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The Back of the Napkin: Solving Problems and Selling Ideas with Pictures
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The Back of the Napkin: Solving Problems and Selling Ideas with Pictures Hardback - 2009

by Dan Roam

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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 international bestseller that proves that a simple drawing on a humble napkin can be more powerful than the slickest PowerPoint presentation. Drawing on twenty years of experience and the latest discoveries in vision science, Roam teaches readers how to clarify any problem or sell any idea using a simple set of tools. He reveals that everyone is born with a talent for visual thinking, even those who swear they can't draw. And he shows how thinking with pictures can help you discover and develop new ideas, solve problems in unexpected ways, and dramatically improve your ability to share your insights. Take Herb Kelleher and Rollin King, who figured out how to beat the traditional hub-and-spoke airlines with a bar napkin and a pen. Three dots to represent Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio. Three arrows to show direct flights. Problem solved, and the picture made it easy to sell Southwest Airlines to investors and customers. Now with more color, bigger pictures, and additional content, this new edition does an even better job of helping you literally see the world in a new way. Join the teachers, project managers, doctors, engineers, assembly-line workers, pilots, football coaches, marine drill instructors, financial analysts, students, parents, and lawyers who have discovered the power of solving problems with pictures.

Summary

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 international bestseller that proves that a simple drawing on a humble napkin can be more powerful than the slickest PowerPoint presentation. Drawing on twenty years of experience and the latest discoveries in vision science, Roam teaches readers how to clarify any problem or sell any idea using a simple set of tools.

He reveals that everyone is born with a talent for visual thinking, even those who swear they can't draw. And he shows how thinking with pictures can help you discover and develop new ideas, solve problems in unexpected ways, and dramatically improve your ability to share your insights.

Take Herb Kelleher and Rollin King, who figured out how to beat the traditional hub-and-spoke airlines with a bar napkin and a pen. Three dots to represent Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio. Three arrows to show direct flights. Problem solved, and the picture made it easy to sell Southwest Airlines to investors and customers.

Now with more color, bigger pictures, and additional content, this new edition does an even better job of helping you literally see the world in a new way. Join the teachers, project managers, doctors, engineers, assembly-line workers, pilots, football coaches, marine drill instructors, financial analysts, students, parents, and lawyers who have discovered the power of solving problems with pictures.



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

From the publisher

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 international bestseller that proves that a simple drawing on a humble napkin can be more powerful than the slickest PowerPoint presentation. Drawing on twenty years of experience and the latest discoveries in vision science, Roam teaches readers how to clarify any problem or sell any idea using a simple set of tools.

He reveals that everyone is born with a talent for visual thinking, even those who swear they can't draw. And he shows how thinking with pictures can help you discover and develop new ideas, solve problems in unexpected ways, and dramatically improve your ability to share your insights.

Take Herb Kelleher and Rollin King, who figured out how to beat the traditional hub-and-spoke airlines with a bar napkin and a pen. Three dots to represent Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio. Three arrows to show direct flights. Problem solved, and the picture made it easy to sell Southwest Airlines to investors and customers.

Now with more color, bigger pictures, and additional content, this new edition does an even better job of helping you literally see the world in a new way. Join the teachers, project managers, doctors, engineers, assembly-line workers, pilots, football coaches, marine drill instructors, financial analysts, students, parents, and lawyers who have discovered the power of solving problems with pictures.

Details

  • Title The Back of the Napkin: Solving Problems and Selling Ideas with Pictures
  • Author Dan Roam
  • Binding Hardback
  • Edition Expanded
  • Pages 304
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Portfolio, New York, New York, U.S.A.
  • Publication date 2009-12-31
  • Illustrated Yes
  • ISBN 9781591843061 / 1591843065
  • Weight 1.32 lbs (0.60 kg)
  • Dimensions 8.45 x 8.07 x 1.1 in (21.46 x 20.50 x 2.79 cm)
  • Age range 18 to UP years
  • Grade levels 13 - UP
  • Category Business / Economics / Finance
  • Library of Congress subjects Creative ability in business, Visualization
  • Library of Congress Catalogue Number 2009038262
  • Dewey Decimal Code 658.403

Media reviews

BusinessWeek's best innovation book of the year

A Fast Company best business book of the year

The (London) Times business creativity book of the year

"A must read for younger generation managers."
-BusinessWeek

"Roam shows that even the most analytical right-brainers can work better by thinking visually."
-Newsweek

"[Roam] shows you how to create simple drawings...that are simple but effective tools in breaking down complex notions and letting you share an idea across cultures and levels of expertise with aplomb."
-Fast Company

"As painful as it is for any writer to admit, a picture is worth a thousand words. That's why I learned so much from this book. With style and wit, Dan Roam has provided a smart, practical primer on the power of visual thinking."
-Daniel H. Pink, author of A Whole New Mind

"Inspiring! It teaches you a new way of thinking in a few hours-what more could you ask from a book?"
-Dan Heath, author of Made to Stick

"This book is a must read for managers and business leaders. Visual thinking frees your mind to solve problems in unique and effective ways."
-Temple Grandin, author of Thinking in Pictures

"If you observe the way people read or listen to things in the early 21st century, you realize that there aren't many of us left with a linear attention span. Visual information is much more interesting than verbal information. So if you want to make a point, do it with images, pictures or graphics...Dan Roam is the first visual consultant for the customer. And the message sticks."
-Roger Black, Media design leader, author of Websites That Work

"Simplicity. This is Dan Roam's message in The Back of the Napkin. We all dread business meetings with their mountains of documents and the endless bulleted power points. Roam cuts through all that to demonstrate how the use of simple drawings-executed while the audience watches-communicate infinitely better than those complex presentations. Is a picture truly worth a thousand words? Having told us how to communicate with pictures, Roam rounds out his message by explaining that 'We don't show insight-inspiring pictures because it saves a thousand words; we show it because it elicits the thousand words that make the greatest difference.' And that is communication that works."
-Bill Yenne, author of Guinness: The 250 Year Quest for the Perfect Pint

About the author

As the president of Digital Roam Inc., Dan Roam has helped leaders at Microsoft, Google, Wal-Mart, the Federal Reserve, Boeing, and the U.S. Senate solve complex problems through visual thinking. Dan and his whiteboard have appeared on CNN, MSNBC, ABC News, Fox News, and NPR. He lives in San Francisco.

Visit: www.thebackofthenapkin.com

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The Back of the Napkin (Expanded Edition): Solving Problems and Selling Ideas with Pictures
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The Back of the Napkin (Expanded Edition): Solving Problems and Selling Ideas with Pictures

by Roam, Dan

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

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

by Roam, Dan

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Portfolio, 2009. Hardcover. Good. Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
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The Back of the Napkin: Solving Problems and Selling Ideas with Pictures

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

by Roam, Dan

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  • Hardback
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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9781591843061 / 1591843065
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The Back of the Napkin (Expanded Edition) : Solving Problems and Selling Ideas with Pictures

The Back of the Napkin (Expanded Edition) : Solving Problems and Selling Ideas with Pictures

by Dan Roam

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The Back of the Napkin (Expanded Edition) : Solving Problems and Selling Ideas with Pictures
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The Back of the Napkin (Expanded Edition) : Solving Problems and Selling Ideas with Pictures

by Roam, Dan

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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9781591843061 / 1591843065
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Penguin Publishing Group. Used - Good. Pages intact with minimal writing/highlighting. The binding may be loose and creased. Dust jackets/supplements are not included. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good.
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The Back of the Napkin (Expanded Edition) : Solving Problems and Selling Ideas with Pictures
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The Back of the Napkin (Expanded Edition) : Solving Problems and Selling Ideas with Pictures

by Roam, Dan

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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9781591843061 / 1591843065
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Penguin Publishing Group. Used - Good. Former library copy. Pages intact with minimal writing/highlighting. The binding may be loose and creased. Dust jackets/supplements are not included. Includes library markings. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good.
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The Back of the Napkin (Expanded Edition) : Solving Problems and Selling Ideas with Pictures
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The Back of the Napkin (Expanded Edition) : Solving Problems and Selling Ideas with Pictures

by Roam, Dan

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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9781591843061 / 1591843065
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Description:
Penguin Publishing Group. Used - Good. Pages intact with minimal writing/highlighting. The binding may be loose and creased. Dust jackets/supplements are not included. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good.
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The Back of the Napkin (Expanded Edition) : Solving Problems and Selling Ideas with Pictures
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The Back of the Napkin (Expanded Edition) : Solving Problems and Selling Ideas with Pictures

by Roam, Dan

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The Back of the Napkin (Expanded Edition): Solving Problems and Selling Ideas with Pictures
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The Back of the Napkin (Expanded Edition): Solving Problems and Selling Ideas with Pictures

by Roam, Dan

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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9781591843061 / 1591843065
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The Back of the Napkin (Expanded Edition): Solving Problems and Selling Ideas with Pictures
Stock photo: cover may vary

The Back of the Napkin (Expanded Edition): Solving Problems and Selling Ideas with Pictures

by Roam, Dan

  • Used
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  • Hardback
Condition
Good
Edition
Expanded
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9781591843061 / 1591843065
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Portfolio, 2009-12-31. Expanded. hardcover. Good. 21.1x2.5x21. Buy with confidence. Excellent Customer Service & Return policy.
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