Hopefully, if you were not using Evernote to save, store, and file your illustrations, you are now (see the first installment in this series).
Continuing our list of five places to find great illustrations:
2. Media (News, television shows, movies, the Internet)
I combined all of these areas under one umbrella because each of them is readily available via technology. Here's a breakdown of the benefits of each:
NEWS - You can discover up-to-date, real life stories of successes, failures, wins, and losses in life. There are also numerous quotations available from current famous people and the average Joe.
TV SHOWS - Looking for a funny or heart-pounding clip to illustrate a point or open your talk? Look no further. With the advent of the Internet, you can grab almost any scene from any TV show. I have used Seinfeld, Heroes, Lost, and even the Simpsons... Just to name a few.
MOVIES - Similar to the television show illustration, you can illustrate almost any principle and it connects very well with students. A 5-7 minute scene can be very useful in opening your message. it grabs the listeners' attention, draws them in, then leaves them asking themselves, "How are they going to connect this to their message???" Finally, most epic movies are written in the "Hero's Journey" story model which lends itself to great storytelling. Trust me.... Google it. Star Wars anyone?
INTERNET - Quotes, stories, illustrations, scale models, graphics, videos... You get the point. It's all available at your fingertips.
Regardless of which of these forms of media you use to find great illustrations, be sure to save them, store them and file them with whichever method you prefer. The important part is remembering to save them as you come across them. It only takes an extra ten to fifteen seconds or so to copy, paste, and tag an illustration for use.
Read Part 3 here.
