Pump Up Whiteboard Notetaking For Powerful Selling
How do you process information? By taking notes
. In traditional classes, we learned to write down everything. But for powerful selling, visual note taking at a whiteboard is much more powerful.
Curious how to pump up your whiteboard note taking? In talking with graphic facilitators, whiteboard sellers and creative visual story sellers, 5 practices consistently surface. It doesnt seem to matter what the topic is. It doesnt seem to matter what their expertise or role is.
All that matters is speaking a fluent visual languageone that is ready to go at a moments notice. If this sounds like fun, believe meit is a blast.
You might have to pinch yourself when youre in front of a serious group of analytical business folks and youre mapping things out in pictures and words. And guiding the conversation to ask the right questions, address concerns and simplify complex processes.
Unlike classic note taking, you wont write down every single word. Instead, youll capture key ideas and illustrate as you go along.
While there is a huge amount to learn to master the skill of whiteboard selling and impromptu visual note taking, these 5 top practices will get you started. Instantly.
1. Practice Like Crazy
Much like learning a foreign language, practice like crazy. Go wild. Draw, write and sketch ideas. Map information in different ways. Lists. Clusters. Columns. Branches.
The more you practice, the more fluid youll become.
2. Rehearse On Specific Topics
In addition to general practice, focus on the kinds of topics youll be discussing with customers and prospects. If youre showing a process flow for working with your company, sketch it out. If you are detailing frequently asked questions, practice visuals that make the concepts memorable.
3. Practice Listening
One of the least practiced skills is the one youll use the most: listening. There are hundreds of ways to practice listeningand visual note taking. Here are my top 7 favorites:
Capture telephone conversations
Depict a one-on-one interaction with a friend
Illustrate an inspirational talk--live or video
Translate the key ideas from a PowerPoint presentation
Show the flow of a lecture
Take visual notes during a staff meeting
Create a whiteboard record of a family discussion
Each of these rehearsals helps you develop better listening skills. If you dont like these suggestions, come up with your own. Focus on opportunities to learn new information, translate ideas into pictures and words, and invent on the spot.
4. Build Speed Skills
While many graphic designers, cartoonists and visual practitioners prefer to sketch in a journal or at a drafting table, working with a live audience is a different animal.
You must be ready for one thing: speed. Conversation is fast. You wont have time for tons of detail, changing your mind, or embellishing what youve drawn. In fact, its a less controllable than when youre sketching in your studio.
Working in front of an audience is improvisational art. You must come up with ideason the spot. Naturally, this is easier if youve been practicing all the steps weve just covered.
The trick here is to have a storehouse of responses so you can flow with fast input and unexpected twists and turns.
5. Improvise Like A Pro
With more ideas and more options the better. Develop a surplus and you'll feel more flexible and confident. When youre drawing at the whiteboard, everyone is watching. They may have preconceived ideas of what you will do. But truly, its up to you.
Youre managing the space of the whiteboard. Youre managing the tools, colors and markers. And youre managing the depth of detail.
About the only thing that can go wrong are things that you control. Specifically, your mental state. By keeping an open mind, non-judgmental attitude, its easier to stay in the flow of conversation.
If working at the
whiteboard for selling, presenting and training sounds appealing to you, use these 5 tips. Youll be pleasantly surprised. With a small amount of focus, practice and rehearsal, youll always have ideas ready to go.
by: Milly Sonneman
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