The speaker challenges the widespread cultural dismissal of doodling as a trivial, anti-intellectual activity. They argue that, contrary to its negative definitions—from "fool" to "doing nothing"—doodling is a powerful cognitive tool. Research shows that people who doodle while listening retain more verbal information, as it acts as a preemptive measure to maintain focus and aids in creative problem-solving and deep information processing.

Doodling uniquely engages all four learning modalities (visual, auditory, reading/writing, and kinesthetic) simultaneously, making it an efficient method for processing complex information. Anthropological studies further suggest that the development of visual language through drawing is a native, universal human instinct.

Therefore, the speaker advocates for embracing doodling, especially in information-dense environments like classrooms and boardrooms. Far from being the enemy of intellectual thought, doodling is one of its greatest allies and a gateway to higher visual literacy.

So, I just want to tell you my story. I spend a lot of time teaching adults how to use visual language and doodling in the workplace, and naturally, I encounter a lot of resistance, right? Because it's sort of considered to be anti-intellectual and counter to serious learning. But I have a problem with that belief because I know that doodling has a profound impact on the way that we can process information and the way that we can solve problems.

I was curious about why there was a disconnect between the way that our society perceives doodling and the reality of it. So, I discovered some very interesting things. For example, there is no such thing as a flattering definition of a doodle. In the 17th century, a "doodle" was a simpleton or a fool, as in "Yankee Doodle." In the 18th century, it became a verb and it meant to swindle or ridicule or to make fun of someone. In the 19th century, it was a corrupt politician. And today we have what is perhaps our most offensive definition, at least to me, which is the following: to "doodle" officially means to dawdle, to dilly-dally, to monkey around, to make meaningless marks, to do something of little value, substance, or import, and my personal favorite: "to do nothing." No wonder people are averse to doodling at work.

Additionally, I've heard horror stories from people whose teachers scolded them, of course, for doodling in classrooms, and they have bosses who scold them for doodling in the boardroom. There is a powerful cultural norm against doodling in settings in which we are supposed to learn something. And unfortunately, the press tends to reinforce this norm. When they're reporting on a doodling scene—you know, of an important person at a confirmation hearing and the like—they typically use words like "discovered" or "caught" or "found out," as if there's some sort of criminal act being committed.

And additionally, there is a psychological aversion to doodling (thank you, Freud). In the 1930s, Freud told us all that you could analyze people's psyches based on their doodles. This is not accurate.

And here is the real deal. Here's what I believe: I think that our culture is so intensely focused on verbal information that we're almost blinded to the value of doodling, and I'm not comfortable with that. So, because of that belief that I think needs to be burst, I'm here to send us all hurtling back to the truth. And here's the truth: doodling is an incredibly powerful tool, and it is a tool that we need to remember and to relearn.

So here's a new definition for doodling: doodling is really to make spontaneous marks to help yourself think. That is why millions of people doodle. Here's another interesting truth about the doodle: people who doodle when they're exposed to verbal information retain more of that information than their non-doodling counterparts. We think doodling is something you do when you lose focus, but in reality, it is a preemptive measure to stop you from losing focus. Additionally, it has a profound effect on creative problem-solving and deep information processing.

There are four ways that learners intake information so that they can make decisions: they are visual, auditory, reading and writing, and kinesthetic. Now, in order for us to really chew on information and do something with it, we have to engage at least two of those modalities, or we have to engage one of those modalities coupled with an emotional experience. The incredible contribution of the doodle is that it engages all four learning modalities simultaneously, with the possibility of an emotional experience. That is a pretty solid contribution for a behavior equated with doing nothing.

This is so nerdy, but this made me cry when I discovered this. So, they did anthropological research into the unfolding of artistic activity in children, and they found that across space and time, all children exhibit the same evolution in visual logic as they grow. In other words, they have a shared and growing complexity in visual language that happens in a predictable order. And I think that is incredible; I think that means doodling is native to us, and we simply are denying ourselves that instinct.

And finally, a lot of people aren't privy to this, but the doodle is a precursor to some of our greatest cultural assets. This is but one: this is Frank Gehry the architect's precursor to the Guggenheim in Abu Dhabi.

So here is my point: under no circumstances should doodling be eradicated from a classroom or a boardroom or even the war room. On the contrary, doodling should be leveraged in precisely those situations where information density is very high and the need for processing that information is very high.

And I will go you one further. Because doodling is so universally accessible and it is not intimidating as an art form, it can be leveraged as a portal through which we move people into higher levels of visual literacy.

My friends, the doodle has never been the nemesis of intellectual thought. In reality, it is one of its greatest allies. Thank you.

Keynote Upper-Intermediate - Unit 9 - Creative Thinking

keynote-upper-intermediate-unit-9-creative-thinking

Let's do English ESL general vocabulary practice. The speaker challenges the widespread cultural dismissal of doodling as a trivial, anti-intellectual activity.…