Visual Notes

For someone who is visually wired a sea of basic text kills my flow. My process of message prep is a bit unorthodox. For years I tried to digitally write my notes and then preach from a laptop or digital divice. The notes would take on a basic linear feel of line upon line in a basic word doc. I kept feeling so awkward in the flow of the notes and it would effect my ability to communicate. After a number of years I feel like for me I have established a great rhythm that works for me both on the prep side and delivery. So here are some of the basic principles of my prep and final note production.

I Always Start with Paper

For me to start in a device in terms of ferreting out ideas is too restrictive. I need something I can scribble on write arrows connecting other pieces of content and see all those notes and scribbles and images in context. So after years of wondering why I had glitches in prep I found out for me that analog was super important. It's almost like my brain works differently when interacting with paper and pen (or in my case mechanical pencil).

I "Widgetize" My Ideas & Then Connect Them

When I say widget I mean that I typically have compartments of stories, points, data, images (or other media), scripture and the like. All of these are written down irregardless of linkage and flow. Basically I don't start trying to create and outline. I have a crystallized thought and essentially create messy mind map of it all. Linking and group the content as I go all on paper. Get it all out! This is prayerful process, typically listening to God with some great music and coffee on the table. Anything goes here I don't restrict myself to topic. Whatever is on my heart and mind that formulates out of the process gets documented.

I Occasionally Scrap Book

Probably the most unorthodox part of my process is the occasional craft of scrapbooking around the idea of my message. It's almost a weird meditation time that happens while creating the art around the topic. This does not have to be sellable, ha. It's not pretty half the time but these montages mean something to me and they represent the broader idea I want to communicate. This crystalizes the "Big Idea" in me. I know it's weird but I thought I would share it as for me it has proven extremely potent.

Time to Digitize

I then take my notes and get them entered into a text document. Still "widgetized" but in more of an intuitive flow. I take the pieces and bits written down and start outlining them. Some of the stuff makes it, some does not, and other stuff comes to me at this point in the process too as it takes on more of a single idea shape. This is linear bits of titles and brief sentences down the doc. I don't really tweak hard on the flow here but I do spend a time on Intro, point progression and overall language.

Into the Design App (Illustrator)

At this point I either use a template I have created or design an entirely new layout (most often column based). Smaller columns seem to be more readable to me. This process of designing and styling the content is yet another time of rehearsal and meditation I take with the content. It also results in a prettier more polished message that you feel better about. I can't stand the absence of design so much that to just leave it as a doc would break my thinking during presentation. Call me crazy.

I design with the widgets in mind so that moving points, stories, scripture and media around is easy even in post. If I decide something works better elsewhere I can just shift it without breaking anything. I would love to build an app some day.

The cool thing abut columns and widgets is that making a liner single column layout for the iphone become super simple. Then you can simply thumb through your notes. I have also pushed my notes to the web like this before having created and html version of them that can be accessed by a mobile device. I love being able to rehearse and review my notes from the phone.

I Print Because Looking at Screens While Talking Bothers Me

I print and ensure a good legible size for the fonts. Sometimes tweak colors as they did not translate well to print. I maximize the "readability" of the doc and then place inside my oversized moleskine for presentation. I love being able to have one place to look back at all my previous messages. My brainstorming and prep and scrapbooking is in the same notebook. So on pages prior I can see the process of arriving at the ideas I now have posted and ready.

Final Thoughts in Process and Prep

A couple things that are important to me in communicating in a church setting most of which apply to any crowd. 1) The heart of God. What is the mode and feel and main goal of what I am communicating and how does it originate in God's desire for his people? This is discovered based on a feeling and my general knowledge of where the crowd is. 2) Crystallization: What is the big idea, the poten piece of communication woven into or driving the whole message. 3) Story & Content Types: I usually tag all widgets of content with a type label like story, point, scripture or word. This helps me see the balance of content types in the whole message. I usually lack in story so I can then go back in and consider that content type in the message. Hope this may help for those on the quest to optimize their prep and pres. I can email out any templates if anyone is interested. They are all illustrator files. Also I may start a kickstarter project to develop an app that would instantly throw people's content into established themes and styles of notes they could print or download as pdfs as I realize not everyone is design savvy but would love pretty notes.

OKC 2011 - Godzilla

After our third earthquake in a week (one of them record breaking for the history of the state, the hail storms, tornadoes and drought experienced this year I could not resist producing a quick photoshopped file of Godzilla and the OKC skyline. Here are the source files I used in the piece, the final artwork and the apps I used in the process. 

 

So I took these into photoshop started hue shifting, burn tooling the crap out of it, sharpening the skyline photo to match the Godzilla photo. Then created the title in Illustrator with a mask of OKC2011 over rock... Brought it into PS and repeated the above. Added a bit of fire and lightning (screened those and erased a bit). Then exported it and threw into Dropbox. On the iPhone I then loaded it into the app Halftone and added the texture for comic effect and then exported and brought up in Instagram. Grabbed the Valencia filter and violla. Good times. 

This is without iPhone filters... Below is the final posted. Sharing this because some people asked about making it. :) 

Good times. :) 

You're Not That Smart

Thinking this book looks fantastic but besides that I am into motion graphics and feel that this is one worth sharing. Very well done. Beautiful. Eat your heart out After Effects lovers. 

Moving Acceptance Speech by Dennis Rodman

Dennis Rodman expresses here what so many communicators fail to see. The value of vulnerability and honesty. It's not always about being slick, or polished. The most moving and powerful communication is often the most authentic and messy. Love this... Honesty tempered with humilty is pure gold.

Evil Wind Farms

Honestly I know this video is ridicudlous but that's why I love it. It makes a great point in it's extreme humor however. It seems to me that what fuels much of the issues and confusion in our country is the power of lobbyists? I wonder what would happen if we illegalized the lobby... Would parties even be so divided? I wonder how much financial power plays in the communication and position government officials take. 

Political or not this video is hilarious.