Most people who doodle don’t know why they do it and the theories range from helping them to focus while listening, to just filling in time, to keeping their hands occupied.
People who don’t doodle often say they can’t draw and can’t really see the point, so why are we encouraging you to try it?
These are some of the benefits that doodling can bring in both personal and business situations:
* Unlock non-verbal thinking
Most business communication is verbal. Doodling sparks visual thinking, helping people express complex ideas, emotions, or systems they can’t easily put into words — and helping to generate ideas faster.
* Improve focus and retention
Doodling during meetings increases attention and recall — it’s not a distraction, it’s an anchor. The brain processes images far faster than words, making doodling a powerful tool for holding focus and avoiding overwhelm.
* Create a safe space to explore ideas
A shared creative activity with “no right answer” lowers the stakes. People show up more fully when they feel safe being messy or imperfect — and creative expression is linked to lower stress and improved mood, boosting resilience in high-pressure situations.
A doodle workshop isn’t about “art” — it’s about unlocking new ways of thinking, creating human connection, and building a creative work culture.
Rick Ruben in “The Creative Act” says that we are all creative and that while we may not be making art, we’re using information in different ways to create an experience. We hope that taking part in this exercise this will change the way you think about being a creative person!
Anne-Marie Miller is a Creative Director and Visual Strategist at Carbon Orange with over 25 years’ experience helping organisations bring clarity to complex ideas through thoughtful brand design and visual communication. Her work focuses on creating visual systems that make things easier to understand, easier to use and easier to remember.
To make the most of this exercise you might want to have some sheets of A4 paper and a black marker pen to hand. Anne-Marie shows us how to use 12 very basic shapes to create many kinds of doodles!
Some immediately useful applications for small businesses to use their new-found skills is using this exercise in strategy sessions, creating a doodle that explains what impact your work has on the world or the benefit you bring to clients, and to relax, have fun and move away from linear and verbal thinking!