Dan Roam

If you know anything at all about design, project management, presentations, or have ever ventured outside the box to solve a vexing problem, this book will be an extremely fast and not terribly informative read. I imagine some might be wowed...I have someone in mind to recommend it to...but the gimmick lost its appeal quickly. He should have used fewer napkins.

As I was wrapping up 2008, I read a dozen or more "Best of..." lists regarding business and/or leadership books. Dan Roam's book, The Back of the Napkin: Solving Problems and Selling Ideas with Pictures, was on nearly everyone's Top 10 list so I felt compelled to check it out. Lucky for me, I got a Barnes & Noble gift card from little Miss Isla for Christmas. Thanks, baby girl!

I have mixed feelings about this book. The general idea is to teach us all to present ideas and problem-solve show more visually by drawing pictures, charts, maps, etc... As a leader and a communicator, it got my gears turning and thinking in some different directions, but I personally felt a big portion of the book was overkill. How to "see" the problem/issue and the section on using your imagination was too boring to me. However, I think that was Roam's intention. He attempted to cover all bases so that the concepts could be learned even by non-creative types.

I found the rest of the book to be extremely engaging and practical. I learned what kind of visuals are suitable for specific types of problems.
For a Who/What question, use a "portrait."
For a How Much question, use a "chart."
For a Where question, use a "map."
For a When question, use a "timeline."
For a How question, use a "flowchart."
For a Why question, use a "multiple-variable plot."
In ministry, there are obvious leadership uses for the concepts in The Back of the Napkin. Assessing congregational needs, planning unveiling a new program, organizational issues, budgeting issues, etc... But what really got my juices flowing was thinking through the preaching implications of Roam's concepts. show less

Splendid book which should be required reading for all public speakers. Roam grasps on an idea everyone knows after just the slightest bit of reflection: Our minds process ideas quickly through visuals. This is why we think in metaphors and all the great teachers through history (e.g., Plato, Jesus, Paul, Einstein) use imagery and parable to make complex ideas seem simple. That truth has been expounded on by many, but what’s new here is also what’s the most empowering. It is more show more important for a picture to be simple and clear than to be well-polished and cool.

Roam gives his reader just enough of an understanding of how the brain works to equip them with the skills, processes, and general know-how to make effective visualizations. Full of pictures and examples (sadly, mostly from the business world), the book is a light read yet weighty enough that its depths can (and should) be explored. show less

Roam does a fantastic job of outlining how our visual minds work - he even includes the research in an appendix to the main text so you can check the science. The last portion of the book is a walkthrough of a case study, and that really helped me understand his process as well. I've already started to implement some of the things he talks about and it's helped my thinking process and communication with others while we work to solve problems. Definitely a good read if you do similar work.