Blah Blah Blah
What To Do When Words Don't Work
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4.0 • 17 Ratings
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- $6.99
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- $6.99
Publisher Description
Ever been to so many meetings that you couldn't get your work done? Ever fallen asleep during a bulletpoint presentation? Ever watched the news and ended up knowing less? Welcome to the land of Blah Blah Blah.
The Problem: We talk so much that we don't think very well. Powerful as words are, we fool ourselves when we think our words alone can detect, describe, and defuse the multifaceted problems of today. They can't-and that's bad, because words have become our default thinking tool.
The Solution: This book offers a way out of blah-blah-blah. It's called "Vivid Thinking."
In Dan Roam's first acclaimed book, The Back of the Napkin, he taught readers how to solve problems and sell ideas by drawing simple pictures. Now he proves that Vivid Thinking is even more powerful. This technique combines our verbal and visual minds so that we can think and learn more quickly, teach and inspire our colleagues, and enjoy and share ideas in a whole new way.
The Destination: No more blah-blah-blah. Through Vivid Thinking, we can make the most complicated subjects suddenly crystal clear. Whether trying to understand a Harvard Business School class, or what went down in the Conan versus Leno battle for late-night TV, or what Einstein thought about relativity, Vivid Thinking provides a way to clarify anything.
Through dozens of guided examples, Roam proves that anyone can apply this systematic approach, from leftbrain types who hate to draw to right-brainers who hate to write. This isn't just a book about improving communications, presentations, and ideation; it's about removing the blah-blah- blah from your life for good.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
We all hate corporate-speak and impenetrable, needlessly complex language but Roam's (Back of the Napkin) ire is at an altogether different level. He rails against the iniquities of "blah-blah-blah" the hopped-up pompous language that leads to complexity (which kills our ability to think), misunderstanding (which kills our ability to lead), and boredom (which kills our ability to care). The solution, he proposes, is learning with images rather than words, which we do as children and are then dissuaded from ever doing again, with the exception of standouts such as the Periodic Table of the Elements, the world's greatest organization chart. Through a series of charming line drawings starring a fox representing the linear, verbal mind and a hummingbird representing the synthesizing, visual mind, Roam presents his theories on how to present ideas and arguments such that they can be readily understood which unfortunately, boils down to the rule to "use images instead of words" and not much else. It's tough to miss the irony of a book decrying the unnecessary complication of language spinning out a single idea through dozens of unnecessary illustrative examples.
Customer Reviews
Wow. ياريت يترجم الى العربية
Thanks Mr Dan for your books especially this one.I wish to find Arabic version of this book.
كتاب رائع جداً جداً وياريت مكتبة جرير تترجمه لنا بأسرع فرصه
Wow wow wow
By far, my favorite author, and he's not known for his writing. It's his pictures. Dan Roam takes the BS out of business and allows us to take complicated problems/ideas, and has us draw out what would have taken longer or never happened. My favorite part of the concept is that it puts everyone on the same page; that alone is worth the price of the book. Thanks Dan, seriously.
Stuck in China
I'm only halfway though this book, but I am amazed at what 4 short years from "Back of the Napkin" have taught Dan Roam. For those of us in the corporate world (particularly on a foreign assigment), this book will allow you to blow past the BS, and help people make sense of what you are trying to convey.