The doodle revolution unlock the power to think differently

DOODLING IS THINKINGIN DISGUISE 2 X Adults Can’t Draw: A Report from the Front Lines of Visual Language 3 Why Would an Adult Learn... DOODLE UNIVERSITY: Exploring the Foundationsof Visua

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Illustration credits appear on page 242.

eISBN 978-0-698-17055-1 While the author has made every effort to provide accurate telephone numbers, Internet addresses, and other contact information at the time of publication, neither the publisher nor the author assumes any responsibility for errors or for changes that occur after publication Further, publisher does not have any control over and does not assume

any responsibility for author or third-party Web sites or their content.

Set in Archer, Gotham, Inside Out, Dancing in the Minefields, and Lipstick

Designed by Kristin Moses, DesignGood Studio

PORTFOLIO / PENGUIN Published by the Penguin Group

Penguin Group (USA) LLC

375 Hudson Street New York, New York 10014

USA | Canada | UK | Ireland | Australia | New Zealand | India | South Africa | China

Internet addresses, and other contact information at the time of publication, neither the

nor the author assumes any responsibility for errors or for changes that occur after publication Further, publisher does not have any control over and does not assume

any responsibility for author or third-party Web sites or their content.

Set in Archer, Gotham, Inside Out, Dancing in the Minefields, and Lipstick

Designed by Kristin Moses, DesignGood Studio

To six men who give me courage, clarity, creativity, and compassion:

Rocky Brown, the prankster Eddie Vedder, the voice

Chet Hornung, the thinker

Geoffrey Canada, the visionary Flint Sparks, the teacher

Georges St-Pierre, the martial artist

To six men who give me courage, clarity, creativity, and compassion:

Rocky Brown, the prankster Eddie Vedder, the voice

Chet Hornung, the thinker

Geoffrey Canada, the visionary Flint Sparks, the teacher

Georges St-Pierre, the martial artist

The illiterate of the 21st century will not be

those who cannot read and write, but those who

illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who

—Alvin Toffler

DOODLING IS THINKING

IN DISGUISE INTRODUCTION

Excuse Me, Did You Say “Doodling”?

Why the Revolution? xii

The Doodle Revolutionary’s Journey xiv

CHAPTER ONE CONTENTS

DOODLING IS THINKING

IN DISGUISE

2 X

Adults Can’t Draw: A Report from the Front Lines of Visual Language 3

Why Would an Adult Learn

DOODLE UNIVERSITY: Exploring the Foundations

Ranks in the Revolution:

The Doodler and the Infodoodler

You Have Reached the Edge of Infodoodle Territory

DOODLE UNIVERSITY: Exploring the Foundations

of Visual Language

40

THE DOODLE’S RADICAL

16

Ranks in the Revolution:

The Doodler and the Infodoodler 41

You Have Reached the Edge of Infodoodle Territory 62

18 25 30

CHAPTER THREE

TAKING THE INFODOODLE

Introducing the Infodoodle:

The Ass-Kicking Combination of the

Big Four Thinking Styles 65

Description of an Infodoodler 65

Infodoodling: The Foundations 70

Enter the Infodoodle:

12 Devices That Form the Basis of

CHAPTER FIVE CHAPTER FOUR

TAKING THE INFODOODLE

Transforming the Way People Work 147

Enter the Group Infodoodle 152 65

65

70

CHAPTER FIVE

FAMOUS LAST WORDS

Taking It Back to Work 217

The Doodle Revolutionary’s Manifesto 221

CHAPTER SIX

FAMOUS LAST WORDS

INTRODUCTION

D e a r R e v o lu t

In our first in teraction, I’d l ike to make yo

u

is this: This bo ok will matter

deeply in both y our lif

I did not writ e this book to

entertain myse lf or ev

to entertain you I wrote it be

cause every sin gle on use of what it offers And I

don’t mean you can

to decorate or f rosting to sweete

n I mean yo u can

a submarine or a sword You ca

n use it like an X-ra drill You can e ven use it like

a hammock on a sunn

is designed—forg ive the cliché

— to change your life I expand what’s a vailable to you

as a weapon aga inst ign against complexit y, a meditation

in search of in sights, search of disco very All of the se possibilities a

re idlin

in the universa lly known devic

e called the Do odle.

why this book exists It’s part

of a global cam paign

v o lu t io n a r y ,

teraction, I’d l ike to make yo

u a promise and it will matter deep ly in both your

life and your wo rk.

is book to ente rtain myself or

even, to be hon est, wrote it becaus e every single on

e of us can ma ke

rs And I don’ t mean you can

use it like make up ing to sweeten I mean you ca

n use this book like sword You can use it like an X

-ray or a deep- ocean use it like a ham mock on a sun

ny day This book the cliché—to c hange your life.

It will help yo u able to you as a weapon agains

t ignorance, a tool meditation in sea rch of insights

, and a game in All of these pos sibilities are idlin

g just within rea ch known device c alled the Doodle

That, my frien ds, is

s It’s part of a global campaig

n for visual lite racy Revolution And you are an esse

WE AREN’T BEING TAUGHT VISUAL LANGUAGE.

THE MISEDUCATION

OF THE DOODLE:

SPECIFIC TO “creative types”

REQUIRES TALENT IN “drawing”

THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT AND NEGATIVE IMPACT FROM OUR IGNORANCE OF VISUAL LANGUAGE.

problem-solving inefficiency

WHY THE REVOLUTION?

There are five reasons why the Doodle Revolution must exist and why its Revolutionaries must find each other and learn from each other.

THE MISEDUCATION

OF THE DOODLE:

AND THE WORLD IS CHANGING TOO FAST FOR

US TO IGNORE IT.

BUT VISUAL LANGUAGE IS NATIVE TO ALL OF US.

THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT AND NEGATIVE IMPACT FROM OUR

IGNORANCE OF VISUAL LANGUAGE.

problem-solving inefficiency

INDUSTRIAL ECONOMY

knowledge &

experience economy

WHY THE REVOLUTION?

There are five reasons why the Doodle Revolution must exist and why its Revolutionaries must find

#1 WE AREN’T BEING TAUGHT VISUAL LANGUAGE.

We are not being adequately taught to use visual language in schools, at home, or at work.Until we make a deep impression on even one of these institutions, we must choose to

teach ourselves

#2 WE HAVE FALSE BELIEFS ABOUT VISUAL LANGUAGE.

We have cultural stereotypes about “art,” about “drawing,” and about “doodling”

obstacles to learning and growth We have misinformation about being “creative” that isblocking us from embracing visual language We need to suffocate these false beliefs

They’re doing nothing for us

#3 THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT NEGATIVE IMPACT FROM OUR

IGNORANCE OF VISUAL LANGUAGE.

There are serious cognitive performance effects of our inability to

This crippling of our innate capacity to explore, learn, remember, and think more effectively

is unacceptable We deserve better

#4 BUT VISUAL LANGUAGE IS NATIVE TO EVERYONE.

We already know how to use visual language—it’s native to us all Rarely is such a powerfultool placed in our hands with so little effort All we need to do is unleash this

We’re all standing at the doorway of the Doodle, and inside is a world of possibilities

#5 AND WE CAN’T AFFORD TO NOT LEARN IT.

WE AREN’T BEING TAUGHT VISUAL LANGUAGE.

We are not being adequately taught to use visual language in schools, at home, or at work.Until we make a deep impression on even one of these institutions, we must choose to

WE HAVE FALSE BELIEFS ABOUT VISUAL LANGUAGE.

We have cultural stereotypes about “art,” about “drawing,” and about “doodling” that are

obstacles to learning and growth We have misinformation about being “creative” that is

blocking us from embracing visual language We need to suffocate these false beliefs

THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT NEGATIVE IMPACT FROM OUR

IGNORANCE OF VISUAL LANGUAGE.

There are serious cognitive performance effects of our inability to use visual language

This crippling of our innate capacity to explore, learn, remember, and think more effectively

is unacceptable We deserve better

BUT VISUAL LANGUAGE IS NATIVE TO EVERYONE.

We already know how to use visual language—it’s native to us all Rarely is such a powerfultool placed in our hands with so little effort All we need to do is unleash this skill and train it

We’re all standing at the doorway of the Doodle, and inside is a world of possibilities

AND WE CAN’T AFFORD TO NOT LEARN IT.

This book takes you on a journey to visual literacy, and you may choose your entry point using the arc below It’s important to note that this journey isn’t concerned

with whether you’re smitten with doodling or vehemently opposed.

Either way, the path will offer you something of value.

misinformation,you know thecognitive benefits,

you have confidence with basic visual

Enter here ifyou’re liberatedfrom myths &

misinformation,you know thecognitivebenefits & youwant to start

Enter here

if you’re alreadyliberatedfrom myths &

misinformationabout doodling &

DISRUPT

BELIEFS ABOUT

THE DOODLE

LEARN HOW THE DOODLE HAS VALUE

PRACTICE THE BEGINNER’S DOODLE

LEARN THE INFODOODLE + 3 SUBTYPES

CHAPTER 2 CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 4 CHAPTER 3

This book takes you on a journey to visual literacy, and you may choose your entry

point using the arc below It’s important to note that this journey isn’t concerned

with whether you’re smitten with doodling or vehemently opposed.

Either way, the path will offer you something of value.

Enter here ifyou’re a die-hard

Enter here ifyou’re already anInfodoodle master

& you want

applications forproblem solving

Enter here ifyou’re liberatedfrom myths &

misinformation,you know thecognitive benefits,

you have confidence with basic visual

here ifyou’re liberatedfrom myths &

misinformation,you know the

cognitivebenefits & you

want to start

PRACTICE THE BEGINNER’S

DOODLE

LEARN THE INFODOODLE + 3 SUBTYPES

TAKE IT TO WORK:

REAL-LIFE APPLICATIONS

DEFY “THE SHADOW.” SIGN THE MANIFESTO.

CHAPTER 6

CHAPTER 5 CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 3

DOODLING IS

THINKING IN

DISGUISE

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER ONE

ADULTS CAN’T DRAW: A REPORT FROM

THE FRONT LINES OF VISUAL LANGUAGE

There are multiple reasons why I know this assertion

to be preposterous The first is because I’m standing

in front of perfectly functional sets of eyes and hands,

all of them backed by perfectly functional visual

cortices The second is because I have not yet met

an adult who skipped childhood—a period in which

most of us are happy to draw—and went straight to

being a forty-year-old The third is because I, too, was

raised in a culture that placed virtually no value on

visual language, so I’ve had to overcome my own lies,

which makes me very good at recognizing them And

the last reason is based on experience As an author,

business owner, and professional Infodoodler, I’ve

witnessed throngs of people with a firm conviction

I have spent the last few years staring adults in the eye and hearing them lie to my face Literally thousands of adults have lied to me, and no end seems to be in sight Perhaps the worst part about this is that all of these adults believe their own lies—they actually consider their misinformed

blather to be accurate These ever-present lies come in various forms—and

very creative liars—but the central tenet can be summed up in three words:

ADULTS CAN’T DRAW: A REPORT FROM

THE FRONT LINES OF VISUAL LANGUAGE

There are multiple reasons why I know this assertion

to be preposterous The first is because I’m standing

in front of perfectly functional sets of eyes and hands,

cortices The second is because I have not yet met

period in whichmost of us are happy to draw—and went straight to

being a forty-year-old The third is because I, too, was

raised in a culture that placed virtually no value on

visual language, so I’ve had to overcome my own lies,

which makes me very good at recognizing them And

the last reason is based on experience As an author,

Infodoodler, I’vewitnessed throngs of people with a firm conviction

I have spent the last few years staring adults in the eye and hearing them lie to my face Literally thousands of adults have lied to me, and no end seems to be in sight Perhaps the worst part about

believe their own lies—they actually consider their misinformed blather to be accurate These ever-present lies come in various forms—and trust me, adults are

very creative liars—but the central tenet can be summed up in three words:

LITERACY = ability to

What happened to us?

All we have left are numbers and words.

After witnessing this pervasive I-can’t-draw syndrome

in organizations and teams around the world, my

curiosity (and frustration) finally got the better of

me Something is seriously wrong in a system when

a preponderance of grown-ups believe they’re

incapable of visually articulating something in the

world I would call this an epidemic of visual illiteracy,

and any kind of illiteracy as a standard in adults does

not sit well with me To understand what I mean by

visual illiteracy, let’s peer into the word “literacy” for

a second

That makes sense, right? But there’s another

major aspect of literacy to acknowledge: Literacy

When we understand how literacy affectspeople’s potential, it becomes urgent to increase itthroughout the world And I believe that

is also urgent It’s the currency of a more economicallystable society—let’s make no bones about that—but

it, too, affects the potential of people to achieve theirgoals, develop their knowledge, and participate morefully in shaping the world Visual literacy could bedefined as the ability to do all of the things associatedwith traditional literacy, while using visual languageand materials

cheep.

VISU UNA

varying contexts

When we understand how literacy affectspeople’s potential, it becomes urgent to increase itthroughout the world And I believe that visual literacy

is also urgent It’s the currency of a more economicallystable society—let’s make no bones about that—but

it, too, affects the potential of people to achieve theirgoals, develop their knowledge, and participate morefully in shaping the world Visual literacy could bedefined as the ability to do all of the things associatedwith traditional literacy, while using visual languageand materials

Now, because humans are physiologically primed

for visual intelligence, our visual literacy skills are

nowhere near unsalvageable and we’re mostly set

up for success The vast majority of seeing people

are comfortable identifying and recognizing visual

information (Look, Grandma! A hyena!) Our skills get

slightly less impressive when we’re asked to interpret

visual information 2 (What is that hyena’s stance

telling me?) But we start to stink notably when we try

to create, compute, and communicate using visual

language In those areas we find ourselves universally

challenged, but they’re pretty substantial areas since

they afford us complex thought I’m thankful that I

can see and recognize a hyena, but I may need a plan

more sophisticated than “RUN!” if this hyena decides

to make regular raids on my camp And once I’ve

calculated a plan addressing that future uncertainty,

I’d like to be able to communicate that plan to others

and recruit them for insights and action Create,

compute, communicate You see?

Unfortunately, at this juncture in history our

relationship with visual language is seriously

compromised I dare say it’s shabby at best, and this

spate of visual illiteracy elicits all sorts of questions

How do we drop like rocks off of the visual

language learning curve? When and why does this

insidious phenomenon start? 3I’ve seen children of all

ages ooze doodles and drawings onto paper as if they

were vines growing from their hands 4They do this

easily, without prompting or training; it’s as natural

as walking and talking Then, without warning—and,