For years, doodling in meetings has been treated like a sign of disinterest or distraction, right up there with daydreaming or checking your phone under the table. But research says otherwise:
What’s actually happening:
When you’re coloring or doodling while listening:
Your brain engages visual, auditory, and motor networks at the same time.
That multi-sensory processing improves comprehension, focus, and retention.
Your working memory isn’t overloaded, because the visuals anchor what you hear.
Instead of spacing out, you’re tuning in through a different channel.
Scientific Proof:
A 2009 study by psychologist Jackie Andrade (Applied Cognitive Psychology) showed that people who doodled while listening to a monotonous phone message remembered 29% more information than those who didn’t.
The Harvard Business Review noted that visual note-taking helps people synthesize complex data, notice relationships between ideas, and stay mentally engaged—especially during long or repetitive sessions.
Neuroscience researcher Sunni Brown (author of The Doodle Revolution) argues that doodling boosts information processing and creative problem-solving by “unlocking unconscious insight.”
“Doodling isn’t a sign of distraction. It’s a sign of engaged processing.” – Sunni Brown
Why It Belongs in the Boardroom:
Encouraging coloring, visual notes, or structured doodling in meetings doesn’t just keep hands busy it keeps brains awake.
In fact, you might be shocked how much better your team communicates onceSharpies are involved.
Next time your team’s zoning out in a meeting? Don’t ask them to focus harder.
Give them something to do with their hands—and watch their minds come alive.
Ready to Try It?
You’ve read the research. Now it’s time to color like your leadership depends on it.
Because it does.
Before your next strategy session, sales sprint, or “we need a miracle” meeting, try this:
Download one of my Troalkind-inspired coloring pages
Grab a pen, pencil, or whatever you’ve got lying around
Set a timer for 5 minutes
And let your mind slow down so it can speed back up, clearer, calmer, sharper
Want some background magic while you color?
Listen to this week’s Troalkind Tales podcast episode, where fantasy meets focus and the trolls might just teach you more about leadership than your last webinar.
Get your free coloring page, explore the Color Story Packs, and unlock a more creative you:
Come for the trolls. Stay for the stress relief.
Because sometimes, the boldest move you can make…
is to pick up a crayon in a world of clickbait and chaos.
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