Whiteboarding
Using whiteboards or digital equivalents for collaborative visual thinking and problem-solving.
Also known as: White Boarding, Visual Collaboration
Category: Techniques
Tags: collaboration, visualization, thinking, tools, brainstorming
Explanation
Whiteboarding is the practice of using whiteboards (physical or digital) for collaborative thinking, brainstorming, planning, and problem-solving. The large, shared visual surface enables real-time collaboration and iteration that's difficult to achieve with individual screens or paper.
**Why Whiteboarding Works**:
- **Shared visibility**: Everyone sees the same thing simultaneously
- **Easy iteration**: Ideas can be quickly added, modified, or erased
- **Physical engagement**: Standing and drawing activates different thinking
- **Non-linear exploration**: Ideas can be placed anywhere, reorganized freely
- **Equality of contribution**: Visual space feels more democratic than documents
**Common Whiteboarding Activities**:
- **Brainstorming sessions**: Generating and capturing ideas
- **System design**: Architecting technical solutions
- **Process mapping**: Documenting workflows and procedures
- **Sprint planning**: Organizing work in agile teams
- **Problem decomposition**: Breaking down complex challenges
- **Teaching and explaining**: Illustrating concepts in real-time
**Digital Whiteboarding**:
Tools like Miro, FigJam, Excalidraw, and Obsidian Canvas bring whiteboarding to distributed teams. They add features like:
- Infinite canvas space
- Persistent storage and history
- Templates and frameworks
- Asynchronous collaboration
- Integration with other tools
**In PKM Context**:
Personal whiteboarding (physical or with tools like Obsidian Canvas) supports divergent thinking, visual planning, and connecting ideas across your knowledge base.
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