The Back of the Napkin: Solving Problems and Selling Ideas with Pictures

List Price: $24.95 Discount Price: $12.28

Customer Reviews:

Great book [Posted on 2008-07-21]
If you have to get complex points across to people as part of your job, this book will help you do a better job. Great for technical sales or product management.

I thought this book would help me draw  [Posted on 2008-07-25]
Dan Roam writes a fun book. I thought I would learn how to draw better when drawing business ideas. This book goes through the business plan on napkins - but after practicing drawing like Dan Roam in the book, it looks nothing like the book. Bummer. I would of loved a chapter on how to draw better.

A Solid Introduction to Illustrating Problems and Solutions [Posted on 2008-08-01]
If you don't have any idea of how pictures can help you see more dimensions of problems and explain your solutions better, this is a good book to get you started. The book's main drawback is that it doesn't discuss how to integrate stories with pictures to make for more compelling communications. You'll have to learn to do that by reading books about storytelling to supplement this one.

I consider myself to be not very good at creating pictures for either solving problems or communicating solutions. I was disappointed that the book wasn't aimed more at helping people like me who understand the principles but have trouble applying those concepts.

SIMPLE DRAWINGS MAKE SENSE  [Posted on 2008-08-05]
This insightful book says that any problem can be solved using a simple drawing. The author warns against saying you cannot draw, because he says anyone can draw the simple stick figure drawings he suggests. Roam reminds us that visual information is much more interesting than verbal information. He explains that simple drawings are the most effective way to solve problems, sell ideas, or communicate information. He believes drawings help people crystallize ideas and think more creatively. The author emphasizes that communicating your ideas effectively is crucial and reminds us that a picture is worth a thousand words.

The book begins with the basics of making drawings, charts, and graphs, then moves on to the author's tools for thinking in pictures. The remaining sections of the book explain how to develop and sell ideas. The section on developing ideas provides suggested models to use to best represent types of situations.

The book presents step-by-step directions on how to clearly present a problem using a set of visual tools - as a series of pictures or a progressively-drawn picture. His basic instructions include: 1) Make the first mark by drawing a circle and label it something like me, them, you, product, company, etc.; 2) Choose a type of picture to best describe the situation from the categories a who/what portrait, a how-much chart, a where map, a when timeline, a how flowchart, or a why multi-variable xy plot; 3) Anthropomorphize your drawing since people relate to people even if they are just stick-figures with faces; 4) Use mental triggers in your drawing to make a point such as making something bigger or smaller to signify power or using the sun to orient an up or down direction; 5) Draw your picture real-time in front of your audience as a progression of your thought process and describe it as you go rather than presenting a finished drawing; 6) As you finish drawing your picture, write in or draw your conclusion. 7) Because a picture is so powerful, it is important to accurately portray the situation even though the drawing may not be artistic.

The book also presents examples of problems that have been solved using the system. The author emphasizes that you should develop your ideas and solutions and make sure the audience is moving along with you and that they are deducing the same conclusions you are presenting. You do this by making a progression of pictures or augmenting your drawing, as you simultaneously describe what you are sketching. The book clearly lays out how to get from the problem to selling the solution. Other inspirational books I also recommend are: THE 3:00 PM SECRET: Live Slim and Strong, Live Your Dreams and THE BLUE ZONES: Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who've Lived the Longest.

A Good Introduction For Data Visualization [Posted on 2008-08-09]
Typically I don't buy many books-- we have a good local library, so I buy only those that are 1) very interesting and 2) worth referring to later. This book is both. It is marketed as a book that shows how to develop business presentations by drawing the charts in front of the audience rather than relying on pre-made PowerPoint slides. Anyone, however, who needs to learn how to display data to convince others (data visualization) will find this book useful.

The good: it is an easy and fast read, with little jargon, and with good explanations of the various ways to display data. The chapter, "Frameworks For Showing," alone makes the book worthwhile to purchase. When do you use a timeline, or a flowchart, or a multivariable plot? This chapter explains all.

The bad: the drawings, while clever and creative, are at the lower end of my ability to read the writing. (And I have very good eyes.) A paperback version with the drawings much larger would be very helpful.

Very worthwhile.

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