XPLANE Explained - A Workshop on Visual Thinking
The fall series of MaRS events got off to a tremendous start with an engaging workshop by Xplane CEO and Founder, David Gray. This event attracted a broad range of attendees, with representatives from venture capital, business consulting, technology and the local tech-based blogging community.
Xplane is an information design firm that develops visual maps and stories to make complex business concepts easier to understand. Their work has been featured in many of the leading business magazines, such as Business 2.0, and their clients include the likes of HP, Microsoft, BP and Sun. One look at their work and its value is clear.
Using the “Lessig Method” of rapid-fire presenting (958 slides in 3 hours), David grabbed and never relinquished the audience’s attention during the workshop. The participants learned about visual thinking and specific methods to convey complex ideas efficiently and effectively. With the increasing cost of capturing someone’s attention in today’s information overload environment, visual thinking provides a better way to get through to potential customers and investors.
Sticking to fundamental concepts, Gray sought to educate and change the mindset of the audience instead of trying to provide quick fixes. These included cognitive friction (how much effort it takes to learn something new) and using building blocks to tell a story and shape a plan and presentation, to name just a few.
Feedback from this event showed that attendees of this workshop benefited from Gray’s insights into thinking visually and his process for presenting complex ideas. Whether it’s for employees, partners or investors, these skills will certainly help anyone who has a story to tell.
FURTHER READING
BROWSE PAGES
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