Well, logistically speaking, at the points in an agenda where the whole group is conversing, I'm standing at the front of the room with a big sheet of paper taped to the wall. Roughly, it's four feet tall and six to eight feet long. As the group is speaking, I'm drawing a map of the conversation. It is in real-time and in front of them. The group can literally see what they are saying.

I call it a map, because it's one integrated piece of words and images that represents the points being said.

Check out my online portfolio. It'll give you a sense of the end products.

I believe a big part of what I do is the process and the experience which you can't see outside of an event.

No, I'm your silent partner. I'll ask a clarifying question if I need to. It's your show. I'm helping you facilitate through my written words, not spoken ones.

I love being the visual partner to the facilitator. I'm not vying for your position. Meanwhile I've got over a decade of event experience, so you can bounce ideas off of me. Ask me my read on the group.

I can be very independent, sort of a stand alone role. Or I can work with you in the design of the event. We can discuss where visual tools can best work with your event and your client. Either end of the spectrum. I take my cue from you.

I'm not capable of doing both roles at once. I am dedicated to the visual capture and synthesis.

If you're the project manager, leader, boss, I can work with you. As long as you are managing the event, the time, keeping the conversation on track, I'm good.

I like what you do, but I don't know how to use you.

If you haven't been in a meeting that uses a graphic facilitator, it's hard to imagine it.

Thankfully, with my years of experience, I know when GFing works and when it won't. I'm happy to talk more about your event and your needs to see if I'm a good addition.

Please contact me with questions, and I'll be happy to give you my opinion on whether I can be of value to you and your event.

It all depends on the process. If the design of your ideation session is generating lists and selecting from those lists - a diverge and converge model - I'm honestly not very useful. Sure, I've got good penmanship and am fast, but it's not the best use of my skills.

I really love sessions that are based around conversations. Big, messy conversations around complex problems. If your ideation session is built around conversation (vs. list-making), I could be a great addition.

I'm always happy to talk more and let you know if I will or won't be of value in your event.

I'm open to discuss non-event projects. Sometimes it's done virtually. Sometimes clients hire me for a day or two to be onsite and work in real-time with them to visualize their work, draw models, create graphics.

Contact me with your specific needs and we can discuss it.

No, it's my job to capture the main points and the broad themes and synthesizing them. On some events, my clients hire stenographers to capture that level of detail in words, if that's what's needed.

On many events, I am the primary person documenting. I feel my work does capture a good amount of detail, and excels at relating points to each other, and finding patterns. If you know you need a very detailed amount of capture, consider hiring a graphic recorder instead. Or adding a stenographer or transcriptionist to the event.

What sized groups have you worked with?

I've worked one on one, and up to a group of 1000. The main difference is how we set up the room so that the most people can see me drawing as I'm drawing.

Generally, a group up to 80 people can be arranged so that they can see what my drawing as I'm drawing. Up to that size group, I can be very effective.

In larger group, it helps to have a videographer and a screen, or me on a platform. In very large groups (think 100's), people will check out my drawings during breaks and after the event.

We can discuss your specific needs and logistics.

I argue strongly to be at the front of the room, because then my drawing can truly be facilitating the group, and they can watch their progress through my work. I don't have to be absolute front and center. Most events involve a projected presentation or video, so I'm set up on the left or right of the screen.

Occasionally, I'll be drawing on a side wall, by request of the facilitator. That's feasible, but it usually cuts me off from more of the room. And I really don't like to be at the back of the room, because the opportunity to facilitate is truly lost.

If you are the facilitator or the speaker and you're worried about me being a distraction, I think you'll find that your group will fall into an ease with both of us working together. And because what I'm drawing is in service to the group and your content, it focuses people rather than distracting them. And I promise - no charichartures or cheap visual jokes at your expense.

Now that's where I'm a distraction. I strongly feel that it's not valuable for me to rehash what's being presenting on the screen. Powerpoint is usually representing data and much more detailed level of information. I'm best leveraged mapping out a debrief or discussion from a presentation, not the presentation itself.

There are colleagues who will draw during presentations, and for presentation-heavy conferences. I choose and excel at events that are designed for conversation over presentation.

You keep all the charts/maps I draw.

Some clients (especially smaller groups) hang the original charts in their work areas so they can continue to work from them. I'm not at all precious about those drawings - do whatever you need to do with them to get more good work done. Hang them, mark them up.

I also give you digital photos of the drawings.

During the event, I take digital pictures of the charts. I clean those up, by balancing the color. They end up looking a lot like the images in my portfolio, with a white background. I'll give you large jpeg files (good for print) and smaller gifs (ready to be emailed or posted to a webpage).

You are receiving digital photos whose quality is cotingent on the onsite lighting. It's a good idea to keep the originals if you're looking to recreate the them in print at a large scale.

Normally, I snap the pictures and clean the images during my downtime in an event. I can usually hand you a USB memory key and give you the images before I leave. If that isn't possible, my turnaround time is usually 24-48 hours.

I strongly recommend getting my digital images to every participant as soon as possible. Most folks leave an event rarin' to get going on the work they started. Often, they lose their momentum after the event, because the aren't in contact with their co-participants and often they are waiting weeks, months for the document of the event. If there is one.

The gifs I give you can instantly be posted to an intranet, emailed to people as a thank you. These images are packed with meaning and memory. Give them to the participants so they can take those next steps.

Wait!

The charts are great working documents for the people who participated in the event. Many participants use the images to explain what they accomplished to others in the company. Using the images as a map to guide others through the process is great. Many naturally use the images this way and act as good stewards of the event, the process, the images.

I don't think the images work as a standalone document. A big part of the image is the experience of being there, watching it being built while being part of the conversation. These images are very experiential, and don't have the same meaning as those who weren't in the room.

If you are going to post the images to a larger audience, please introduce them with some context setting text.

I can discuss creating summary and communication images as a post-event project.

I have the skills, but I don't love doing it. And I'm relatively expensive.

Please, be my guest, and hand off my digital images to someone more willing, in-house, outsourced and/or cheaper!

If you do need my help, let me know.

Travel, hotel, meals and materials.

Commonly materials run about $40 for a one or two day event for paper, markers and tape. If there isn't a suitable wall at the event location, we can discuss the expense of building a temporary wall.

Short answer, no. I work a full day.

Some clients with a half day event will coordinate a second half day event at the same location to better use my services. That's perfectly fine by me, as long as I get at least a lunch break to mentally switch gears.

The only exception is if your meeting is in downtown Chicago and less than four hours.

Super. The first thing I do write a confirmation of engagement contract for the event. Within that agreement is a 25% deposit, due upon reciept with the contract.

Once I receive your deposit and signed contract; I am committed to your project. I am not booked until that point.

Once the contract is squared away we can talk more about the details of the event. With my level of experience, I'm very adaptable. I like to talk to the facilitator and run through the agenda. Ideally, this is a context setting conversation for me, covering the basics.

No need to send me loads of presentations or documents. I don't want or need a lot of detail beforehand. If I know the objectives and the basic agenda, I can adapt on the fly.

I understand that agendas need to adapt too, so we'll usually check in during the event.

After the event is completed, I'll bill you for the remaining 75% of my time and the expenses. The terms of the second, final invoice are net 30 days.

Good question. I've got two main differentiators: style and synthesis.

I've got a very specific style, set apart from my colleagues. Happily, I've got a epic portfolio page so you can see clearly what my style is.

My brain is hardwired to sythnesis information, making connections, find patterns. If you're looking for 100% capture, without individual points being connected and integrated, I'm not your gal. If you value the synthesis and respond to my style, please contact me.

Sure. I'm in Chicago. I am a seasoned business traveler, but I do not drive.

If I'm traveling for an event, it's best if I can get in the night before. I tend to get an early start to set up, so red-eye flights the day of don't work, and are usually too risky.

Unless I need to spend a day on a camel's back to get to the worksite, I don't charge travel time.

Yes. My dayrate is 25% higher.

Sadly, I'm still only fluent in English.

If I had the superpower to understand and write in any language, I would RULE the WORLD!

No, not at this time.

If you need me on a slow boat to China, we'll have to discuss it.

Occasionally, with international travel, I'll expense a hotel room for a night or two before the event. Time to adjust to the time change and be focused and clear headed for your event.

I was very, very fortunate.

No high school guidance counselor could have told me I'd be doing this. Stay tuned for the story.

Sure thing. I'd be happy to. I'm rarely given them. I assume that all my work is internal, confidential, sensitive content. I don't reproduce or publish event images without the client's permission.

The bulk of my online portfolio is public programs, personal "visual book reports," etc. Not client work - unless given permission and scrubbed of sensitive information.

Thank you for reading!
Graphic facilitator Brandy Agerbeck creates conceptual maps of conversations. Since 1996, her drawing and thinking skills have facilitated groups in finding clarity and understanding their work. Brandy has worked with groups from 2 to 1000, across industries, creating images to help people navigate the complex world around them. Please contact Brandy with more questions!