including workshops on diversity, equity, and inclusion.

He came to us for a workshop with about 90 participants with a focus on microaggressions for a repeat client of his. The client’s goal was to create an environment of learning about the topic in an unintimidating way. His virtual workshops are meant to be very engaging and interactive, so visual notes were a perfect fit. Participants are able to engage with the content both through Gregory’s presentation and visually through our notes.

“It’s amazing to me that someone can do that in the course of an hour. Seeing that creative process happen simultaneously to our discussion really boosts the appreciation for the workshop.”

Gregory Tall, the gregory tall company

In the past, Gregory found that his workshop packets were often left behind by participants–people always request take away documents, but never actually stay engaged with them because their brains are too full by the end of the workshop!

But visual notes are something people LOVE.

In Gregory’s experience, it can be hard to explain a topic as complex as microaggressions, but when people SEE it drawn, it clicks.

“The real work is in the conversations they have after the workshop, and the visual notes really facilitate that. They’re a big value add from my perspective.”

Gregory Tall

One of the main goals of the workshop was to keep the conversation going post-session. Gregory packs a lot of content into a few hours, and the visual notes helped the client keep the dialogue going.

In addition to being a reminder of the content discussed, the visual notes were also a great boost to Gregory’s business as marketing collateral, and to help him stand out.

“I imagine participants will keep that digital file forever, and that’s 90 pieces of marketing collateral for my company circulating out there. It’s much different than just a business card. The digital board is tied to an experience and I think people are more likely to remember it and share it with others. In fact, I’ve received a referral from that event!”

The Human Element in a Digital Space

Gregory always wanted to find a way to incorporate visual notes into one of his workshops after seeing us work at Chicago Ideas all the way back in 2014. For him, seeing the work in progress is one of the coolest parts of the visual note-taking process. So we collaborated to create a virtual setup where the artist could be seen drawing through a webcam with our traditional analog materials rather than our usual digital setup. This provided an experience much more centered on the creative process behind the visual notes during the course of the workshop.

Post-Workshop Value Add

In addition to using the visual notes as a post-workshop recap for his client, Gregory found the notes helpful as a self-assessment of his own content.

“It was great for me to see and understand how a listener receives my content. It was validating to see that the message I intended for the group was reflected on the board.”

Gregory Tall

You can learn more about Gregory Tall’s workshops on his website.