About us
NOVA Scribes is a free and open forum for visual practitioners to share their knowledge.
We are anyone who uses visuals to move others: consultants and facilitators who use visuals, graphic recorders, scribes, sketchnoters, and others!
Since 2016, we've held workshops, graphic jams, open spaces, and webinars to share skills and learn from each other. We record our webinars for anyone to watch later, and if you're interested in presenting a topic, please let us know!
We're all volunteers! Anyone who wants to can be an organizer or presenter.
NOVA Scribes has entered into a partnership with the IFVP: the International Forum of Visual Practitioners! This workshop is an IFVP Learning Lab. All IFVP members have access to Learning Labs at https://ifvpforum.circle.so/c/learning-hub/
Most of our online workshops are recorded and posted on YouTube for anyone who cannot attend. If you missed an event, you can find the YouTube link in the Comments section of this NOVA Scribes Meetup event.
You can find previously recorded videos at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJfInZHmS8prj2_DUaJ35CYY8n7SzoPMJ
We don't charge for most workshops, but we do ask for donations! Donations cover the costs of hosting events on Meetup, towards honorariums for new graphic recorders, towards scholarships to attend events like the IFVP conference, and towards direct donations to the IFVP.
If you'd like to attend an online workshop, be sure you are registered on Meetup! If your Zoom name doesn’t match your name on Meetup, you will not be admitted. (We’ve had Zoom bombers.)
We organize our events using the Meetup app. You can find us at www.meetup.com/NOVA-Scribes
It's free to be a NOVA Scribes Member; please join us!
Upcoming events
15
Elephants, Dead Fish, and Hairballs
·OnlineOnline🚀Register at https://buy.stripe.com/dRm14p3086BXcZZgDubV606
Every team has them — the elephants in the room no one wants to name, the dead fish that quietly stink up the culture, and the hairballs of confusion and frustration that stifle creativity and contribution. Avoiding these conversations doesn’t make them disappear; it only shuts down communication on the team, or worse, turns the culture toxic.
In this 4-hour, interactive workshop, we’ll explore a proven framework for naming and transforming the hardest conversations in your (or your clients’) organization. Building on Airbnb’s Elephants, Dead Fish, and Vomit model (2017) and blending it with Jim Rough’s Dynamic Facilitation method, participants will learn how to turn discomfort into direction — surfacing unspoken truths, finding shared understanding, and moving from tension to action.
🚀Register at https://buy.stripe.com/dRm14p3086BXcZZgDubV606
$199 / $149 Early Bird (expires February 20)
Takeaways
Through a mix of graphic facilitation and peer coaching, participants will walk away with:- A repeatable framework for addressing tough topics in teams or cross-functional groups
- A visual method for separating emotion from information and possibility from blame
- A practical understanding of how to use tension and conflict as a source of creativity and connection
- A shared language for engaging with vulnerability, accountability, and repair
Who should attend
This workshop is designed for team leaders, facilitators, coaches, consultants and change agents who are ready to face the mess and transform it into a foundation for a stronger, more transparent, and aligned team culture.Your instructor
Joran Slane Oppelt is an acclaimed author, coach, and consultant with over 15 years of experience guiding individuals and organizations toward achieving their highest potential.He is a Senior Consultant at The Grove Consultants International and the founder of Illustrious Consulting. He is the author of Visionary Leadership, Facilitation: A Human-Centered Guide to the Art of Collaboration, and the forthcoming OKRs 1.0: How to Facilitate Your Goals Using Objectives and Key Results.
1 attendee
Sh*t Facilitators Say, with Sarah From of “Sh*t Facilitators Say’
·OnlineOnlineSh*t Facilitators Say with Sarah From of “Sh*t Facilitators Say”
If you’ve ever thought you’ve got to be kidding me while running a workshop, this one’s for you.Join NOVA Scribes for a lively, funny, and surprisingly heartfelt session with Sarah From, the creator behind “Sh*t Facilitators Say.” Since 2012, Sarah has been shining a light on the wild, weird, sacred, and utterly human moments that happen when you’re holding space for groups. Her work offers a loving parody of the facilitation field that invites us to laugh at ourselves while remembering why this work matters.
In this participatory session, Sarah will share stories from her years of practice and social commentary, introduce her creative process, and reflect on the big question “Why are we like this?”
And because facilitators always have stories, we’ll open the floor for a community jam session. Bring your tales of chaos, triumph, mishaps, misreads, miracles, AV disasters, and “you can’t make this up” moments. Together, we’ll marvel, cringe, connect, and maybe even turn some of it into wisdom.
In this session, we’ll explore
What makes facilitation both meaningful and absurd- How humor helps us name what’s true about our work
- Community stories of “did that really just happen?”
- Reflection and sense-making as a group of peers
- Why we can all benefit from laughing at ourselves sometimes
Who should attend
Facilitators, coaches, trainers, and anyone who guides groups through change and conversation. If you work in the sweet spot between people and process, you’ll feel right at home.Format
A one-hour interactive workshop on Zoom. No slides. No canned talk. Just stories, facilitation, and the shared relief of being with other people who understand.
Follow your energy. Bring your stories. Come ready to laugh.About Sarah From and Sh*t Facilitators Say
Sh*t Facilitators Say began as a Twitter account in 2012, growing to 35K group members before departing the platform in 2024. SFS now holds space for memes on Instagram and BlueSky. Our product line for facilitators launched in 2022. SFS is run by Sarah From: an actual, live, real facilitator. Our sole(soul) purpose is to bring joy to our fellow facilitators and to lift up the sacred and sometimes silly craft of facilitation.https://www.instagram.com/shitfacilitator/ is where to find me on Instagram
https://bsky.app/profile/shitfacilitator.bsky.social is where to find Sarah on BlueSky
https://www.shitfacilitatorssay.com/ to join our mailing list
https://www.sarahfrom.com/ is Sarah's personal/work website
https://www.imagineus.co/ is Sarah's consulting group, Imagine UsCheck out the Sh*t Facilitators Say Store here: https://www.teepublic.com/user/shit-facilitators-say
To work with Sarah or one of my colleagues as a facilitator or coach, find Imagine Us here:
https://www.imagineus.co/--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NOVA Scribes has entered into a partnership with the IFVP: the International Forum of Visual Practitioners! This workshop is an IFVP Learning Lab. All IFVP members have access to Learning Labs at https://ifvpforum.circle.so/c/learning-hub/This workshop will be recorded and posted on YouTube for anyone who cannot attend. You can find the YouTube link in the Comments section of this NOVA Scribes Meetup event once the workshop video has been uploaded to YouTube.
You can find previously recorded videos at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJfInZHmS8prj2_DUaJ35CYY8n7SzoPMJWe’re not charging for this workshop, but we will be asking for donations! Donations cover the costs of hosting events on Meetup, to honorariums for new graphic recorders, and scholarships.
Please be sure you are registered on Meetup! If your Zoom name doesn’t match your name on Meetup, you will not be admitted. (We’ve had Zoom bombers.)
60 attendees
Past events
278
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