Thinking at a Workshop
I attended an amazing conference over the past week and had very little time to sketch. In fact, this is the only sketch I did the whole time. I had taken my eyes off the speaker and become diverted by noticing the uniform body language of the other participants. It looked like the body language of learning when a whole class is in sync. It was exciting to see and I had to do my best to capture it.
Teachers work hard preparing and delivering their lessons for just this kind of moment, the moment of impact. The presenter shows he knows he has the learners in his hands and does everything he can to not distract their attention from the idea. He stands quietly and smiles gently to encourage the learners to think. His arms are up in an open arc as though he is handing off something important, thereby priming the participants to consider the big idea.
The stillness of the learners sends back the message to the teacher and to each other that they understand that they have received a significant idea worthy of deep consideration. They look inward or at the speaker and some hands are touching heads in a classic sign of thinking. Their somewhat flat facial expressions strengthen the message that they are thinking by indicating that no one wants to speak or compete with the idea. The idea has captivated all.
This was a line sketch in my notebook and some of the page also had my notes on it. I took a picture of it and used Procreate to erase my notes and to add some color. I also used Snapseed to enhance the paper’s texture.
