Come learn how drawing and swapping stories can help us appreciate differences—no art skills are required! People worldwide enjoy sharing a good story as much as listening to one. In this hands-on workshop, led by Stamps School of Art & Design associate professor Kelly Murdoch-Kitt and her research partner, Dr. Denielle Emans (Roger Williams University), you’ll learn how to use a specific visual storytelling activity, The Picture Story Shuffle.

This activity harnesses the inclusive power of visual thinking to help teams move beyond surface-level small talk and enable them to tap into each other’s perspectives in a tangible, interactive way. Visual thinking is the process of translating thoughts or ideas into pictures, diagrams, or other visual forms. Creating, sharing, and interpreting visual narratives centers participants’ backgrounds and experiences by giving them visual form. Join us and members of our research team, ORBIT Labs, to learn firsthand how the Picture Story Shuffle has helped classmates, teammates, officemates, and conference attendees get to know each other better, share a laugh, and reveal the potential for visual thinking and storytelling to enhance how we work and communicate.