Connections - Part 1

Sheri Kennedy • January 3, 2025

The Art of Applied Visual Thinking

The official newsletter of Applied Visual Thinking SUPERHEROES. Vol. 6 No. 1 January 3, 2025

Happy 2025 from Applied Visual Thinking! With the turning of the calendar page to a new year, I have been thinking about CONNECTIONS. Connections are crucial, and visual thinking can help us find new ways to connect and rejuvenate ancient methods.

According to a Gallop's State of the Global Workplace: 2024 Report, loneliness is most prevalent among younger and remote workers. More important than who or where workers are, however, is their level of ENGAGEMENT. That's one way visual thinking can help.

By expressing ideas and plans visually in addition to verbally, leaders can better ensure that all listeners can engage with their ideas in real time.

More good news — there are lots of ways to make connections. We can connect with other people, with animals or with nature, for example.

On New Year's Day, I was thinking about the connections we made last year by participating in hundreds or possibly thousands of little economies. Every time something is given and/or received, that's an economic transaction of some kind, barter of goods, exchange of ideas or skills.

Sometimes these exchanges are cyclical, sometimes one-way. I challenged myself and my family to respond to the following questions, promising bonus points for every time a sketch, icon or lettering hierarchy was used to convey a feeling or emphasis.

1.) What have you given this year and to whom? "What" might be time, money or skills, for example. "To Whom" might refer to individuals, organizations, pets, colleagues or classmates, or the Earth.

2.) What have you received this year and from whom? These might be things, skills, opportunities, or ideas from the same or different sources as above.

3.) What cycles of giving and receiving do you participate in? For example, you might offer your skills and wisdom as a mentor to someone from whom you receive heart-filling gratitude and new music recommendations. Perhaps you take the minutes for your condo association, and in return you always feel "in the loop" about what is happening.

Feeling inspired? Grab a piece of paper and try answering these questions for yourself, and don't forget to use visuals!

If you are ready to take it one more step, try this. Looking over your lists, how do you feel about each of these? Use emojis or simple smiley or frowny faces to indicate which of these give and take examples make you feel good vs. not so good. Does the balance sometimes feel tipped more toward giving or receiving, or is it generally balanced?

New Year's Reset: If you can capture your emotional response to your examples, you might gain insight into which of these types of connections you might want more of in the upcoming year, and which you might scale back on.