5 Tips for Creating Amazing Visual Models

Do you want to know some of our secrets for creating great visual models? 

Here at Think RAPT, our speciality is turning your intellectual property into compelling visual models.

So today, we thought we’d share with you our top tips for making your Visual Models go from mediocre to amazing.

Tip 1: Be clear about what you’re extracting

We’ve identified 4 clear Visual Models as part of the Think RAPT System (some models have submodels, but that’s a topic for another time).

You need to know what it is you’re extracting and why.

If you don’t do this, you’ll end up with a visual model that is confusing and potentially makes more of a mess than it solves.

The 4 Key Visual Models we’ve identified are:

• Results 
• Answers
• Process
• Target

They each have slightly different extraction questions. 

So, before you sit down to create a visual model ask yourself:

What am I extracting? 

Am I showing people the journey of someone in their position, or maybe you’re showing them the different variables of success? You likely have a RESULTS MODEL.

Are you showing people the key things they need to have in order to achieve their goal? You likely have an ANSWERS MODEL. 

Are you showing people the step-by-step process you take them through to get to their goal? That’s a PROCESS MODEL.

Finally, are you showing them the benefits of following your step-by-step process? Then you have a TARGET MODEL.

We recommend extracting all of these models for a more complete visual picture of your Intellectual Property. 

Tip 2: Extract completely and then chunk 

One thing we encourage in extraction is the phrase “Thank you brain, keep it coming”. We have a tendency to stop partway through extracting and begin to organise our thoughts. 

However, it’s important that you extract completely before you begin to chunk.

Why? Because you are likely to miss something or not see the full picture if you start chunking your ideas too early. 

Tip 3: Chunk things into between 3-7 chunks

We don’t want the Visual Model to be overly complicated. Simplification is one of the key goals you’re trying to achieve. 

We have found that between 3-7 chunks for a model is a sweet spot to ensure people remember their own models and for their clients to recall them. 

2 chunks is barely a model. And 8 is just too many to remember! 

Should you have an even or odd number of chunks? 

There’s common wisdom that we’re more likely to be intrigued by odd numbers (even the number of tips in this list is odd). And while that’s definitely true, here at Think RAPT we like it when things are odd numbers, but we don’t push it.

If a model is really only 4 chunks, we don’t add an extra one for the sake of it. That adds complexity - something we’re trying to avoid.

Tip 4: Consistency in words 

I don’t know if this is a personal bugbear, but one of the things that helps a Visual Model to feel finished and polished is to have a consistent number of words in each chunk of a model. 

Take, for example, this model below:

There is one word per chunk.

Some of them could’ve been two or three, but that would have made it look less polished.

You can have different numbers of words across different models, but you should aim for internal consistency in each model.

There are exceptions to this rule, but that’s a level of complexity for another time. 

Tip 5: Get someone experienced to check your work

You really want someone who knows the Think RAPT System and Visual Models inside and out to double-check your work.

Quite often we can’t see the forest for the trees. I don’t even create Visual Models in isolation - I have certified specialists to also check my work. 

This is such a crucial part of the process, we even made a DIY program that has a built-in feedback session for this exact reason.

We call it Game Changer, because it really is a Game Changer.

Not only do you create high-quality Visual Models for your business at a fraction of the price of our flagship service (Authority Accelerator), you also get a Certified Specialist to give you feedback to turn your 90% perfect model into a 99% perfect model. 

If you’ve been stuck on creating your own Visual Models (but aren’t ready to invest in Authority Accelerator), the Game Changer program is the perfect place to start.