We can solve our problems
with pictures. 2008 © Dan Roam THE BACK OF THE NAPKIN all rights reserved

We’re going to need rules.
2008 © Dan Roam THE BACK OF THE NAPKIN all rights reserved “ If you take off one of the legs of that stool, the stool falls down. That's not the answer. The answer for our party and for our country is to continue to fight for all three legs of that stool.” Governor Mitt Romney, July 26, 2007 "We're not going to come to a conclusion on a three-legged stool here, missing the fourth leg." Senator Chris Dodd, Sept. 26, 2008 There are three legs to the stool of American foreign policy: Diplomacy, development and military power. We are two of those legs. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, January 22, 2009 "The recovery package that we're passing is only going to be one leg in, at least, a three-legged stool." President Barack Obama, January 23, 2009

Obviously, we need a stool.
2008 © Dan Roam THE BACK OF THE NAPKIN all rights reserved

It needs to be a
strong stool. 2008 © Dan Roam THE BACK OF THE NAPKIN all rights reserved

First leg. 2008 © Dan
Roam THE BACK OF THE NAPKIN all rights reserved

Visual thinking unwritten rule #1
2008 © Dan Roam THE BACK OF THE NAPKIN all rights reserved Whoever best describes the problem…

Visual thinking unwritten rule #1
2008 © Dan Roam THE BACK OF THE NAPKIN all rights reserved Whoever best describes the problem… is the one most likely to solve it.

Visual thinking unwritten rule #1
2008 © Dan Roam THE BACK OF THE NAPKIN all rights reserved (Whoever draws the best picture gets the funding.) Whoever best describes the problem… is the one most likely to solve it.

Let’s go to Washington. 2008
© Dan Roam THE BACK OF THE NAPKIN all rights reserved

Pictures in politics? 2008 ©
Dan Roam SOLVING PROBLEMS WITH PICTURES

2008 © Dan Roam SOLVING
PROBLEMS WITH PICTURES

2008 © Dan Roam SOLVING
PROBLEMS WITH PICTURES

2008 © Dan Roam SOLVING
PROBLEMS WITH PICTURES

2008 © Dan Roam SOLVING
PROBLEMS WITH PICTURES

2008 © Dan Roam SOLVING
PROBLEMS WITH PICTURES

2008 © Dan Roam SOLVING
PROBLEMS WITH PICTURES

2008 © Dan Roam SOLVING
PROBLEMS WITH PICTURES

The ultimate political napkin story…
2008 © Dan Roam THE BACK OF THE NAPKIN all rights reserved

In 1974 Laffer drew this
picture: 2008 © Dan Roam THE BACK OF THE NAPKIN all rights reserved

In 1974 Laffer drew this
picture: 2008 © Dan Roam THE BACK OF THE NAPKIN all rights reserved

In 1974 Laffer drew this
picture: 2008 © Dan Roam THE BACK OF THE NAPKIN all rights reserved

In 1974 Laffer drew this
picture: 2008 © Dan Roam THE BACK OF THE NAPKIN all rights reserved

Which he showed to these
two guys… 2008 © Dan Roam THE BACK OF THE NAPKIN all rights reserved

… who are, of course,
these two guys: 2008 © Dan Roam THE BACK OF THE NAPKIN all rights reserved

2008 © Dan Roam THE
BACK OF THE NAPKIN all rights reserved OK, NEXT...

2008 © Dan Roam SOLVING
PROBLEMS WITH PICTURES

2008 © Dan Roam THE
BACK OF THE NAPKIN all rights reserved

For example, what does a
stimulus look like? 2008 © Dan Roam THE BACK OF THE NAPKIN all rights reserved * American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, signed into law Feb. 17, 2009

Hey folks, where is the
picture? 2008 © Dan Roam THE BACK OF THE NAPKIN all rights reserved

2008 © Dan Roam THE
BACK OF THE NAPKIN all rights reserved The big picture is in here, right?

2008 © Dan Roam THE
BACK OF THE NAPKIN all rights reserved Somewhere?

2008 © Dan Roam THE
BACK OF THE NAPKIN all rights reserved Anywhere?

2008 © Dan Roam THE
BACK OF THE NAPKIN all rights reserved Help.

2008 © Dan Roam THE
BACK OF THE NAPKIN all rights reserved That’s it?

Exercise 1: the Who is
‘We’ self-assessment 2008 © Dan Roam THE BACK OF THE NAPKIN all rights reserved

2008 © Dan Roam THE
BACK OF THE NAPKIN all rights reserved

The “napkin sketch” is the
future: 2008 © Dan Roam THE BACK OF THE NAPKIN all rights reserved

Let’s create a problem-solving napkin…
2008 © Dan Roam THE BACK OF THE NAPKIN all rights reserved On your napkin, draw a circle and give it a name…

Let’s create a problem-solving napkin…
2008 © Dan Roam THE BACK OF THE NAPKIN all rights reserved On your napkin, draw a circle and give it a name…

Next leg. 2008 © Dan
Roam THE BACK OF THE NAPKIN all rights reserved

Unwritten visual thinking rule #2:
<ul><li>We can’t solve a problem that overwhelms us. </li></ul>2009 © Digital Roam Inc.

Unwritten visual thinking rule #2:
<ul><li>We can’t solve a problem that overwhelms us. </li></ul>2009 © Digital Roam Inc.

Unwritten visual thinking rule #2:
<ul><li>We can’t solve a problem that overwhelms us. </li></ul>2009 © Digital Roam Inc. We need to first break it down into bite-sized pieces.

Unwritten visual thinking rule #2:
<ul><li>We can’t solve a problem that overwhelms us. </li></ul><ul><li>We need to first break it into bite-sized pieces. </li></ul>2009 © Digital Roam Inc. There are only so many kinds of problems and they are all composed of the same pieces.

Another story of a few
business guys sitting around talking… 2008 © Dan Roam THE BACK OF THE NAPKIN all rights reserved

Another story of a few
business guys sitting around talking… 2008 © Dan Roam THE BACK OF THE NAPKIN all rights reserved

Another story of a few
business guys sitting around talking… 2008 © Dan Roam THE BACK OF THE NAPKIN all rights reserved

“ Why can’t Wal-Mart be
the company every day that we were during those days of Katrina?” 2008 © Dan Roam THE BACK OF THE NAPKIN all rights reserved - H. Lee Scott, Address to Wal-Mart employees, July 13, 2006

2008 © Dan Roam THE
BACK OF THE NAPKIN all rights reserved

Wal-Mart sustainability data 2008 ©
Dan Roam THE BACK OF THE NAPKIN all rights reserved

I suggested a simple set
of pictures. 2008 © Dan Roam THE BACK OF THE NAPKIN all rights reserved

What would happen if we
drew out how Wal-Mart works? 2008 © Dan Roam THE BACK OF THE NAPKIN all rights reserved

That’s what we did. 2008
© Dan Roam THE BACK OF THE NAPKIN all rights reserved

Then we could break that
model into separate layers… 2008 © Dan Roam THE BACK OF THE NAPKIN all rights reserved

So people could finally “get
it”. 2008 © Dan Roam THE BACK OF THE NAPKIN all rights reserved In 2005, all Wal-Mart stores combined output 20,783,368 cubic tons of CO2.

But this is the picture
that mattered… 2008 © Dan Roam THE BACK OF THE NAPKIN all rights reserved

Last leg. 2008 © Dan
Roam THE BACK OF THE NAPKIN all rights reserved

Visual thinking unwritten rule #3
The more “human” your picture, the more human the response. 2008 © Dan Roam THE BACK OF THE NAPKIN all rights reserved

Visual thinking unwritten rule #3
2008 © Dan Roam THE BACK OF THE NAPKIN all rights reserved The more “human” your picture, the more human the response. (The mind likes to look at things that match the way we see .)

Let’s look at how we
see: 2008 © Dan Roam THE BACK OF THE NAPKIN all rights reserved

Let’s look at how we
see: 2008 © Dan Roam THE BACK OF THE NAPKIN all rights reserved

Let’s look at how we
see: 2008 © Dan Roam THE BACK OF THE NAPKIN all rights reserved

Let’s look at how we
see: 2008 © Dan Roam THE BACK OF THE NAPKIN all rights reserved

The 6 ways we see:
2008 © Dan Roam THE BACK OF THE NAPKIN all rights reserved

Back to our napkin… 2008
© Dan Roam THE BACK OF THE NAPKIN all rights reserved Now cut our problem into 6 slices…

The 6 ways we see:
Who & What 2008 © Dan Roam THE BACK OF THE NAPKIN all rights reserved

The 6 ways we see:
How much 2008 © Dan Roam THE BACK OF THE NAPKIN all rights reserved

The 6 ways we see:
Where 2008 © Dan Roam THE BACK OF THE NAPKIN all rights reserved

The 6 ways we see:
When 2008 © Dan Roam THE BACK OF THE NAPKIN all rights reserved

The 6 ways we see:
How 2008 © Dan Roam THE BACK OF THE NAPKIN all rights reserved

The 6 ways we see:
Why 2008 © Dan Roam THE BACK OF THE NAPKIN all rights reserved

The 6 ways we see:
Why 2008 © Dan Roam THE BACK OF THE NAPKIN all rights reserved

Back to our napkin… 2008
© Dan Roam THE BACK OF THE NAPKIN all rights reserved Now cut our problem into 6 slices…

The 6x6 rule 2008 ©
Dan Roam THE BACK OF THE NAPKIN all rights reserved

Back to our napkin… 2008
© Dan Roam THE BACK OF THE NAPKIN all rights reserved Now cut our problem into 6 slices…

A portrait shows who &
what … your members, for example: 2008 © Dan Roam THE BACK OF THE NAPKIN all rights reserved

A portrait shows how to
distinguish one thing from another: 2008 © Dan Roam THE BACK OF THE NAPKIN all rights reserved

Let’s draw corresponding pictures… 2008
© Dan Roam THE BACK OF THE NAPKIN all rights reserved The 6 ways we show…

A chart shows how much
: 2008 © Dan Roam THE BACK OF THE NAPKIN all rights reserved

A chart shows how much
: 2008 © Dan Roam THE BACK OF THE NAPKIN all rights reserved

Let’s draw corresponding pictures… 2008
© Dan Roam THE BACK OF THE NAPKIN all rights reserved The 6 ways we show…

A map shows where to
put everything: 2008 © Dan Roam THE BACK OF THE NAPKIN all rights reserved

And shows where pieces are
missing: 2008 © Dan Roam THE BACK OF THE NAPKIN all rights reserved

Or where business perfection resides:
2008 © Dan Roam THE BACK OF THE NAPKIN all rights reserved

Let’s draw corresponding pictures… 2008
© Dan Roam THE BACK OF THE NAPKIN all rights reserved The 6 ways we show…

When? 1969! 2008 © Dan
Roam THE BACK OF THE NAPKIN all rights reserved

When?? Better draw a timeline…
2008 © Dan Roam THE BACK OF THE NAPKIN all rights reserved

(If you want lots of
discussion, try a looping timeline)… 2008 © Dan Roam THE BACK OF THE NAPKIN all rights reserved

Let’s draw corresponding pictures… 2008
© Dan Roam THE BACK OF THE NAPKIN all rights reserved The 6 ways we show…

A flowchart adds up what
+ where + when to show how … 2008 © Dan Roam THE BACK OF THE NAPKIN all rights reserved

Let’s draw corresponding pictures… 2008
© Dan Roam THE BACK OF THE NAPKIN all rights reserved The 6 ways we show…

Last, a “multi-variable chart” shows
why things are… 2008 © Dan Roam THE BACK OF THE NAPKIN all rights reserved

Last, a “multi-variable chart” shows
why things are… 2008 © Dan Roam THE BACK OF THE NAPKIN all rights reserved

Your visual thinking stool. 2008
© Dan Roam THE BACK OF THE NAPKIN all rights reserved Drawing wins. Keep it human. Use bite-sized pieces.

A last lesson… 2008 ©
Dan Roam THE BACK OF THE NAPKIN all rights reserved

2008 © Dan Roam THE
BACK OF THE NAPKIN all rights reserved

<ul><li>In 2002, the Thomson Corporation
hired my company to help with their brand strategy. </li></ul>2008 © Dan Roam THE BACK OF THE NAPKIN all rights reserved

2008 © Dan Roam THE
BACK OF THE NAPKIN all rights reserved

Who is who? 2008 ©
Dan Roam THE BACK OF THE NAPKIN all rights reserved

How much? 06/08/09

Where do they overlap? 06/08/09

Where do they all sit?
(And when?) 06/08/09

How are we going to
make it happen? 06/08/09

Why? 2008 © Dan Roam
THE BACK OF THE NAPKIN all rights reserved

2008 © Dan Roam THE
BACK OF THE NAPKIN all rights reserved (It was a $17.2 Billion Dollar Chart)