Inspiring Speakers, Engaging Images

Aside from being able to draw nearly every day, one of the biggest perks of working as an ImageThink scribe is the chance to listen to some truly inspiring speakers. Over the course of nearly 10 years and hundreds of keynote sessions, we have created graphic recordings for thought leaders and ground breakers in politics, science, business, arts and entertainment, and more.  

We always walk away from these sessions reenergized and reinvigorated. Read on for some favorite moments from some of our favorite speakers. 

Meghan Duggan  

As captain of the U.S. Olympic Ice Hockey team, Meghan shared a major turning point in their competitive strategy — taking the time to understand why they were fighting to win. This mindset shift helped them bring back gold in ice hockey for the U.S., something the U.S. Women’s Olympic Ice Hockey team hadn’t been done in 20 years. 

Kobe Bryant and Derek Jeter  

These two star athletes, known for their extraordinarily long sports careers, shared their career experiences with their teams as well as with coaches. As successful team leaders, they shared valuable information about managing teams. Our graphic recorder Lilly Lam even received a high-five for a great job from Kobe.    

Doris Kearns Goodwin 

Doris Kearns Goodwin was by far one of the most charming individuals we’ve ever had the pleasure of graphic recording for. As a celebrated historian, author and political commentator, her work with the White House allowed her to experience and share an intimate perspective of the human side of leadership.    

Vinod Khosla, Bill Gates, and Jeff Bezos 

All of these tech biz wizards are so forward thinking- they are no longer concerned with today or tomorrow- but what health, technology and space exploration will mean for being human 50 to 100 years from now.  

 Brian Chesky 

The co-founder of Airbnb shared some of the more harrowing moments of his journey to success- like personally staying at every airbnb listing in New York and serving as the photographer who photographed listings.  

Katie Couric 

As journalist, author, and news anchor, Katie surprised us by how funny an irreverent she was. Speaking of irreverent, Gary Vanderchuck’s excessive cursing always shakes people up and gets them paying attention. 

Tony Hawk 

Tony Hawk spoke about being a pioneer in the world of professional skateboarding. As a kid, he says, skateboarding wasn’t part of the larger culture, and he felt out of place. But by his teenage years, he was sponsored and earning three figures. The biggest entrepreneurial lessons we took away were to always take risks, look for gaps in the market, and most importantly to surround yourself with people you trust. 

Marcus Samuelsson  

Marcus Samuelsson, the celebrity chef founder of famed Red Rooster in Harlem, NY, made an inspiring case for food as a window into other cultures. We were inspired by the passion he showed for his work and the global perspective he encourages. He spoke to the power of the culinary world to create opportunity, community, and purpose on both a global and local scale. 

Shaquille O’Neal was kind enough to help our graphic recorder fill in a few spots.

Shaq 

We scribed a strategy session for Shaquille O’Neal and his many creative projects, and it’s one we won’t soon forget. Aside from the genuine affection he showed for his team, and the humor he infused into the conversation, he also offered to help color in one of our graphic recordings! 

Al Gore 

When he gets to the crux of his keynote, Al Gore picks up his cadence and charisma and has the energy of an evangelical pastor in the heat of a sermon. You can definitely feel the passion that he has around issues related to climate change and more importantly, our roles in addressing it.  

Stay Tuned For More Big Insights, Illustrated 

Our graphic recorders are fortunate to scribe for some incredible speakers. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop and gain more great insights.