Rebecca Jackson

(Originally posted July 7, 2022 By ~ Microsoft 365 Insider Engagement Team)

Rebecca Jackson

Rebecca Jackson wanted to be a ballerina when she was young. Then she became a marine biologist, then a psychologist, then a journalist. Later she went to art school, where she first felt she had found her calling.

“I always loved to draw. There’s a lot of artistic inclination in my family,” she said. “I got a scholarship to go to a special art school in Western Australia for high school. At the time, I thought, ‘Okay, I’m an artist. That’s what I do.’ But then I decided it wasn’t enough for me to make money.”

But that same curiosity and creative drive eventually led her to a career in technology. And when Rebecca discovered Sketchnoting Several years ago, she realized that she could combine her artistic passion with her technical skills.

Rebecca Jackson with Sketchnotes

“I used to get into trouble for drawing in notebooks and on the margins of paper when I was younger, but studies show that even just doodling while taking notes helps the visual connections imprint details in your brain,” Rebecca said. “When I started sketchnotes, I realized it was okay to draw at work. Now I try to draw at work as much as I can, Share with others.”

In a recent interview, Rebecca talks about combining her two loves – art and technology – and how becoming an Office Insider gives her access to the latest tech gadgets and ideas.

Could you describe your current professional role?

Rebecca: I started at Avanade Australia about 6 months ago as a Principal Consultant in the Workplace Experience Advisory group. It was my first big consulting job. I came from the client side, but I wanted to get that consulting experience. I work on a variety of projects. Everything from change management-focused things to training, user experience and employee experience design. Ultimately, it’s about meeting customers, helping them understand their problems, designing solutions and delivering them, no matter where they are in their technology journey.

How can being an Office Insider help your career?

Becoming an Office Insider was a no-brainer for me. When I learned about the program, I thought, “Here’s a way to get cool stuff early, let people know about it, and play around with it.” I’m glad I’m an early adopter, even if it’s not always perfect.

The opportunity to provide feedback as an insider is amazing. Microsoft is a huge company, and I think people don’t always realize that there are real people on the other side who actually read the feedback that customers submit. But you do! I tell all my customers and colleagues that.

Ebecca Jackson presents at the conference.

What is your favorite Microsoft product?

OneNote may be my favorite productivity tool. I used to use other tools for all my notes and content, and when I discovered OneNote, I thought, “This is better organized and has so many more features.” The fact that it integrates with other Microsoft tools that I normally use makes me a lot more productive. I install the app on my phone and take notes on the go with links, ideas, sketches, documents, and photos. OneNote makes it easy to create, search, and use notes on all my devices.

I am really passionate about Yammer. I started using it in 2009, even before Microsoft acquired it. For organizations that want to foster a sense of community, develop engaging internal communications, and connect people to their leaders and each other, Yammer is amazingly powerful. It provides a place where like-minded people can come together and share knowledge without isolation or barriers, creating incredible opportunities to improve organizational culture and business performance.

How did you come to combine your drawing and artistic talents with Office tools?

A colleague at a meeting a few years ago MVP Darrell Webster—Knowing that I love sketchnotes and drawing—he asked me if I wanted to do a live sketchnote in OneNote. And I said, “That’s scary. Let’s do it!” And we did. He set me up on the Surface Pro, and I sketched, and we shared the OneNote notebook so that everyone in the conference could follow along live. Later, when PowerPoint started adding drawing capabilities, I was super excited that I could sketch in that, too.

If I can show people how easy it is, and also convince them that it’s not easy because I know how to draw—it’s easy because of the tools that make it possible—then that’s a big deal. It’s something practical and useful that they can apply to their own work.

Sketchnotes created by Rebecca Jackson for the 2020 Microsoft MVP Summit

How has the rapid advancement of digital technology sparked this kind of creativity in technology?

Think about the great tools we have today, like Office apps (with their many colors, brushes, and strokes) and modern hardware like Surface, digital pens, and styluses. It makes a huge difference to be able to use a device that actually recognizes the pressure of the stroke. The availability and reduced cost of technology has opened up a lot of doors for people to experiment with, which is really cool.

And from an employee experience perspective, most organizations are in a position to provide people with the tools to do amazing things. So why not provide those tools and the training? Not everyone can afford to buy the tools individually, but as a company, you can provide the tools and let people be creative in their daily work.

What is one word that describes your working style?

“Fanatically,” distracted by shiny things, wanting to do everything at once, all the time. So one of the gestures that describes the way I work is this: [waves arms wildly in the air] Last year I was diagnosed with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). I am still figuring out how to share my diagnosis with others and how to better understand this crazy side of myself. I am learning how to use it to my advantage rather than hinder my work.

Is there a superhero in real life that you empathize with?

It’s kind of a funny name… not technically a superhero, but a super something I can relate to, Galactus. My husband likes to joke about “Galactus, Destroyer of Worlds, Consumer of Worlds” so I named him that.

The way I relate to it is that I want to be involved in everything. I’m a serial hobbyist, I love reading. I like sci-fi, fantasy, horror, so I watch a lot of movies, and I have a lot of tattoos related to my favorite shows and characters. I’m also certified in understanding Japanese sake. I like trying new things. Yeah, I don’t want to destroy things, I just want to consume. I want to consume everything. So I would say Galactus.

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