As project managers you face the daily challenge of making complex matters understandable; my tip: reach for pen and paper more often. The goal is less about a perfect final picture and more about the process—how an image emerges and thus creates clarity.

Why visualization matters

Putting your thoughts into images forces you to translate the abstract into the concrete.Even the simplest sketches make problems clearer and solutions easier to grasp:

• Reduce misunderstandings: Words alone often lead to confusion. A picture creates clarity and a shared understanding.
  
  
• Boost creativity: Drawing automatically opens up new perspectives that enable creative solutions.
  
  
• Low entry barrier: Not everyone is digitally inclined. We’ve all used pen and paper since childhood—everyone feels included.
  
  
• The journey is the reward: Drawing should be interactive. Asking “How would you draw that?” invites everyone to think and act along.
  
  
• Deceleration: Drawing—and talking about it—takes time. This gives space to people who prefer to form an opinion in silence instead of blurting out the first idea.

The greatest value is not the finished picture but the process.

Communication games to try

Many doubt the benefits of visualization. Here are three short simulations that are fun and instructive:

• Telephone game: Even though it’s for kids, try it with a work-related topic. The result always amazes adults, too.
  
  
• Draw from dictation: One person describes a (landscape) picture, others draw what they hear. Results vary widely and show how differently language is understood.
• Back-to-back drawing: Two people sit back to back; one explains, the other draws—ideally with optical illusions such as “Man or Mouse.” 

Putting visualization to work—including AI 

In almost every project-management task, pen and paper can help. Three examples: 

• Meetings: Visualization keeps everyone focused, produces better solutions, and builds more consensus.
  
  
• Stakeholder communication: We all know PowerPoint. Building a process visually in real time moves everyone forward.
  
  
• Quick start: Creating images in PowerPoint takes time; try sketching, snapping a photo, and uploading it to Mistral, ChatGPT, Gemini, etc.—you’ll be amazed by the results.

First steps—start right away 

You need neither special talent nor expensive gear:

• Use a pen with rich black ink for writing and a second pen for highlights—everyone has a highlighter.  

• Symbolism over realism: Basic shapes, arrows, simple pictograms, and stick figures are totally sufficient.  

• Make it clear up front: It’s about the process, not the artwork.  

Keep reminding yourself: it’s about how your pictures come into being, not primarily about the final result.

Want more? 

If you’re interested in visualizing to shape or capture dialogue, here are some further-reading tips:

• Dan Roam: The Back of the Napkin – the classic on making complex problems understandable with simple sketches.  

• Brandy Agerbeck: The Idea Shapers – hands-on guidance to create visual clarity right away.  

• Ole Qvist-Sørensen & Loa Baastrup: Visual Collaboration – an alternative to classic strategy consulting with simple, effective visual processes for various tasks.  

• Martin Hausmann: UZMO – Thinking with the Pen: Visual Presenting, Documenting, and Exploring – a comprehensive book on the easily learned bikablo technique for exploring, presenting, and recording ideas visually.  

Workshops, of course, abound:

• The bikablo academy offers workshops online, in Cologne, and in Alfter near Bonn.  

• Among many others, Lisa Lotta Lamm, Brandy Agerbeck, and Benjamin Felis have developed their own systems and often teach on-site as well as online.  

• Want to take it to the extreme? There’s even a Visual Facilitator Curriculum with a certificate at the bikablo academy—only for those with true passion.  

Conclusion 

Spontaneous drawing and sketching of ideas and dialogues is, in my opinion, an indispensable skill for project managers in an increasingly complex project environment. The act of drawing brings clarity, understanding, and better teamwork—give it a try!

At our next event on 10 July at cronn GmbH I (Dennis H. Proksch) will create a live graphic recording of the session—come and see for yourself whether live sketching is for you. Register here: https://pmi-gc.de/event/local-group-event/local-group-rheinland-event-cronn