Visual Thinking Workshop Summary – Agile Tour Kaohsiung 2019

Every year, I spend some time in Taiwan. It’s an excuse to take a side-trip to Japan, and a great way for the kids to bond with their maternal grandparents. This year, we decided to spend more time there than we normally would as we wanted to give our oldest daughter the opportunity to attend a local kindergarten.

The Agile Tour Taiwan 2019

During our stay, I had the opportunity to run a Visual Thinking workshop at Agile Tour Kaohsiung 2019. It was a fantastic experience—a diverse group of practitioners from various backgrounds and industries, all curious about visual thinking.

Workshop Overview

Objectives

• Build confidence in visual communication
• Demonstrate that visual thinking isn’t about art skills
• Show practical applications in agile contexts
• Enable participants to use visual techniques in their teams

Activities

Icebreaker with Icons We started by having everyone draw simple icons with just basic shapes. This immediately broke the myth that you need to be able to draw to do visual thinking.

Sketchnote Practice Participants practiced capturing key ideas from short talks using visual notes. The focus was on showing their understanding, not creating art.

Collaborative Mapping Teams worked together to visually map a process or concept. This demonstrated how visual thinking facilitates shared understanding.

Key Insights

Visual Thinking is Universal

Regardless of professional background—technical, business, creative—visual thinking methodology applies.

The Drawing Barrier is Illusion

When people worry “I can’t draw,” what they really mean is “I can’t draw photorealistically.” But stick figures, arrows, and simple shapes communicate beautifully.

Teams Engage Differently

When visual recording is happening, it changes the energy of workshops. People pay more attention, discussions are richer, and outcomes are clearer.

Translations and Cultural Adaptation

Running the workshop in Taiwan required some adaptation. While English was the primary language, having local facilitation support made complex concepts clearer. Visual thinking actually transcends language—a good visual is understood across language barriers.

Outcomes

Participants left with:

• Confidence to try visual practices with their teams
• Practical templates and techniques they could use immediately
• Connection with others interested in visual facilitation
• The realization that visual thinking is a learnable skill, not a gift

Thank You

Special thanks to the Agile Tour team for hosting such a vibrant community event, and to all the participants who brought energy and authentic engagement to the workshop.

If you’re interested in visual thinking training for your team, whether in-person or virtual, reach out. Visual facilitation can transform how your team communicates and collaborates.