Sketchnoting is a general approach to note-taking that combines different techniques and methods to make the activity more creative and exciting. It is not an art but a creative way of working with information that one tries to capture in the best possible way. It is generally said to be note-taking that combines typography, text and simple graphic symbols or marks.

The important thing is that you don't have to be a visual artist or an artist to get into sketchnoting and do it well. Nowadays, courses, websites or videos are top-rated to teach people how to make sketchnotes as quickly as possible. The problem is not only that you feel you can't draw, but also other things that go along with it - lower level of ability to express yourself visually, slowness, inability to diagram quickly, common visual vocabulary, etc. So if you decide to do more with this technique, we recommend both practicing, because that makes the master, and also looking at a book or a video. Many things can be done with a simple trick that one probably wouldn't figure out alone.

Promoters of sketchnoting claim that everyone is a visual type; therefore, this way of working is also. Sketchnoting with text notes is suitable for everyone, even though different people may find it easier initially. Primarily, though, it's not about how beautiful the visualization is, but what's on it and how it's used. Moreover, if we consider that, according to dual coding theory, memory works significantly better (and longer lasting) if it has some object stored in both imaginary and linguistic representations, it is pretty evident that the theory will work well—and not only as a memory technique but also as a creative technique. As we have argued in theories of creativity, innovative thinking can occur by focusing on an object through two different contexts. It is the model that works with both the visual and the linguistic and contains at least some shifting of meaning frames a priori.

So even if you don't think you're good at drawing or think it's fun, and even if you don't think you're very visual type, sketchnoting can be helpful for you too. It's based on the same principles as the mind maps mentioned earlier in the course - the combination of word and image works very well universally, making this method another important application of this synthesizing approach.

Sketchnoting is helpful in another exciting way. In one of his books, Tony Buzan describes a situation where a student who had consistently terrible grades came to him for a consultation. When he reviewed how she took notes, he found that she was trying to transcribe everything the teacher said. This resulted in several significant effects:

• In class, she could only focus on her interpretation as a stream of words, not the actual content. She couldn't think about it or ask questions because she kept writing.
• She could not find the context of the message, and her notes often did not have paragraphs or paragraph structure. They were just a stream of foreign words.
• The notes were logically so long that it was impossible to learn from them.
• The notes often contained the same information as other sources.
• She could not find the critical points or make her interpretation of the interpretation.
• Being highly visual and logical, she remembered nothing of the notes.

Buzan ends the story by teaching the students basic visualization techniques (for us, think maps and sketchnoting). He explained to her that the point of interpretation is understanding, not transcribing information. If she is going to take notes in the form of sketchnoting or mind maps, then she needs to look for what is essential and be able to put that information in the right place. This critical reflection on what we hear leads to better retention and understanding of the content. It all ended happily, i.e., that the student could earn the highest possible marks because she transformed how she took notes.

The point of sketchnoting is to support just such a learning process - depending on what one is studying for a course, one naturally adjusts the degree of pictures and sketches one uses. We will probably have to use different means in philosophy and various means in Czech history or statistics. This is more difficult in some courses because long mathematical or physical proofs are hard to draw, but that doesn't mean it's impossible. On the contrary, if we can find a way to write such things down efficiently, we can be much more successful and understand the whole thing more efficiently. After all, mathematics and physics are two sciences that rely heavily on imagination. We imagine fields, motions of forces, or curvature of paths, and we put our ideas of patterns into them. And this is one possible form of sketchnoting.

Kim Zajac talks about how sketchnoting can also be a therapeutic or supportive tool. If you have trouble presenting in public, sticking to an idea or expressing yourself well, sketchnotes can help you a lot. Zajac uses them when working with children, but that doesn't mean they aren't suitable for adults. On the point of this activity, he says, "It's not about making things beautiful. It's not about creating a work of art. It's about It's about creating an idea." So here again, we come back to creativity - sketchnoting allows us to develop pictures that would otherwise be inaccessible or difficult for us to grasp by working with them in a completely different mental context than we have been doing. This again supports the idea that sketch is a powerful tool for developing communication skills, creativity, and thinking in general. Zajac even argues that quick sketches or sketchnoting can help resolve conflicts and change communication settings, which is also a crucial aspect of creative information work.

At this point, we would like to mention a few tips that apply to the beginning of creating visual notes:

• Don't underestimate the tools you use for sketchnoting. It is advisable to pay attention to a pleasant and comfortable pad and a good quality pen or pencil. A lot of people start with the cheapest pen and a school notebook, it becomes clear that they are not enjoying the creative process, and the results are not very good.
• Learn how to work with basic objects. Having basic shapes in your hand is as important as knowing how to write letters. It is a visual alphabet that is then performed during sketchnoting. For example, it is possible to start by sketching a few objects like:
• Basic shapes: stars, squares, rectangles, triangles, circles...
• Basic objects: boats, houses, fish, people, clouds, links, hands, mice, books, newspapers, magazines, trees, envelopes, bricks, brains, magnifying glasses, iPad, desktop, laptop, web browser, cursor...
• Famous brands and logos: Apple, Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, IBM...

Of course, you can modify the kit according to what you do and are involved in.

• Work with content correctors, primarily boxes, bubbles, and frames. Putting the content in a box or enclosing and delimiting it somehow is one of the crucial activities that will make the notes more transparent, give them order and offer basic thematic structuring.
• Work with connecting elements such as lines, arrows, timelines, etc. These are all useful for linking both text and individual collectors.
• Play with symbols - whether it's an ampersand, asterisks or other markers, characters can help you quickly and easily divide the text into smaller parts or tie it together well. And connect them.
• Work with quotations, whether they are speaker statements or extracts from books. When used appropriately, a quote can significantly help to supplement notes, recall a lecture, etc. A quotation should not be an "installer" of the message but a kind of anchor of thought, a reminder, a motif to which one can quickly return.

The notes can also include mind maps, Venn diagrams, flow charts and other established elements to help logically organise the message.

Sketchnoting is an activity that usually causes some anxiety in students - that they are not good at drawing or that they do not have the writing or art resources to enable them to do so. Know that it is possible to start. Even with a simple pencil or marker, and after overcoming initial shyness, most people enjoy sketchnoting (at least in our teaching experience), nd quite a few will switch to it permanently. While quite good training is vital in some techniques, sketchnoting works quickly and without barriers. It, too, offers better and nicer results if you get better at it, developing your own visual style, writing and notation methods. But what you will get better at very soon is speed. We can often be discouraged because it is a slow and tedious process. This is because we are usually not very used to the picture method of writing. However, we can be pretty effective when we form that mental habit.

Although sketchnoting is primarily paper-based, some of its elements or practices can also be applied to the digital world. For such work, we recommend a good quality stylus, although, in the very beginning, you can probably get by with pens with a rubber part for controlling mobile phones. You can use some of these tools:

On the other hand, paper-based writing can also be encouraged, as digital devices can harm attention. However, it should be pointed out here that it is worth investing in equipment - be it quality notebooks, brush pens or other props to enjoy this way of working with information offline. That's not to say that you can't get by with a black pen and a simple notebook, but if you fall under the spell of this method, expect to be immersed in a world of unsuspected tools. And possibilities both online and offline.