Mohammed VI Polytechnic University is oriented toward applied research and innovation, focusing on Africa. The University is engaged in economic and human development and puts research and innovation at the forefront of African development. I have been traveling to Morocco to facilitate a Visual Thinking Workshop at the University in Rabat. The workshop objective was to equip the office of the president team with new skills and tools to engage on different levels and lead by example.
About the two-day Visual Thinking workshop
The two-day Visual Thinking workshop was designed to help participants think differently, more creatively, and strategically.
The purpose of this workshop was to address the needs of the participants by giving them tools and techniques that they could use on their own in future projects.
What we worked on during the first day
The first day of the workshop was a mix of theory and practice. We started with an introduction to visual thinking and then moved on to reviewing each participant's learning objectives. Then we did some basic drawing exercises together as a group, which allowed us to get used to the idea of sketching out ideas rather than just writing them down or typing them into our computers.
Afterward, each participant took some time on their own to do some individual drawing exercises as well--these were all timed so that everyone could finish before coming back together to share our work and discuss what we learned.
Workshop day 2
The second day of the workshop was designed to address the individual learning objectives of the team: improving skills in using visuals to communicate effectively and learning how to use visuals to run better workshops. To do this, I have designed a series of activities to help participants improve their visual thinking skills by applying them in real-world situations.
Outcomes
Participants left the workshop inspired and use their newly acquired skillset in their work today. The team experienced why our brains are hardwired to make sense of visual input rapidly. Together we explored how drawing improves understanding, alignment, and co-creation
"The whole team greatly enjoyed Hermen’s training. Several months after the training and I am still using some powerful visual tools that Hermen taught us. I use them because they are very efficient in increasing collaboration, they engage the team in very rich exchanges, and they are fun!"
—Hasna ZIRAOUI
Chargée de Mission - Bureau du Président
Mohammed VI Polytechnic University
