Sketchnotes: A Tool to Improve Your English Skills at Work
The ‘what’, ‘why’ and ‘how’ to get you thinking about how to use sketchnotes to develop English language skills and communication confidence.
When you think about improving English language skills for work, you might imagine a speaking workshop, grammar books, or maybe a language app. But there’s another method that’s both fun and effective: sketchnoting.
What is sketchnoting?
Sketchnoting is visual notetaking, a combination of words, simple images, arrows, and symbols to capture ideas in a creative, eye-catching way. The impact? Notes that don’t just sit there on the page, but actively work with your brain to help you understand, remember, and communicate better.
Why sketchnotes work for learning
Our brains process visuals faster than text, and combining pictures with words improves memory retention. This isn’t about being a “visual learner” — it’s about using varied strategies to boost understanding.
When you sketchnote, you’re:
Engaging multiple senses: listening, writing, drawing, and thinking all at once.
Actively processing information: simplifying concepts into simple visuals helps you to really understand.
Making learning personal: you choose the icons, metaphors, and layouts, so you remember them more easily.
Sketchnotes turn learning into an active, creative process rather than a passive one.
Examples of how I use sketchnotes with my learners or for my own learning.
Using sketchnotes at work
In professional settings, sketchnoting isn’t just “nice-looking notes”, it’s a practical communication tool. Here are some ways it can support you in meetings, projects, and workplace communication:
Clarify complex ideas quickly
For example, instead of a paragraph explaining your department’s workflow, send a simple diagram with arrows, icons, and key words.
A sketched process used to help my client explain the accounts payable process to his IT colleague in India. (Key vocabulary highlighted in green)
Make meetings more engaging
Take sketchnotes with short English phrases and images, then share them as a visual agenda, record of decisions, deadlines and action points.
Bridge language or cultural gaps
Visuals can explain ideas without needing perfect English every time.
Support project management
A one-page visual timeline with labels like “Launch Phase” or “Client Review” in English can help you and your team keep track of tasks while reinforcing professional vocabulary.
Examples of sketchnotes used in recent business English training sessions.
Persuade and inspire
Turn bullet points into a story, using visuals and keywords to guide your audience through your message and helping you structure your presentation.
I used this sketchnote for a workshop on using storytelling in a business context
Practising your professional English with sketchnotes
Here’s how you can combine sketchnoting with English learning at work:
Visual Vocabulary Builder
Draw a quick icon for each new work-related word (“stakeholder,” “audit,” “deliverable”). For “stakeholder,” maybe a stick figure holding a stake or steak. It will make you smile and it’s memorable.
Practice drawing icons for the words or phrases you need most often.
Grammar in Context
If you struggle with certain tenses in business writing (like the present perfect continuous in “We have been working on the project since last month), make a mini visual cheat-sheet with examples and arrows showing timelines. I often use visuals to explain grammar in my sessions.
We use the present perfect continuous to talk about an action that started in the past and is still ongoing or has just recently stopped, with a focus on the duration of that action.
Listening Practice in Meetings
Instead of writing every word, capture key points in short English phrases with doodles. Use three or four sticky notes to summarise a short meeting. This keeps you focussed on the meeting.
According to Sunni Brown, author of The Doodle Revolution, "Doodling is a pre-emptive measure to stop you from losing focus." It focusses your mind on the person you are listening to and the information you are taking in.
Phrases and metaphors
When you hear an idiom (“touch base,” “in the loop”), draw it literally… a baseball player touching a base, or a circle of people. This locks in both the phrase and the context.
I'll keep you in the loop = Ich halte Sie auf dem Laufenden.
Presentation Rehearsal Tool
Map out your presentation ideas as visuals with keywords. This acts as a memory aid and helps you keep your language clear and concise.
My sketchnotes as cue cards for a short presentation I made about my key takeaways from the International Sketchnote Camp 2025 in Birmingham.
Sketchnoting is not art, it’s not about beautiful pictures. It’s a practical bridge between learning and doing. By turning ideas into visuals, you make your English more memorable, your communication more engaging, and your work more impactful.
Grab a pen, think visual, and watch your English skills at work come to life, one sketch at a time.
Many of the sketchnotes I use to illustrate my blog are more ‘presentation pieces’ so I can share my ideas and catch your eye. But a practical sketchnote doesn’t have to be pretty. Here is how I planned this blog using a sketchnote to get my ideas from my head and onto paper. I looked through books and online to see how the experts show how to sketchnote. In the photo you can see page 188 from Bikablo’s Martin Hausmann’s book UZMO Denken mit dem Stift.
Hello,
I’m Jane Carvell, a business English trainer, language coach and visual thinking enthusiast. I help German-speaking professionals improve their English communication skills, so that they can build better connections in an international working world.
