Whether we’re planning a meeting or an event, thinking about it from the perspective of attendees is critical in making it successful. This means not only considering the goals and schedule, but also thinking carefully about the attendee’s experience. Today, many events and meetings take place virtually - it’s a great way to overcome the challenges caused by coronavirus but it also has a big impact on the audience experience.

One way to make the most of virtual platforms is digital scribing, a powerful tool which is able to add new depth to content and create better engagement from audiences. If you haven’t heard of digital scribing, you may know it as virtual scribing or graphic recording. We’ve pulled out ten points from audience feedback to highlight the transformative power of digital scribing.

It helps recreate that live experience

Virtual conferencing tools open up a whole new range of possibilities to be embraced. The opportunities created by virtual conferencing are exciting, but in their basic format they don’t do much to replicate the live experience of being in a room with people. The performative and visual nature of digital scribing is an ideal way of fixing this, adding a new sense of liveness.

It’s perfect for social media

The visuals created by digital scribing are perfect for sharing on social media platforms. Whether it’s a speaker excited about the way their talk has been visualised or an attendee who wants to share what they’ve learned, the images our scribes create are ideal for sharing and frequently posted on social networks. This not only gives the event/meeting a legacy, but also allows it to reach many more people via the power of personal recommendations.

Digital scribing adds energy

Engaging with life through a screen can take away the dynamic element, creating a sense of added effort to the experience of interacting with speakers and blocks to engagement. Digital scribing overcomes this problem by injecting energy and excitement back into your event, helping you keep audiences engaged and helping your content land.

Watching ideas being visualised is enjoyable

Building from energy, previous audiences have told us that watching a speaker’s ideas being visualised live in front of them is an enjoyable experience - making the event and information much more memorable. Our scribes use a combination of visual metaphors and rich illustration to translate a speaker’s words into enjoyable and powerful visuals.

Visual thinking provides new perspectives on ideas

Part of the power of this visual thinking is its ability to reframe ideas. This means that complex or dry information can be repackaged into visuals which make it much more memorable, and open it up to a much broader audience. This is also a crucial reason for the effectiveness of these visuals on social media.

Audiences find digital scribing motivating

Digital scribing adds a motivational element to a webinar or meeting. The act of scribing a talk or discussion creates a set of visual notes which are perfect for tracking key points and the development of ideas. This provides the ideal material for people to follow and focus on, boosting motivation to interact with and talk about the event.

Digital scribing builds an emotional connection

The extra dimensions of communication created by digital scribing help attendees to relate to the information being discussed at a more nuanced and emotive level. This allows speakers and events to have a far greater impact during proceedings and in the following weeks, as attendees take on board the content and share it.

Digital scribing is entertaining

Entertainment is an important part of engagement, and engagement allows you to accomplish the goals of your meeting or event. Beyond its information and longevity based benefits, digital scribing also adds an element of entertainment to your event. This can make all the difference when dealing with important or complex subject matters.

It beats the Zoom blur

We’ve found that digital scribing is a fantastic way of standing out from the virtual crowd. For many of us, Zoom meetings are an omnipresent part of our days - often rolling in one after another. This makes being unique and memorable half the battle, and digital scribing is great way of creating a next level event which is also bespoke.

Digital scribing creates visual notes

One of the things audiences enjoy about digital scribing, especially at more collaboration based events, is it’s ability to chart and track ideas and discussions. The visuals created by our scribes link ideas together while also creating visual notes attendees can draw on to develop or recap ideas.

Digital scribing is a great addition to virtual events and meetings. It’s benefits range from making information memorable while adding a new dimension of explanation to boosting attendee engagement and energy. We’d love to digitally scribe your next event, contact us today.

Cognitive are award-winning pioneers of whiteboard animation, and the creators behind the RSA Animates series. We help corporate, academic and charitable organisations like the BBC, TED, Coca Cola and Sanofi to tell their stories more powerfully. Find out more about us here.