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The Back of the Napkin (Expanded Edition): Solving Problems and Selling Ideas with Pictures
by
Dan Roam
The acclaimed bestseller about visual problem solving-now bigger and better
"There is no more powerful way to prove that we know something well than to draw a simple picture of it. And there is no more powerful way to see hidden solutions than to pick up a pen and draw out the pieces of our problem."
So writes Dan Roam in The Back of the Napkin, the internati...more
"There is no more powerful way to prove that we know something well than to draw a simple picture of it. And there is no more powerful way to see hidden solutions than to pick up a pen and draw out the pieces of our problem."
So writes Dan Roam in The Back of the Napkin, the internati...more
Hardcover, 304 pages
Published
December 31st 2009
by Portfolio Hardcover
(first published 2008)
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Yes, you should read this book. The content is excellent and useful. If you have any desire to be a better problem solver or a better communicator, then I believe you will find this book useful. Especially if you are in any sort of leadership role.
Stylistically, Dan writes as if he is speaking; a trait that seems to prevail among many author who are also speakers. That got in a way a few times, but it was a small annoyance.
Stylistically, Dan writes as if he is speaking; a trait that seems to prevail among many author who are also speakers. That got in a way a few times, but it was a small annoyance.
“The Back of the Napkin” von Dan Roam war eigentlich ein Pflichtkauf. Ich bin seit langem Fan von seinem Blog, der immer für viele, viele tolle Visualisierungen und Anschauungsmaterialien gut ist. Sein Buch beschäftigt sich indes mit genau diesem Thema: “Probleme lösen und Ideen verkaufen mit Hilfe von Bildern”.
Im Buch wird, nach einer kurzen Einleitung, zunächst einmal das Grundgerüst vorgestellt: was ist Visualisierung? Warum funktioniert Vsualisierung? Wie kann ICH Visualisierungen ...more
Im Buch wird, nach einer kurzen Einleitung, zunächst einmal das Grundgerüst vorgestellt: was ist Visualisierung? Warum funktioniert Vsualisierung? Wie kann ICH Visualisierungen ...more
A third of the way through this book, I was afraid that it would be nothing more than another "here's how to present information graphically: you have hue, intensity, etc. to work with" beginner book on design. I've read several and they have completely failed to stick.
But now I'm 80% of the way through and I see this book is not that at all. Instead, it's a way of tackling difficult problems by creating the "picture worth a thousand words" that gets your point ac...more
But now I'm 80% of the way through and I see this book is not that at all. Instead, it's a way of tackling difficult problems by creating the "picture worth a thousand words" that gets your point ac...more
I read The Back of the Napkin (Expanded Edition) on my Amazon Kindle Basic. While I love to read books on my Kindle, I would have to say that charts and most pictures are basically lost when using the Kindle. That being said, I have to say I enjoyed the book.
This book takes the reader on a little journey. Dan Roam shows us how he came up with the concept of using simple, basic, pictures drawn by hand to illustrate the concepts he was wishing to convey to his audiences.
Our auth...more
This book takes the reader on a little journey. Dan Roam shows us how he came up with the concept of using simple, basic, pictures drawn by hand to illustrate the concepts he was wishing to convey to his audiences.
Our auth...more
الكاتب كتابته سلسة جدا و ممتعة. و تنسيق الكتاب نفسه جذاب لا يتسم بالرتابة المملة التي يتصف بها القالب التقليدي للكتب. تعلمت الكثير، و أظن أن الأفكار التي وردت في الكتاب يكمن جمالها في قابلية تطبيقها في مختلف المجالات و الأمور. يمكن فهمها على أنها منظار عملي لمعالجة الظروف الحياتية، بشكل عام، من خلاله.
أعجبتني كثيرا فكرة أن أي مشكلة أو ظرف يمكن حلها من منظور "الست أسئلة": 1. من و ماذا. 2. كم. 3. متى. 4. أين. 5. كيف. 6. لمَ.
هي فكرة بسيطة إن تمعنا بها، لكن غالبا ما نغفل ع...more
أعجبتني كثيرا فكرة أن أي مشكلة أو ظرف يمكن حلها من منظور "الست أسئلة": 1. من و ماذا. 2. كم. 3. متى. 4. أين. 5. كيف. 6. لمَ.
هي فكرة بسيطة إن تمعنا بها، لكن غالبا ما نغفل ع...more
A great read for those who are more visual in our communication with others. This book does attempt to give a guide of sorts of how one can communicate his or her ideas effectively. The ideas given are fresh, and I do find them directly applicable to those who are either more suited to these kind of communication media, or for those who wants to add a little zing to their presentation. But one aspect that I do find this book lacking is the seemingly technical details that it is trying to force o...more
The concept of this book is teaching everyone -- not just artistic types -- to use images effectively for presentations and persuasion. I love the concept, and there were some awesome, quotable sections (I especially liked the difference between LOOKING and SEEING).
I think it's extremely difficult to cover this topic thoroughly and effectively in a book format. I would love to attend a live seminar by the author, as seeing him present the concepts in real time would give me a much be...more
I think it's extremely difficult to cover this topic thoroughly and effectively in a book format. I would love to attend a live seminar by the author, as seeing him present the concepts in real time would give me a much be...more
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There are two things I didn't really enjoy with this book. One isn't really the fault of the author as such, it's more my fault for reading it. I'm in a creative industry and read this as part of a industry bookclub I attend. I think I thought it would be more about methods of thinking visually and tips and techniques - turns out it much more aimed at management consultants and offers problems solving methods with a visual skew.
The second aspect that I didn't like was the convienience ...more
The second aspect that I didn't like was the convienience ...more
After nine and a half weeks of study hall, pacing myself through this novel, I have decided that The Back of the Napkin truly is inventive and ingenious;however, that is just the problem. For instance, the first few pages display quirky diagrams and innovative styles of thinking such as the near-to-train-wreck of a fill-in for Roam's colleague, and then, zooming through to the end, Roam covers the science aspect, typing about how the human eye calculates different perspectives in a matter of mic...more
“The Back of the Napkin: Solving Problems and Selling Ideas with Pictures” explores the power an image can yield as a conveyor of ideas or concepts. Although it was recommended to me as a friendly way to learn about modeling languages (a rather work related topic), its not at all a technical book. Instead it aims to convey its ideas to the general public, demystifying the use of our innate visual thinking. By a series of business stories the author describes how simple sketches over a napkin (or...more
This book is my third and final candidate for best business book I read in 2009. The first two were:
Strengths-Based Leadership
Talent is Overrated
This book resonated with me because of my current role as technology instructor. I am challenged almost daily with presenting sometimes complex concepts to design students who sometimes respond that they don't understand by stating "I'm a visual person."
This book helped me appreciate the value of tel...more
Strengths-Based Leadership
Talent is Overrated
This book resonated with me because of my current role as technology instructor. I am challenged almost daily with presenting sometimes complex concepts to design students who sometimes respond that they don't understand by stating "I'm a visual person."
This book helped me appreciate the value of tel...more
Resolver problemas por medio de dibujos? Fue la pregunta que me realicé al ver este libro. Con este libro descubrí cuan cierto es el dicho "No juzgues un libro solo por su portada". La clave es la servilleta (su nombre en español) es un excelente libro sobre cómo resolver problemas de una forma creativa e innovadora.
Realmente te recomiendo este libro, te ayudará a ver los problemas de perspectivas diferentes, y por sobre todo como mostrar y vender ideas.......
Realmente te recomiendo este libro, te ayudará a ver los problemas de perspectivas diferentes, y por sobre todo como mostrar y vender ideas.......
Given how much time I spend at a whiteboard, I've often contemplated how to more effectively use that tool. A really well drawn diagram, particularly if it's accompanied by both a good analogy and a good example ends up hitting nearly all of the learning styles in a given room.
The Back of the Napkin was recommended to me as a really good book for how to improve whiteboard diagrams. That recommendation wasn't ill-founded. This approach gives a nicely structured system for how to diagram...more
The Back of the Napkin was recommended to me as a really good book for how to improve whiteboard diagrams. That recommendation wasn't ill-founded. This approach gives a nicely structured system for how to diagram...more
An excellent reminder, and some good examples for thinking with visuals. Dan has some good frameworks that will stick with me, but the book was a little more than I wanted in some ways. It's a little bit like learning a whole new process and methods. I would have preferred it to integrate better with what I already do. Still, his thinking helped clear up charts better for me, and I've also started applying it and that's got to be a good sign.
Note: It's not a book about drawing better...more
Note: It's not a book about drawing better...more
A thousand words, right?
That is what a great picture can be worth and in the book Dan Roam shows how you can become a great problem solver and have fun doing it.
I appreciate Dan's simple + flexible approach which is able to tackle an array of problems that businesses, and people, face everyday. He gives a lot of good tools (i.e. SQVID formula for presenting a problem differently), and plenty of fun examples.
You'll enjoy it.
That is what a great picture can be worth and in the book Dan Roam shows how you can become a great problem solver and have fun doing it.
I appreciate Dan's simple + flexible approach which is able to tackle an array of problems that businesses, and people, face everyday. He gives a lot of good tools (i.e. SQVID formula for presenting a problem differently), and plenty of fun examples.
You'll enjoy it.
This was an fantastic book and it should be required reading for anybody in business.
The subject is all about visual thinking (a very Lean concept) but it also provides a great framework for critical thinking. Mixing the two will provide outstanding results.
Immediate benefit I see from this book: SHORTER MEETINGS!
By making things visual, it will be easier to direct conversations to the issue SEEN in front of them (not just "stick to what I am talking abo...more
The subject is all about visual thinking (a very Lean concept) but it also provides a great framework for critical thinking. Mixing the two will provide outstanding results.
Immediate benefit I see from this book: SHORTER MEETINGS!
By making things visual, it will be easier to direct conversations to the issue SEEN in front of them (not just "stick to what I am talking abo...more
I'm a few chapters in at this point and so far I'm really enjoying it. Looking forward to see how all of the ideas come together.
One of the few books I've actually "read" in a while (instead of listening to audio books). Obviously, this book wouldn't be suited to audio.
I white board ideas all the time and often get stymied in conveying what I'm thinking. Hopefully this'll set me on the right path.
One of the few books I've actually "read" in a while (instead of listening to audio books). Obviously, this book wouldn't be suited to audio.
I white board ideas all the time and often get stymied in conveying what I'm thinking. Hopefully this'll set me on the right path.
Ozten
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
programmers artists designers biz
Recommended to Ozten by:
Patty
Shelves:
life-long-learner
You can glaze over all the business crap which gives the author content to give a good sketch of what the basics of visual communication are. It is a very different book than Robert E. Horn's "Visual Language" and I think it is a complementary book.
The author poses using the "reporters" 6 W's who/what/why etc as a guideline for thinking through diagrams. Another interesting technique that I need to try to test it is within the 6 W's he gives 5 dimensions each with...more
The author poses using the "reporters" 6 W's who/what/why etc as a guideline for thinking through diagrams. Another interesting technique that I need to try to test it is within the 6 W's he gives 5 dimensions each with...more
Very well done - if you're the type of person who only reads business books every once in a while, this is one to spend time on. Actually, even if you're so good at what you do you NEVER spend time reading a business book you should make the time for this one.
As someone who's prepared and delivered thousands of presentations over the years this is the clearest, most practical advice I've seen for how to think through what you're trying to say AND how to deliver the message.
As someone who's prepared and delivered thousands of presentations over the years this is the clearest, most practical advice I've seen for how to think through what you're trying to say AND how to deliver the message.
Brilliant and educational book on the power of visual thinking. Provides the background on how we process information and supplies a methodology and examples on how to explain and solve problems with visuals. I wish I was as smart as Dan Roam. If you are looking to improve your communication skills, read this book.
Reading this book make me try to draw my idea on a paper - which i rarely done it. Some time there are a lot of image on our mind but we can't explain it to our client or co-worker. This book give us a clue of how to say our idea on a simple hand-drawing. This book also give us a guidance how to solve a problem.
A very useful primer/nudge to use your hand to help your head. Those drawings, doodles, arrows and boxes (and the questions they try to "answer") do help organise and develop thoughts and then transmit those ideas to others.
I'd put this book on a par with Tony Buzan's "Mind Mapping" in terms of usefulness.
I'd put this book on a par with Tony Buzan's "Mind Mapping" in terms of usefulness.
I think this methodology would be extremely helpful in a lot of situations - I'm looking forward to making use of it. However, I'm not sure the author did a great job of stating how to apply it (besides implying always). I felt the problem solving examples in the book were pretty contrived.
Another business book that starts with a great idea in the first pages and then proceeds to beat it to death for the last 250+ pages. I thought it was going to be a useful resource on how to use visual thinking and drawing to attack problems, but it was actually not very helpful or informative.
This book was a quick and compelling read for me. I don't consider myself an artist, or particularly adept at thinking visually, but this book convinced me that I could use drawing to help solve problems. The models presented, repeated, and practiced helped make taking the first step and embedding the concepts into my skills set very easy. I highly recommend this book!
A great book. The concepts explained are just priceless. What I didn't like is that the author tries to formalize them too much and give you a list of steps for each possible case. This is kind of hard to apply and annoying at some point. But the ideas are awesome.
From Matthew Lampros:
I highly suggest this book. It's about learning how to communicate so succinctly that you can do it on a napkin with a pen. There are a lot of great books on visual communication but this is among the best and most powerful in my opinion.
I highly suggest this book. It's about learning how to communicate so succinctly that you can do it on a napkin with a pen. There are a lot of great books on visual communication but this is among the best and most powerful in my opinion.
Back of the Napkin: Solving Problems and Selling Ideas by Dan Roam is an easy read that helps us think about ways that pictures can help us solve problems. It might be helpful for those of us who like to use visual activities as inquiry tools. Since I'm a visual thinker who often turns to pictures to think things out, this helped me reflect on ways I can further refine my methods. I can imagine it would be helpful for those who don't turn to pictures first, to see how they can be a great way ...more
I found this book a good knowledge for my presentation skillls.Dan can put everything in such a manner that you can be very clear about the most complex of situations. He narrows everything into concise terms and is clever to present a simple visual.
note to self: mentioned in an Amazon reader book review on Understanding Economics by Ken Cole, which was in turn mentioned by reader comments on Yoram Bauman's website about his comic book. Business concepts through cartoon sketches. Go visual learning!
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“Any problem can be made clearer with a picture, and any picture can be created using the same set of tools and rules.”
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