Virtual needs visual

Newsflash: communication is hard. It is likely the biggest challenge that any group of more than 1 person faces.?

I’m not talking about whether someone understands the words you speak at a dictionary level (though that’s not as easy as one might assume). I’m talking about the transferal of meaning and ideas; of getting more than one person to understand (not necessarily agree to) a story in a similar way.?

Too often we are stuck in multiple conversation disorder without realizing it. Or we struggle to actually listen . Clear communication of intent and meaning is difficult to do in perfect situations.?

Alas, perfect doesn’t exist - definitely not in the virtual working world. The absence of body language subtlety and immediate proximity for clarification makes virtual communication even harder than in-person.

Here’s a recent example that might be any thousand of examples from the last few years:?

I was involved in an “VERY IMPORTANT” project with a diverse group of stakeholders. The group came from different business, experience, linguistic, and cultural backgrounds. We were under pressure to quickly learn a new environment, diagnose key issues, and outline concrete recommendations for the future.

Being spread around the world, we conducted this work virtually. As we began the clunky process of getting to know the topic and each other, we stumbled through the fuzziness of not really understanding the topic or even what questions to ask. More… we struggled to actually understand what each other was trying to say. Someone heard one term and interpreted it entirely differently than was meant. Conclusions were jumped to; misalignments festered; meetings were circular and inefficient; conflict arose; and progress was tepid.

Everyone had good intentions, but the frenetic urgency to DO and the absence of rapport meant we bumped into each other like Mario Kart racers. Classic stuff. With pressure ramped up, and this work being on top of daily tasks, minds were not at their levelest. After some ‘interventions’ and open discussions, we finally got things more on track. But it was a slog.

What does this have to do with visualization?

As we formed and stormed our way forward with only words in our ears and (confused) thoughts in our heads, I noticed that our communication was really struggling. In particular, most of our work was done in the ancient business structure of “one person saying a monologue that they think responds to another person’s monologue, when really they’re both just talking at each other rather than with each other.” We were missing effective interaction and meeting structures, and we were mostly using our mouths and ears - rarely using our eyes to look at things while we discussed them.?

Eventually, we started visualizing our discussions more through brainstorms on virtual whiteboards, context mapping, workshopping, and simple screen-sharing. It made a HUGE difference in our progress and understanding. Turns out it’s much easier to understand something when you can see it. And it’s easier for a group of motivated and opinionated people to move forward when they can see the differences they’re discussing, rather than relying on everyone’s (vastly) different interpretations of semantics.?

The importance of visualizing topics for virtual work became painfully clear to me during this journey.?

Effective virtual collaboration

Virtual collaboration demands visualization of discussions and topics. A picture truly is worth 1000 words and goes a great way toward forcing people to communicate better; especially when you’re not standing beside them in person. Our brains remember and digest information better when there is a visual element to it - not just audible.?

Speaking of memory… with the omnipresent overload of CONTENT from vampiric social media, entertainment, and news channels, who has ANY space left in their heads to remember something they hear? Not I. But show me something, and now we can work.?

In this virtual business sense, I’m talking about the simple act of showing (or visualizing) something while you discuss it or work on it (through screen sharing or looking at the same shared document / virtual board). Sounds pretty simple, right??

For whatever reasons, I’ve noticed that many in Corporate Earth struggle to do this: to visualize and show things. While it might seem simple enough to use a virtual whiteboard or PPT to visualize pros / cons or map out a set of topics, it often doesn’t happen. Instead, like in my project, groups play “dueling monologues” as they bloviate their way through decisions or projects, without taking time to outline topics or show views visually.?

I have many hypotheses on why people struggle with this (fear of being “wrong,” simple laziness, years of conditioning, being an insecure senior manager, etc.). Since this is LinkedIn where we only show our flattering parts, I’ll spare you my cynical musings on why so many Corporate Earther's are so uncomfortable to visualize.?

Why is something this simple worth this many words?

You might be thinking: This is incredibly basic. Why is something so mundane worth this many words??

Visualizing is critical for virtual work because it is the easiest tactic you can use to do things more effectively over the cyber spaces. It is the juiciest fruit hanging the lowest on the tree of better collaboration.?

When we look at what we’re talking about, not simply talk, it slows us down. It forces us to really consider whether my “up” and your “up” mean the same thing. It challenges us to speak clearer and simpler about our views. It takes some abstract concept floating around in mental space and concretizes it into a comparable, viewable form.?

Scientific studies show that our brains process visuals much faster than text and that we remember information better with images. If you want a painfully non-visual account of some of this research, check out this report . It summarizes a LOT of research into how visualization can improve decision-making in ambiguous environments or improve cognitive “response time” in situations (i.e. efficiency).?

Pictures give groups a way to understand something in a common way, and makes a topic more memorable and accessible to newcomers. Especially in teams with many linguistic backgrounds where people often don’t use their native language, pictures concretize discussions and thinking better than just words.??

Visualizing in virtual settings is easy

The challenge isn’t really to visualize work. The real challenge I see with teams is to set the habit and expectation that team discussions should be visual activities, not just bad debate team impressions.

Here are some simple ways to “visualize” in your virtual work:

• Screen-sharing: it’s not rocket science and it’s the obvious place to start. Show what you’re talking about while you talk about it. Doesn't matter whether it’s a fancy diagram, a PPT outline, or scribbled notes summarizing your views. Do it and set the expectation in your team that others should too when they’re explaining something.?
• Visualize discussions in simple brainstorms: in virtual work, it’s so easy to use virtual whiteboards (or even PPT) to quickly and visually collect group input on a decision, question, or brainstorm. Yet we often ask what people think in purely verbal ways. Whenever there’s a question or topic where you want the group to weigh in, use a simple virtual brainstorm with sticky notes so that responses are verbal and visual.
• Your sticky note = your voice: I try to use this “rule” in many of the workshops that I run. So many great ideas get lost or misunderstood because people don’t jot it down. Building on the first two suggestions, set the expectation that everyone is responsible for jotting down their own ideas.
• Mind mapping: a classic technique to list out all elements and items conceptually related to a specific topic and then arrange them in ways that make sense. This is a wonderful way to make sense of a confusing topic and to collect productive input from colleagues. By showing them what you’re thinking about or where you are stuck, it is easier to move forward than if you just talk about it. There are many tools specifically built for this, but I generally use simple sticky notes to map out a topic, using a format that others can access without needing specific licenses.?
• Quick Mock-ups: another simple tactic is to use digital whiteboards (or even uploaded pictures of your hand scribbles) to “mock-up” a topic visually. This could be showing how a process might change (using visual steps), what an app idea could look like, what you have in mind for a PPT slide, or even just outlining your ideas on a problem through a sketched diagram. Mock-ups are wonderful ways to facilitate better brainstorming. They are a great way to get past those moments when your colleagues just don’t understand your brilliant ideas for how something should change.?

• Canvases: another common method for capturing key information about a topic, canvases are a great way for teams to visually (and conceptually) organize their thinking around a specific topic. Classic examples include the business model canvas , value proposition canvas , or even a project canvas or a team canvas . If you can think of it, there’s probably a “canvas” for it. In design thinking projects, my team often builds a “context map” which is essentially a version of a canvas that outlines key information about the topic we are working on. It helps us build a stronger understanding of the topic and clearly point out to our colleagues where we are unsure of something.?
• Agile Visual Management: At a broader level, entire departments can organize their priorities, work, and statuses visually; which is even more important virtually than in-person. Lean organizations have long used visual management tactics to apply and reinforce effective workflows across small and large groups. With an emphasis on transparency, teams can (virtually) set up boards to track progress and activities across different areas. These boards typically include elements like key KPIs, workstreams, status indicators (with colors), open problems, team health checks, ongoing improvement efforts, and any other information that is relevant to the team.

And there are so many other methods you can use to keep virtual work visual (and effective). Whether it’s a simple group discussion, or a structured 5-day design sprint, visualization is a key to effective virtual collaboration.??

Words are mushy, confusing, and abstract. Here’s a simple way to make communication easier: show your ideas! Don’t just say your ideas!

Or, we could continue to spew words, praying that someone else will actually listen, actually understand our meaning, and actually remember it. They probably won’t…?

So save yourself the trouble! Channel your inner kindergartener to show AND tell. I don’t want to hear what you think. But I’ll gladly look at it.