Are you a visual thinker?

Visual thinking is common in approximately 60–65% of the general population

You can describe it as seeing words as a series of pictures.

It's been said that if you ask a kindergarten class who can read and write you'll get one or two hands in the air but if you ask how many can draw you'll see a sea of them.

Yet if you ask MBA graduates exiting their courses the same questions you'll get the exact OPPOSITE response.

Seems crazy right?

“It takes a lot of hard work,” Steve Jobs said, “to make something simple, to truly understand the underlying challenges and come up with elegant solutions.”

I've spend over 30 years in Tech translating between business and IT. I've built the ability to 'speak geek and talk business'.

It has been career critical for me to break down complex issues into simple steps easy to understand.

And the secret of my success? Drawing.

Working in technology. Working in global corporations with multiple skill levels, multiple languages and cultures. Drawing has been essential in collaborating on ideas and collaborating across communication boundaries.

Don't get me wrong. I am no 'artist'. My drawings are often nothing more than boxes and arrows and crude stick shaped figures with written labels to identify them.

But they cut through the noise. Provide an anchor to connect ideas in real time. They focus the conversation. They drive the understanding.

It's applicable anywhere - not just the technology industry. So next time you are in a meeting being bombarded with words and lists and getting lost. Be brave. Pick up a pencil or digital pen. And talk with your hands!