Graphic Recording Nerd Talk: a candid conversation with Leslie Salmon-Zhu

Graphic Recording Nerd Talk: a candid conversation with Leslie Salmon-Zhu

After four decades in the field, what’s still true?
What’s changed?
And what are we not talking about?

In this open, unscripted Process Talk, Leslie Salmon-Zhu joins NOVA Scribes for a live, organic conversation about the real life of a career graphic recorder. No slides. No polish. No “how I got started” origin story. Just honest dialogue.

Leslie has spent over 40 years working inside complex organizations, much of it in Silicon Valley, and most of it hired directly by leaders rather than external facilitators. She has watched the field grow, fragment, professionalize, panic about pricing, debate legitimacy, and now confront AI.

This is a space to talk about what we usually whisper about.

What we might explore:

• What does a sustainable career in graphic recording actually look like?
• Why do many practitioners say they only want one job a month?
• Is the field growing the way we think it is?
• What changed after COVID?
• Can we talk about pricing without losing our minds?
• How are clients finding us now through AI search?
• What does it mean to stay passionate after decades in the work?

This will be conversational and emergent. Think talk-radio meets masterclass meets community jam.

Why this matters now

Clients are using AI to search for support.
Many practitioners are unsure how visible they are.
Some want 80 meetings a year.
Some want one.

What does the field actually want?

Leslie brings fierce passion, deep compassion, and a long view of the profession. She is both intensely practical and unapologetically devoted to the craft. Expect energy, candor, humor, and moments of uncomfortable clarity.

Format

Brian Tarallo will host in an organic, lightly facilitated interview style. Participants are invited to bring questions you’ve “always wanted to ask but weren’t sure you could.”

This is NOVA Scribes.
We can talk about it.

Who this is for

Graphic recorders
Visual facilitators
Process nerds
Consultants who use visuals
Anyone working at the intersection of visuals and group process

If you care about the future of this work, this conversation is for you.

Bring your questions.
Bring your curiosity.
Bring your straight talk.

Leslie Salmon-Zhu is a seasoned professional graphic recorder and visual practitioner based in the San Francisco Bay Area. She has collaborated on thousands of meetings and conferences around the world, capturing complex discussions and group thinking in large-format real-time visual maps that elevate engagement and insight. She brings creativity, precision, and deep listening to every engagement, whether in contentious boardrooms or informal retreats.

Leslie is the founder of the International Forum of Visual Practitioners, an annual global gathering and community that advances the field of graphic recording and visual practice. Her work has helped shape the profession’s sense of identity and community, connecting practitioners, sharing practices, and elevating the value of visuals in facilitation and group process. Through her decades of practice, Leslie has become a respected mentor, leader, and advocate for the power of visual thinking in human collaboration.

Leslie Salmon-Zhu
https://www.linkedin.com/in/leslie-salmon-zhu-0ba734a/

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_DUaJ35CYY8n7SzoPMJ

We’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.)