Doug Neill, Author at Verbal to Visual

The Overpaid CEO Tax (Explained Visually)

There’s an interesting showdown happening right now between the city of Los Angeles and mega corporations like Starbucks. It has to do with how much a barista is paid compared …

How Mark Rober is Solving the Science Motivation Gap

In his new TED Talk, Mark Rober outlines the $60 million science experiment he is conducting. Here I’d like to share my visual notes of that talk. A Visceral Opening …

A hand-drawn sketchnote in a spiral-bound notebook titled "How to Evaluate New Technologies." At the top, a stick figure with closed eyes has three connected thought bubbles asking: "Wait, WHY am I doing this?", "What's my desired OUTCOME?", and "What are my OPTIONS for getting there?" Below, a horizontal spectrum runs from "Labor-Saving Devices" on the left to "Capacity-Creating Devices" on the right. Along the spectrum are sketches of a vacuum cleaner, an egg beater, and a robot labeled "AI." Under labor-saving devices: "Reduce time and effort needed" and "Don't impose new tasks." Under capacity-creating devices: "Do something you couldn't before" and "Added overhead tax." A hand holding a pen is visible on the right side of the frame, mid-sketch.

AI Adoption: Wait, why am I doing this?

In a recent episode of her podcast What Works, host Tara McMullin encourages us to ask this question much more often: Wait, why am I doing this? Especially when it …

Why I’m Moving from Subscriptions to Ownership

Two questions have collided in my world recently, related to the work that I do here at Verbal to Visual and the future of this project. The first question: How …

A hand-drawn sketchnote titled 'Movement Breaks' summarizing a TED Talk by Manoush Zomorodi. At the center, a stick figure sits hunched at a desk staring at a computer screen, with labels pointing out the problems: kinked arteries, bad blood flow, shallow breathing, and interoception interrupted. Below the figure is the question 'Where did all my energy go?' Surrounding the central image are sketched solutions: a figure marching in place, a person going for a stroll with a sun overhead and the note 'bonus points if outside,' and a figure dancing labeled 'dance party.' In the upper portion, a figure leaps upward with a list of benefits — mood, energy, focus, productivity — alongside a heart icon and the words 'overall health.' A clock in the lower right shows the recommended cadence: 5 minutes every 30 minutes. The bottom credits the talk to Manoush Zomorodi with 'Sketch by Doug Neill.' The Verbal to Visual website is noted in the upper right corner.

Sitting All Day Is Killing You: Visual Notes of Manoush Zomorodi’s TED Talk

Here’s what the typical workday looks like for most of us, most of the time. As Manoush Zomorodi tells us in her TED Talk, we spend our days typing, swiping, …

Building Bridges in Your Notes

A visual note is more than just a record of what you read or heard. It’s a node in your personal knowledge network. When you’re sketching out ideas from a …

Hand-drawn sketchnote summarizing the TED talk 'Where Joy Hides and How to Find It' by Ingrid Fetell Lee, dated April 2018, sketched by Doug Neill. The layout includes a cluster of colorful balloons labeled with the aesthetics of joy: round, color, symmetry, abundance, lightness, and elevation. In the center, a stick figure jumps with arms raised saying 'Yipee!' next to the label 'Me after filling a page,' with joy defined below as 'an intense momentary experience of positive emotion' highlighted in pink. To the right, a tree full of round fruit illustrates the evolutionary roots of joy — round equals safe, sharp equals danger. Along the bottom, a pink paint can labeled 'Offices' connects to the outcomes more alert, more confident, and friendlier, while an orange paint can labeled 'Schools' connects to improved attendance, graffiti gone, and kids feel safer. In the bottom right corner, the takeaway reads 'Don't chase happiness, embrace joy' highlighted in green, with the URL www.verbaltovisual.com beneath it.

The Aesthetics of Joy: Visual Notes of Ingrid Fetell Lee’s TED Talk

In the video above and article below, I’d like to share my visual notes of Ingrid Fetell Lee’s TED talk titled Where Joy Hides and How to Find It. After …

The Art of Visual Thinking (Sustainable Ambition Podcast)

Two years ago I had a conversation with Kathy Oneto on her Sustainable Ambition podcast, and after some recent interactions related to the release of her new book, I’m excited …

Doug Neill standing in front of bookshelves, holding a marker toward the camera with one hand and gesturing openly with the other. Hand-drawn white text surrounds him reading 'Design Your Learning Arena' with playful arrows pointing outward in all directions.

Design Your Learning Arena – Upcoming Visual Thinking Events (May 2026)

In this post I’d like to share with you what’s going on inside of Verbal to Visual throughout May of 2026. I’m trying some new things this month that I’m …

A collection of filled black sketchbooks held up by two hands, each labeled on the cover with white hand-lettered text listing their contents — including Sketchnote Handbook Notes, Buddhism, Hugh MacLeod & Gary Vee, Courage 2 Teach, Sketchnote Skill-Building Notebook, and Tim Ferriss on Fear-Setting.

Fill Your Sketchbooks

There’s a classic study from a college pottery class that I think about often. One group of students was told to make the best pot they could over the course …