Visual Insight Tweet Chat: “Language of Imagination”

We at Visual Insight have been researching how imagery affects imagination in the subtlest yet most profound ways. Even though words are not fit to describe the “alternative language” of visuals, we enjoy the challenge. We also enjoy an engaging conversation, and we’re eager to hear what the folks in our network have to say on this topic. So, we have decided to convene a tweet chat, and we would be honored if you joined us on Tuesday, August 20th, from 10-11am (Pacific Standard Time) to discuss the “Language of Imagination.”

Please RSVP at this link.

What is a Tweet Chat? A Tweet Chat, or Twitter Chat, brings a group of interested people together at a set time using Twitter as their communication platform. Using the hashtag #VIchat, @VisualInsight will pose a series of questions during a one-hour timeframe, which will be answered by participants also using the hashtag #VIchat. Questions will be labeled Q1, Q2, Q3, etc. and corresponding answers will be A1, A2, A3, etc.

The series of tweets forming a conversation can be followed on http://twubs.com/VIchat or when clicking on #VIchat through Twitter’s site. Users will retweet or respond to others’ answers using the #VIchat hashtag. We look forward to a compelling dialogue among peers. We’ll learn a lot from each other and meet others with similar interests from all over the world. For more background on Tweet Chats please visit this link.

Tweet Chat Topic Questions

How do you feel group dynamics change when ideas are turned into pictures?

Visual communicators illustrate the ideas of groups. What if group members were to draw the ideas themselves?

Is it part of a visual communicator’s job to help those of us who don’t self-identify as “artists” express ourselves visually?

Is it becoming more or less natural for us to express ourselves with visuals in a collaborative setting?

Our Vision

I have been involved in an M.A. program in Depth Psychology specifically to understand what we are beginning to call the “imaginal” function of the human mind, and how that creative force works collectively. I know leaders among leaders who encourage the use of visuals for people to share their stories with one another in order to create stronger teams. I am thus certain that this type of visual communication is future-oriented communication, and I am curious about how diffuse it is as a practice.

In my experience as a graphic recorder, it is my belief that visuals connect people on a deeper psychic level, enabling them to imagine possibilities together in a way that cannot happen with words alone. Visual communication is somewhere between reality and dreams. When the images come from the heart, they can help shape our thinking, our feeling, and our reality. In groups, this can be a powerful mover of energy.

Graphic recorders—or as we call ourselves, “visual journalists,” because we are scribes as well as artists—are often brought into meetings as a novel approach to capturing content. But our function is broader than that. We are creating the Big Picture—a story that has coherence not only on a logical level, but also on an emotional and imaginal plane.

– Eileen Clegg, Visual Insight Founder/Principal