How can I learn graphic facilitation?
Are you interested in learning more about the practice of graphic facilitation? We’ve put together a mini list of things to get you started - including a few ways you can practice on your own, training opportunities, and how to connect with others in the field.
Practice
Graphic facilitation is about listening to what other people are saying and drawing their ideas. There are lots of easy ways to start practicing this on your own, even without a room full of people.
Draw a podcast: You can start by drawing a podcast. Choose something you already like listening to if you can. You might find it easiest to choose a podcast that is more structured, and examines a single topic. Just have a piece of paper or sketchbook, and a pen ready to go, then start listening and drawing and see where it takes you! A podcast that is around 15 - 20 minutes would be a great place to start.
Practice quick drawing: Check out this resource we developed. It’s a mini practice guide to support you developing and bringing visual tools into your engagement practice. It includes a section on developing quick drawing methods, which is helpful for getting started in graphic facilitation.
Take a Course
There are lots of awesome graphic facilitators out there to learn from! Everyone approaches the work in their unique way, so it can be helpful to learn from a couple of different people, and then go from there to develop into your own style.
We’ve taken a few courses - including at The Grove (in San Francisco CA) and Drawing Change (in Vancouver BC). These were both really helpful to hear about the field, learn in a large classroom setting, and get some practice drawing on large paper. Plus we met some awesome people along the way!
The Ink Factory offers a shorter, self paced online course on visual notetaking. We haven’t tried it ourselves, but it might be a neat one to try out to start out. If you enroll in it, let us know how it goes for you!
Here at Elkplan Design we have run training workshops at the Canadian Institute of Planners conferences in 2023 and 2024, and are looking at offering further training opportunities in graphic recording at our studio in Vancouver in 2025. Please reach out if you’d like to stay updated about this.
Connect with other Graphic Facilitators
One great organization that we are a part of is the International Forum of Visual Practitioners. They are an international forum of visual practitioners, who come together to advance the field of visual practice. The forum offers offers educational, and networking opportunities too! Plus, they have this neat little map to find other practitioners near you and around the world!
A lot of graphic facilitators have instagram accounts, where they share examples of their work. This can be a great way to connect and get inspired too! You can find us on instagram here.
We hope this helps as you start your learning journey! Keep us posted along the way - we’d love to see your work.
