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Think Visual: Imagineering

For Impact Ideas | | Tom Suddes

I spent last Friday at Disney World with an amazing group of Junior Achievement CHAMPIONS (aka Board Members and Staff). It was a six-hour ‘RETREAT’ and my role was to facilitate/coach to help Junior Achievement Board Members become more ENGAGED and more PASSIONATE ADVOCATES for Youth Development, Economic Development and Workforce Development.

We (60 Board and Staff Members from Junior Achievement of Central Florida and West Coast) spent the day talking about IMPACT and INCOME and their ROLE.

I was totally energized by the commitment of these CHAMPIONS… and of their serious desire to figure out how to help.

As part of my ‘PREP’, I re-read one of my favorite ‘books’ called IMAGINEERING by the Disney Imagineers. It’s full of all kinds of the SKETCHES (VISUALS) that were eventually turned into reality.

Following are some tweet-like quotes from Imagineering that reinforce the entire idea of STORIES and VISUALS.

“You know bankers don’t have any imagination, none at all. You have to SHOW them what you’re going to do.” Walt Disney

I could never convince the financiers that Disneyland was feasible because dreams offer too little collateral.” Walt Disney

“Question: How many Imagineers does it take to change a light bulb? Answer: Does it have to be a light bulb?”

“For Disneyland, the process of ‘learning and succeeding by dreaming and doing’ was employed for the very first time.”

“The only rule during this time (of brainstorming Disneyland): There are no rules.”

“The Walt Disney Company is in the business of TELLING STORIES.”

“There are no days in life so memorable as those which vibrate to some stroke of the IMAGINATION.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Storyboards are used a PRESENTATION TOOL… to SELL THE IDEA!”