When I come out of a meeting, or worse, a conference call, I stare at my notes hoping to make sense of them before everything evaporates.  Everyone experiences this to different degrees, and as consultants we are supposed to be great listeners and summarizers.  This is why Dan Roam’s book Blah Blah Blah:  What to Do When Words Don’t Work may change my life.

We use only half of our brain.  Over the course of our education, we evolve from only pictures, to mostly pictures, to some pictures, to no pictures (and only words).  This book argues that we need to rebalance– that words and pictures together most powerfully evoke what the author calls “Vivid Thinking.”  Mr. Roam explains why Vivid Thinking works, and then gets to the good stuff– how we actually do it.

This is harder than it seems.  First we have to learn to draw.  Then we have to learn how to draw complex thoughts. Like, how do you draw “perception” or “strategic?”

But Mr. Roam walks the talk and the result is a highly readable and viewable book.  I will use his ideas mostly when taking notes or translating complex ideas for my own understanding.  I think that when it comes to developing presentations, I already do (or try to do) a lot of what he says.

Now, if someone can create pictures to explain the words in this book, which I am also reading, I will be eternally grateful.