Putting "I" back in "team": What I learned from my transition from entrepreneurship to intrapreneurship

Since grade school we’ve been taught to fit in, to conform AND to be exceptional, to win the competition - and it has become overwhelmingly obvious that these oppositional goals aren’t working for us. So many of us are aching to “abandon ship” because organizations are too demanding and those of us who indeed launch out on our own quickly find ourselves faced with at the very least burnout and at the very worst deep loneliness. In this article, I share with you some of the ups and downs of my own journey of discovering this deeply rooted problem and developing some possible solutions.

Collaboration, CreativityLydia HooperJune 24, 2018 Comments

23+ podcasts for information and inspiration

This month I feel called to share something I never have before: a curated list of some of my favorite podcasts. I find podcasts to be both the most convenient and the most fun way to explore a diversity of perspectives on any given topic. Here's some that I go to for regular doses of inspiration and guidance. As my interests are so diverse, you are bound to stumble on some serendipitous conversations and connections.

DataCommunication, Creativity, CollaborationLydia HooperApril 14, 2018Comment

Graphic recording: How to get started

Data visualization professionals often focus on numbers, helping to tell the story of what, when, where, and how much. But more often than not organizations first need to better understand the why and how (this is known as qualitative data). Before there is a need to communicate key insights, there is always a need to communicate first about what insights will matter most to the people involved, and therefore what data to plan, collect, analyze, and present. Graphic recording is a method for using visuals to support communication and understanding during real-time dialogue. Hand-drawn illustrations allow teams to simultaneously collect, analyze, and report qualitative data about people and groups.

DataCommunication, Creativity, CollaborationLydia HooperDecember 13, 2017Comment

Using visuals to support your writing process

Many of us are well trained in using writing to develop and convey our insights, but only some of us learn how visuals can help us organize and communicate our ideas. It’s well worth learning what you can, because visuals have many unique abilities. The best visuals balance the use of thoughtful images and words, and the best writing balances thorough explanation and visualization. Writers that use visuals to describe their ideas help their readers better understand the frameworks of thinking that inform what the writer is seeking to convey, and they make it easier for readers to share those ideas with others.

DataCommunication, CreativityLydia HooperNovember 10, 2017Comment

How to use visuals for analysis and discovery

Researchers often think to use visuals to present findings, overlooking the fact that to effectively communicate they must first fully understand the information themselves. While researchers may be surprised by the role visuals can play in their process, professional creatives like myself use visuals for observation, analysis, discovery and presentation. Researchers from all fields have a long history of using visuals as tools for analysis and discovery. No matter what purpose it serves, the type of visual that is best used all depends on what is being compared.

Creativity, DataCommunicationLydia HooperOctober 30, 2017Comment

How committing to co-creative process is different from producing an outcome

As a designer who's deeply interested in relationships, I value thoughtful process. I am not only used to the "labor pains" that a thorough, deliberate process requires but I consider myself fortunate to experience this labor of love on a regular basis. I know from experience that intentional process always leads to the best outcomes: deep understanding and meaningful relationships. I believe these lasting solutions can only come from thoughtful processes.

Creativity, CollaborationLydia HooperAugust 23, 2017Comment

Sketchnotes from TEDxMileHigh "Point of Departure"

Here are sketchnotes I created from some of my favorite talks at TEDxMileHigh's "Point of Departure" event this month. Not surprisingly, they are all about relationship.

Collaboration, CreativityLydia HooperJuly 14, 2017Comment

"Hiding" in your communications: When it's helpful

My last blog was all about the ways that we might be hiding instead of communicating and how doing so can hurt us. Now for the good news: hiders like myself can also put their instincts to good use. Here are some ways that I've found my introverted, introspective attributes to be highly helpful in communications.

DataCommunication, Creativity, CollaborationLydia HooperJune 26, 2017Comment

"Hiding" in your communications: When it's harmful

While you may know me as an expert communicator, what you may not know about me is that I am also an expert hider. It has taken me years to develop messages about my services, to have a website that I am proud of, to be able to write and stories like this - and a lot of that time and energy was spent waiting, overanalyzing, rehearsing, pretending. Knowing one needs to communicate well and committing oneself to the hard work of doing it consistently are two different things. Like me, the organizations I work with often recognize that communication - among internal teams and with the communities they are a part of - is one of the greatest obstacles they face as they seek to grow their impact.

Collaboration, Creativity, DataCommunicationLydia HooperJune 12, 2017Comment

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