The Awesome Power of a Napkin Sketch

Dan Roam has long been a highly effective evangelist for the power of visual thinking. Eight years ago, he wrote the international bestseller The Back of the Napkin, the first of a long stream of visual thinking books. He has showed many thousands of professionals that pictures offer you a direct path to the brains of people you want to reach.

Anyone who has kids knows this to be true. My toddlers learned to recognize logos long before they could read, which is why they screamed "McDonald's!" every time we passed the golden arches.

I've found that drawing a sketch alters the way I think. It forces me to ask questions like "what's important here?" and "how does one object relate to another?". 

Even better, a sketch grabs the attention of others and helps you to start an intelligent conversation on a problem or opportunity. 

Dan told me that learning to make even basic sketches will offer you a "newfound sense of your own visual confidence". 

He explained, “Once you have visual confidence, you can do many more things than you knew you could do. You recognize that you do have good ideas and that now you are better able to share them."

Dan calls drawing sketches a "simple little thing that nobody taught you in school". (But they should have.)

If you aren't comfortable creating even simple sketches, Dan has a foolproof way to get you started. First, draw a circle. Now label the circle. Call it the first thing that comes to your mind about a particular problem.

If you want to take it a step further, figure out what’s the next circle you would draw. Enclose some of those pieces in another circle.

For example, here's a drawing I did a few weeks ago:

Four years ago, Dan launched a website called NapkinAcademy. For a modest monthly fee, you can gain access to many dozens of video lessons about using pictures to "clarify complexity, banish confusion and defeat fear". If you're interested in using simple sketches to become a far better communicator, consider this your new best friend.

What amazes me about Dan's work is that he uses incredibly simple sketches to communicate big ideas. In doing so, he brings the power of visual thinking within everyone's grasp, no matter whether you are a talented artist or someone who has trouble drawing a straight line.

In the end, visual thinking is more about clear thinking than it is about drawing. Remember that, and you're well on your way to a powerful new means of communicating.

Bruce Kasanoff is a ghostwriter and coach for a wide range of accomplished professionals.