REVIEW: “Visual thinking. How to Sell Your Ideas with Visuals ", Dan Roehm

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

I can not draw. At all. Not a bit.

Once, when I was in the first grade, the teacher gave an assignment: draw a frog. For me, this task was from the category of "impossible". But, being a diligent student, I diligently took out bulging eyes and green paws all evening. If you only knew how bitterly I cried when the next day I received a "swan" for my frog.

I liked the book "Visual Thinking" right away, because literally on the first pages it says: "… the success of solving problems with the help of a visual image does not depend on artistic talent …".

It doesn't matter if you can draw. Visual thinking is not a gift, it is an ability. And Dan Roham can teach anyone to look, see, imagine and show.

Dan Roehm is an internationally renowned expert in visual thinking. Dan has two degrees (in fine arts and biology) and runs a large consulting company that helps businessmen solve their difficult problems with drawings. Among his clients are Microsoft, eBay, Google, Wal-Mart, Boeing, Intel, IBM.

In addition, Dan is the author of several books that have become bestsellers in Russia and many other countries. The first one is “Blah-blah-blah. What to do when words don't work”, the second is“Visual thinking”.

What is visual thinking?

(c) Dan Roham. "Visual Thinking"

It turns out that any - absolutely any - problem can be drawn. And having drawn, decide. For this, nature has endowed us with universal basic visualization tools - eyes, hands and imagination. To use them successfully, you need to ask questions: "who / what?", "How much?", "Where?", "When?", "How?" and “why / why?” as well as SQVID questions. As a result, you will learn how to collect and filter information (watch); select and group it (see); find what is not (imagine); and explain (show others).

So my problem is to tell you (smart and inquisitive readers) about the book by Dan Roehm (visualization genius).

The frog is just resting by comparison. But I'll try it anyway.

Who are the readers of this book?

The book will be useful to those who generate ideas and are faced with the need to convey them to others (subordinates, colleagues, clients). That is, heads of medium and large companies and top managers.

Words are sometimes not enough. The computer presentation illustrates the problem, but does not solve it. Many executives and top managers often go unheard, and therefore misunderstood.

Drawing is another matter. It is based on serious analytical work aimed at seeing what (supposedly) does not exist. Thanks to visualization, words turn not into a way to convey information, but into a means. An idea drawn on paper instantly "comes to life" in the mind of a person, you just have to verbally clarify the details.

That is why, in my opinion, Dan Roham's book will also be useful for business consultants, university professors and in general for people who often speak to the public.

How long will it take to read?

Usually on the flyleaf of books from "MYTH" the approximate time of reading is indicated. In this case, there is no such information. At first it seemed strange to me, but then I realized why.

It is impossible to predict how long it will take you to read this book. Maybe an hour, maybe two, maybe a week.

Why? After all, there is not much text in it, and the syllable of the presentation resembles a textbook for elementary grades (simple words, short phrases). 60% of the volume of the book is pictures.

This is where the "trap" lies. The first, let's say, purely "theoretical" part of the book, which reveals the basic principles of visual thinking, I read in literally an hour.

But acquaintance with only two (!) Chapters (6th and 7th) took me as much as 3 hours! I spent a lot of time hovering over the pictures, analyzing, trying to come up with my own examples, studying visualization tools, etc.

It took me another hour and a half to get acquainted with a specific example of the application of visual thinking, as well as come up with my own.

Total - 5, 5 hours. Who is bigger?

Where is the best place to read this book?

The book has a paperback and a somewhat unusual shape. In appearance, it resembles an album of photographs.

The width of the printed edition is 21 cm, in the spread - 42. As you understand, it is not very convenient to hold such a book in your hands or on your lap. Therefore, you should not read it in a car, plane or other transport.

This requires a good table (not a small one in a cafe). It is best to learn the basics of visual thinking at your desk at work (assuming no distractions) or at home.

When to read it?

Visual thinking skills will be helpful at all times. Ideally, master them so that at any time (in a cafe for a business lunch or during a brainstorming session), take a pen and draw a problem and its solution.

In fact, CEOs of firms, in my opinion, should read this book if they soon have important business negotiations (for example, with potential investors). For managers - before presentations of new products or services. And business consultants should always keep this book close at hand.

How to read this book?

I always read paper books with a pencil in my hands. To make notes, highlight important things, write out new words.

While reading Visual Thinking, I also had to arm myself with a notebook. All the time I want to draw, build graphs and diagrams. And it doesn't matter if you are “black”, “yellow” or “red” - you cannot do without paper. It is a pity that the book itself does not contain blank sheets for the "test of the pen".

Why should you read it?

Graphic images are a powerful tool for solving business problems of varying complexity. The most difficult of them, as a rule, are faced by company executives, so for them Dan Roham's book “Visual Thinking” is one of the ways to make their business more successful.

Managers of various levels often have to convince clients and colleagues of the correctness of their endeavors - a task that is also not an easy one. You can solve it by drawing what you see with your inner vision.

But even if you are far from the business environment and your problem today is to draw a frog, visual thinking - the ability to look, see, imagine and show - will help you.