Graphic recorder Stephanie Crowley depicts the central themes of the classic 1960 HBR article by Ted Levitt.

It's official: Graphic Facilitation lives! I know this because the Harvard Business Review (aka. Ye Olde HBR) has published an article about graphic facilitators, examples of who uses our services, and the main point... our work can help businesses.

Companies using the technique include HP, Dell, S.C. Johnson, and Charles Schwab. Kraft Foods has been utilizing graphic recording in its leadership training program since 2005. “For me, the drawings are really a trigger,” says Nicole Polarek, associate director of organizational development. “I can look at the picture and remember the conversation.” Jason Dirks, Kraft’s director of training, says graphic recording keeps people interested and engaged on two levels. “You have this initial ‘wow’ factor while watching this person draw the image,” Dirks says, and afterward people can study the depiction more closely. “The artists are able to capture a lot of depth.”

The article titled, Vision Statement: Tired of PowerPoint? Try This Instead, by Daniel McGinn with illustration by Alphachimp associate Stephanie Crowley, appears in the September 2010 edition of HBR and on-line here.

This HBR article has definitely stirred the pot amongst practitioners! Read Julie Stuart's insightful rebuttal, written as a professional courtesy to the HBR editors on what they got right, what they got muddy, and what they got plain wrong.

Nonetheless, we're thrilled for the attention given to Steph, our other friends in the industry, and the role of visuals in making stuff happen!