Scribing is part interpretation,
part documentation, part entertainment.
The scribe's role is to make more clear, through words and pictures, the ideas and feelings expressed by speakers and participants during events, workshops, and design sessions.

Scribing can be helpful to those in the audience who have missed an important part of the dialogue. Scribing helps people remember what was said, both by having it physically recorded on the board, and through the images drawn by the scribe, which are often useful in triggering memory.

The scribe provides visual entertainment,
which can help to keep participants
engaged during long discussions. Scribing can also be distracting for some participants, so care must be taken not to draw too much attention to one's self while scribing.

Scribing is challenging work.
It requires listening to what's being said now while recording what has just been said. It requires neatness while writing quickly, a little bit of planning, and lots of spontaneity. Scribes often say they feel awkward and ineffective the first few times out, but like so many things, practice and familiarity make it easier (and more fun!).

GLOSSARY