Engagement Technique: Draw A Wombat

You think we’ve lost it, don’t you? Read on, this will all make sense.

You have a group of people, and you ask one person to come up to draw something. You call them up, and that person is handed a small card.

It simply says:

“Draw a wombat.”

They draw what they think a wombat looks like. They may or may not know what a wombat looks like, and they may or may not be able to draw, but they have no further preparation. No Googling. Just what they think a wombat looks like. Then hold it up to the group.

The group then has to guess what it is.

Repeat this exercise 100 times and I’m confident most people won’t guess what the drawing is. Sometimes, some people get it, but most of the time, most people don’t. So what’s the point?

What this reveals

This exercise highlights something uncomfortable, how we communicate is not necessarily what other people see.

If the person drawing doesn’t truly know what a wombat looks like, their version will be vague or distorted. But even if they do know, the audience still has to interpret it correctly. The success of the message relies on two things:

1. The sender’s clarity.

2. The audience’s shared understanding.

If either is missing, confusion follows. This, in business, and with People and engagement, happens time and time again.

Take recruitment, as an example – when we’re looking to attract the right talent. You might think your job description clearly describes an exciting opportunity. You might think your employer brand communicates purpose, culture, and impact.

But if candidates don’t share your internal language, context, or assumptions, they won’t see the wombat you’re trying to show them.

It’s also relevant internally. Think about your Strategy announcements, Values statements, EVP messaging, Process changes, or any other internal comms.

If people can’t visualise what you mean, they’ll fill in the gaps themselves. And they won’t all fill them in the same way. How we communicate, and ensuring we clarify understanding, is so important in engagement. This exercise is designed to help people know just how difficult it is to “draw the wombat”, or get comms right.

What else you could add

Additional questions you could add to the exercise:

• What made it clear or unclear?

• Did we assume shared understanding?

• Where do we do this in our real communication?

• Are we describing the wombat properly in our job ads, briefs, or strategy updates?

What to watch out for

Keep it light. This isn’t about artistic ability! You don’t have to stick to wombat either, but think of an animal that is not commonplace where you’re based. Gopher, or Groundhog, perhaps?

Ask for a volunteer, rather than select someone – although it’s unlikely anyone may be hurt by criticism of their drawing, we don’t want to cause any problems for anyone. If no-one volunteers, try drawing yourself. The exercise works because everyone realises they’ve done the same thing at some point.

The takeaway

“Draw a Wombat” is a 5 minute, simple reminder that communication isn’t just about what you intend to say, it’s about what the other person understood. If your candidates, colleagues, or customers can’t clearly see the wombat, the issue isn’t always them!

This post is part of our Engagement Techniques series of practical, low-cost ideas to bring more connection and meaning into work. Find the rest here

👉 Want to explore techniques like this in more depth? I run interactive employee engagement workshops where we bring these ideas to life.