Visual Mapping Is a Good Way to Document the Conversation

In the last two months, I've been to two meetings that were using a new technique to capture information, display it and then help people grasp the data or concepts because of the visual way in which it is displayed.

It's called visual mapping. Yesterday, Lori Rock, of Big Idea Zoo, was the person working throughout the day to capture what was being said and document it visually.  

I can see so many uses for this. First off, not all people are auditory learners. Giving them something to look at visually that is not just on a succession of flip charts will help them grasp the information. The idea that you do documentation on long rolls of paper helps in showing the flow of the conversation throughout the day.

Potential uses include:

• The first day of labor negotiations where the different sides layout their interests or positions would be helpful months later when you're still talking and trying to understand how you got to the point you're at now.
• Strategic planning sessions are another one where you can help visualize where the organization or industry is going.
• I suppose it would also be interesting to see how it might be used to document a tabletop exercise and the different stages of the event you are simulating.

Seattle doesn't have the corner on the market for this technique. If you do a bit of searching I bet you can find someone in your locale who is also doing this work.

And I can hear the wheels turning: How much does something like this cost? Like everything else, I'm sure you can find a variety of prices. A general guide would be $1,500 a day for a for-profit business with negotiated rates for nonprofits, etc.