Four Types of Conversations: Part 1 of 4

Deborah DeLue • February 27, 2025

The Art of Applied Visual Thinking

The official newsletter of Applied Visual Thinking SUPERHEROES. Vol. 6 No. 5, February 28, 2025

How to Supercharge Your Conversations with Visual Thinking

Ever been in a conversation that felt like trying to solve the same puzzle with two different sets of pieces? You’re not alone. Studies show that people remember 65% of information when paired with visuals—compared to just 10% with words alone. That’s because our brains process images 60,000 times faster than text.

Words alone often fall short in driving alignment and collaboration. That’s where visual thinking comes in—using frameworks, diagrams, and template to make ideas clearer, more engaging, and more memorable.

Two people trying to put together a puzzle with pieces that don't match

Every conversation has a purpose: persuading, informing, advising, or collaborating. When you identify the type of conversation you’re having, you can use the right visual tools to enhance clarity, engagement, and decision-making.

Today's issue is the first in a four part series about the four key conversation types.

The Four Conversation Types

Sell – Persuade, motivate, and drive decision-making. Whether you’re pitching a product, securing buy-in for an idea, or convincing stakeholders to take action, visuals reduce uncertainty and strengthen emotional appeal.
Tell – Deliver precise, structured, and digestible information. When explaining a process, providing instructions, or ensuring alignment, visuals simplify complexity and improve retention.
Consult – Facilitate discussions, provide expert insights, and guide decision-making. Advising a client? Leading a strategy session? Visuals help structure discussions, organize complexity, and create clarity.
Co-Create – Foster collaboration, spark creativity, and build collective ownership. Brainstorming new solutions? Designing strategies? Visuals help organize diverse input, make abstract concepts tangible, and drive engagement.

Graphic showing 4 types of conversations - Sell, Tell, Consult and Co-Create

Today, we'll explore the first of the four conversation types, the Sell.

Selling is persuasion. Anytime you're looking to get someone to see things your way and take action, you're selling and visuals can help. This is true in business and in life. For example, if you want your team to agree on your next project or you want your family to join you on a bucket list adventure, these are great opportunities to sell.

Best Visual Tools for Selling

Storytelling visuals (before-and-after sketches, journey maps) to help audiences visualize transformation.
Comparison charts or 2 x 2 to make benefits stand out.
Metaphors (“Your business is like a car—without strategy, it has no GPS”) to simplify complex ideas.

Example: A sales rep presents a visual journey map showing how their software streamlines workflow, reducing inefficiencies and boosting productivity.

Your Challenge: Try It in Your Next "Sell" Conversation

Step 1: Pick an upcoming conversation where you will want to convince, persuade or sell one or more people.
Step 2: Use one of the visual thinking tools above as your framework or create your own. It could be the tool you're most comfortable with or a new tool that you want to explore.
Step 3: Create a quick meeting map including the key points you want to cover during your conversation. New to meeting maps? Download a free meeting map template here.
Step 4: Jot down a few notes about how you'll use hierarchy, color and images to support your message.
Step 5: Grab something to draw on and something to draw with then sketch a quick visual of the visual tool you've chosen.
Step 6: Practice makes progress: Using everything you've considered/created, take your visual thinking tool a test drive. Enlist the help of a colleague or friend and walk through how you imagine the conversation will go. Notice where the tools provided the support you needed and what might need to be further clarified. Make the necessary tweaks and try again until you feel everything flows smoothly.
Step 7: Put it to use: Apply your chosen framework during the conversation and observe the impact. Make note of what went well and what you might to differently the next time.

Using visuals during your conversations can increase clarity, focus and alignment and make your message more memorable. Join us next time for Part 2 in this series as we take a deeper dive into using visuals to deliver important information with ease, clarity and impact.

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