Artists are in a unique position to develop consensus and prove, or disprove, ideas. Why? Because a picture is worth a 1,000 words.
Put a group of people in a room to discuss a visual solution to something and I guarantee they will all leave the room with different pictures in the heads. Here's the example I use in my classes and workshops; ask 10 people in a room to imagine a blue ball. Seems simple enough. They should all visualize a similar image, right? Nope. Here's what happens when you ask them to describe the image. The type of ball, the size of ball, and the background image will all be different. Some balls on are the ground and some are floating in space. Sometimes people are in the scene.
The point is that even a simple visualization will produce very different results unless you describe all the details or, better yet, just show an image of ball you want them to visualize. Have that same group reacting to something visual and the conversation will be more focused, shorter and the picture in everyone's heads will be more similar.
If visuals haven’t been prepped in advance, use a whiteboard or a scrap of paper. It doesn’t need to be a work of art, it just needs to communicate an idea. When I'm in a meeting and the conversation is going in a circles with everyone is championing their own idea I'll sometimes suggest a meeting be rescheduled so I’ll have time to make some visuals that can refocus the discussion.
Use images to get gut checks on an idea in it’s early stage and use them to help set agendas for conversations.