The Power Of The White Board

When I first went to work at Yahoo, I discovered the white board. 

In every conference room, there were white boards with dry erase markers.  During any meeting, you use it to outline, illustrate or just jam on ideas.  Write, erase, refine then record.  At companies like Panasonic, they had boards that recorded, then printed out jam sessions.  Later, I discovered that my digital camera was quick and easy way to record white board sessions. 

It revolutionized my business brain, taking me from linear notes to conceptual ideas that could be later delivered in a linear way.  It helped me see what I was working on, and through the magic of motion, induce myself to be more creative along the way.  For many people I know, the white board did the same for them too.  It changed the way meetings were held at work.  

Today, using a simple white board on a tripod, I use this tool to outline everything I do.  I plan my days on it, outline articles or creative projects and look at problems graphically, thinking more at a system or concept level.  

In this application, I am working on an iPhone application to correspond to my next book (Today We Are Rich.)  I needed to generate a concept, where I could break down my tips and techniques into four quadrants or categories.  The point of the exercise was to develop a program that is never completed.  It's a loop, where you finish the fourth quadrant (Person), then start over with the next level of advice points for the four categories.  

Now, I'm diving into each of the four categories, with specific tips or techniques.  I'm using the whiteboard to drill down to the tactical items.  Now, I can create a Word document that records everything, rearranges to taste and further outlines for the actual taping/recording session. 

Napoleon Hill once wrote that when you put your pen to a problem, you put your mind to it.  Same goes with white boarding: When I approach the problem or challenge with a erasable marker, I'm free to approach the solution creatively, where anything can be changed or turned on its head and everything can/should be illustrated.  If you don't have a whiteboard, you should get one today.  If you are an iPad user, you should buy the Penultimate app and a stylus - then you can do the same on the go.  

 

Comments

[Suraj Nair]

I agree. One of the most impressive videos on idea generation and evolution that I have ever seen so far also has the whiteboard as the background. Pls check it out at:

http://mewsigma.wordpress.com/2010/10/30/where-good-ideas-come-from-by-steven-johnson/

thanks.

[Tom Hood]

Tim,

Great post. I am a fan of whiteboards as well or big sheets of 'butcher paper' and some markers. In addition to the benefits of your own thinking, we find the benefits of making your thinking visible to others is huge. It enables better collaboration, less conflict, and more creativity.

Have you seen Jotnet app for iPhone? Allows you to grab whiteboard photo with iPhone, clean it up and e-mail to team members making documentation and distribution easy and quick.

Thanks for sharing...

Tom

[Ken Carroll]

Tim,

I think the medium is the message. Computer screens aren't very good for fleshing out ideas - one reason is becasue you don't have that physical flow of the pen that allows the ideas ti fklow too. For me, paper notepads are good for brainstorming and making connections between ideas. But whiteboards are definitely the ultimate. As a former teacher I share your enthusiasm for the things.

[Nicolas Levesque]

I totally agree, I use the white board all the time. I've recently added the white board iPhone app "Adobe idea" and white board everywhere I go. I have yet to bring this to iPad where the screen size makes brain storming easier.