Dan Roam schools me on creative process. His new book, BLAH BLAH BLAH, offers awesome tips on how to utilize visual and verbal concepts to refine ideas to their most pure state.

Dan Roam uses an animalistic metaphor to explain how your brain processes information, and reveals how to help facilitate communication between our verbal and visual minds. That and more in his new book, BLAH BLAH BLAH.

Dan Roam used the rules of verbal grammar to build a Visual Grammar Graph that bridges the gap between verbal and visual concepts. Vivid Grammar is featured in his new book, BLAH BLAH BLAH.

Dan Roam explains why we talk too much, and how we can use our predilection for vision to become better problem solvers. “Vivid Thinking” is one of the many gems in his new book, BLAH BLAH BLAH. 

Last night President Barack Obama delivered what could be considered the biggest presentation of the year. In outlining his vision for America and his legislative priorities for 2012, the President attempted to persuade a variety of different audiences – including the United States Congress, business leaders and 25 million members of the American public – that he has a plan to continue improving the lives of Americans.

So how did he do? Leaving aside the merit of his proposals, did he tell a story compelling enough to convince such a broad audience?

Graphic recording of the State of the Union address created by Duarte designer Dave Nguyen

President Obama used several valuable tactics to make his case. Rather than focusing only on statistics when trying to communicate employment figures or strategies to create jobs, he contrasted these statistics with stories of real Americans struggling to make ends meet. After pointing to “millions of Americans” who “are looking for work,” he talked about Jackie Bray, a single mother from North Carolina who found a new job after participating in a training program, and Bryan Ritterby, a man who lost his job in the furniture industry but now works for a wind turbine manufacturer. The president’s speechwriters clearly gave thought to how to personalize the hardships facing many Americans and how to suggest that the president is in touch with these struggles.

Interestingly, both President Obama and Governor Mitch Daniels of Indiana (who delivered the official Republican response) evoked the late Steve Jobs as an example of a job creator. Although the two men told very different stories about the role of government in job creation, their common allusion suggests that American cultural references don’t differ as much from Republican to Democrat as we may think.

President Obama also used several clever rhetorical tricks to make certain ideas stand out. He created contrast between “what is” and “what could be” should Congress take his suggested action. For example, he used this strategy when describing the tax code.

Even his call to action contained this contrast by comparing what we need to “stop” and what we need to “start.” He used this type of language repeatedly throughout the speech to help reinforce his message that America’s “future is hopeful” if we move forward.

He also consistently used visual language and phrases meant to resonate and be repeated. When describing Washington partisanship the president said we have to “lower the temperature in this town” to end the “perpetual campaign of mutual destruction.” He evoked the ideas of historical figures like the “Republican Abraham Lincoln” to emphasize the possibility of uniting Washington and the country. And he played on the words of President John F. Kennedy when he challenged business leaders to “ask yourselves what you can do to bring jobs back to your country” and promised that “your country will do everything we can to help you succeed.”

President Obama saved the most memorable part of his speech for the close. But his S.T.A.R. moment for the night was also his biggest missed opportunity. In detailing his personal recollection of the mission to apprehend Osama Bin Laden, he constructed a striking metaphor for creating unity across America.

“Those of us who’ve been sent here to serve can learn from the service of our troops. When you put on that uniform, it doesn’t matter if you’re black or white; Asian or Latino; conservative or liberal; rich or poor; gay or straight. When you’re marching into battle, you look out for the person next to you, or the mission fails. When you’re in the thick of the fight, you rise or fall as one unit, serving one Nation, leaving no one behind.

One of my proudest possessions is the flag that the SEAL Team took with them on the mission to get bin Laden. On it are each of their names. Some may be Democrats. Some may be Republicans. But that doesn’t matter. Just like it didn’t matter that day in the Situation Room, when I sat next to Bob Gates – a man who was George Bush’s defense secretary; and Hillary Clinton, a woman who ran against me for president.

All that mattered that day was the mission. No one thought about politics. No one thought about themselves. One of the young men involved in the raid later told me that he didn’t deserve credit for the mission. It only succeeded, he said, because every single member of that unit did their job – the pilot who landed the helicopter that spun out of control; the translator who kept others from entering the compound; the troops who separated the women and children from the fight; the SEALs who charged up the stairs. More than that, the mission only succeeded because every member of that unit trusted each other – because you can’t charge up those stairs, into darkness and danger, unless you know that there’s someone behind you, watching your back.

So it is with America. Each time I look at that flag, I’m reminded that our destiny is stitched together like those fifty stars and those thirteen stripes. No one built this country on their own. This Nation is great because we built it together. This Nation is great because we worked as a team. This Nation is great because we get each other’s backs. And if we hold fast to that truth, in this moment of trial, there is no challenge too great; no mission too hard. As long as we’re joined in common purpose, as long as we maintain our common resolve, our journey moves forward, our future is hopeful, and the state of our Union will always be strong.”

This story was powerful because of its personal nature but also because of the themes of commonality and the powerful visual imagery he used.

But this message could have been even more impactful had he built on it throughout the speech. The best presentations have a common theme or message, a purpose that we at Duarte often call the “throughline.” Although the president’s address was powerful in pieces, it often lacked a common overarching theme to tie the elements together. While he may have intended to create this throughline by introducing the military as an example of unity in the beginning, this common message was often lost in the bulk of his words.

Audience members who viewed the “enhanced content” online may have had similar thoughts. Although the president avoided some of the worst PowerPoint crimes – he generally avoided bulleted slides and he made good use of statistics by not overwhelming the viewers with information – the materials lacked a common visual theme and did not always take advantage of the images painted by his powerful words.

President Obama did a lot right last night. When picked apart, sections of his address resonate with the type of language that good writers challenge themselves to craft. But as a whole, the 2012 State of the Union needed a good dose of the unity that the president challenged the nation to create.

To view last night’s State of the Union, visit:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/

You can also find the “enhanced content” on SlideShare at:
http://www.slideshare.net/whitehouse/state-of-the-union-enhanced-graphics

The Republican Response is available at:
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7396293n

To honor one of one of the greatest communicators of all time, we’d like to re-post a popular blog from last year: The analysis of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech from the March on Washington.

MLK’s “I Have a Dream” speech is not only literarily brilliant, its structure follows the presentation form perfectly, by traversing back and forth between what is and what could be, and ending by describing what the new bliss of equality looks like. In addition, MLK carefully chooses phrases and metaphors that resonate deeply with his audience.

If you’re struggling to create your next big presentation or even just crafting the message for your next staff meeting, take a few minutes to be inspired by the brilliance of one of America’s most beloved orators. Thank you, Dr. King, for standing up and speaking out to change the world.

Recently I had a chance to sit down with Olivia Mitchell, the sole blogger for Speaking About Presenting, and one half of the presentation coaching team at Effective Speaking, based in Wellington, New Zealand.

I know you struggled as a presenter for a long time. Can you talk a little bit about what that journey has been like to transform yourself?

Olivia: My presenting journey started at least 25 years ago. I was just totally shy, not wanting to even speak up in a meeting. Speaking in front of a group? Forget about it. I just didn’t want to do that stuff. But, I also realized that if I wanted to get ahead in my career—at that point I was a lawyer for a government department—I needed to get better at speaking—just speaking up, not necessarily speaking in front of a group. So, I joined Toastmasters. I had some pretty frightening experiences at first. I would get really freaked out. My legs would feel like noodles, my heart felt like it was going to explode. I would just get through it, sit down again, and wait until the shaking subsided. It was not a pleasant experience. But, Toastmasters was a really supportive environment and I just kept going. Even when I had bad experiences, I would just keep coming back and gradually I built confidence in myself.

Although, now I would say I learned how to build my confidence by repeated exposure—just speaking, and speaking, and speaking. I think there are shortcuts to that. One of the things that we teach on our courses, which I talk about in my blog, is using the principles of cognitive behavioral therapy to help people with the fear of public speaking.

How do you implement cognitive behavioral therapy into your speaker coaching?

Olivia: By looking at the self-talk you have about speaking. Before I would get up to speak, I’d think ‘I must not look nervous. I want everyone to really think of me as confident and credible.’ But of course, then I’d be holding onto my notes and my hand would be shaking, and the notes would shake. I’d have a little drama in my head. Luckily I would keep it inside my head. That little drama in my head: Oh my God! They can see I’m nervous. This is just awful. I just want to get through this presentation.

Those thoughts create a vicious cycle that just makes you more and more nervous. What I’ve learned since then—and I wish I knew 20 years ago—is how to monitor my self talk, to be aware of where I’m putting irrational pressure on myself. This can still happen to me now, with a high-stakes presentation, or something I’ve been working on for a really long time and I want to nail. I’d be saying to myself, ‘I’ve really got to get this one right. This is critical if I don’t get this right. It’s going to be a disaster.’

Do you think that negative self talk makes the audience seem more threatening?

Olivia: Yes, by raising the stakes so high, and putting so much pressure on yourself. From a sporting terminology here, I don’t know if you have this here, but in New Zealand we would call that ‘choking.’ You’re putting so much pressure on yourself, you can’t perform. If I realize that I’m getting into that mode, I’ll say, ‘Okay, this is not so useful. What am I really trying to achieve here? What is critical and what is not? I want to do my best, I still have a goal of how I want to perform, but I’m not going to beat myself up if I make some mistakes.’

I think your approach is different than most of the other consultants and coaches out there. How is your methodology different?

Olivia: One of the differences is that I recognize that nervousness is a factor, anxiety is a factor, but I think too many coaches pay lip service to that. They’ll say things to people, which are counter-productive. For instance, it might be, “You’ve got to do it this way, you’ve got to do it that way. If you have a mannerism which makes you look less credible, that’s awful. We’ve got to fix that.” They talk in absolute language and very nit-picky language. They are right in terms of what they want to achieve, but I think their approach is not so useful in helping the client develop a way of managing their anxiety. I try to help them manage their anxiety. If I help them manage their anxiety, a lot of the other stuff will become right as a result.

How do you see the components of a great presentation coming together?

Olivia: The major components I would say are content, delivery, and the visuals. By visuals, I’m talking particularly about slides. I see content as the major leg of the stool. The others are important, and of course either of them can sabotage the content. For instance, if somebody is really monotone in their delivery, or they’ve got a lot of um-ing, or if the slides are really full of bullet points and they’re sending everybody to sleep, and you’re just reading from the slides, it’s not going to work. I see the content as being like the base building block, and the other two can either sabotage it or enhance it. That’s the way I see it coming together.

You work with your husband. How do you make that work?

Olivia: It’s not difficult for us. We have different styles in terms of presenting. The major thing that we do on a weekly basis is run training courses. We’re running one and two day training courses. We’ve never worked out who does how many minutes of what, but it’s roughly equal. We have different styles. He’s the more natural extrovert—the funny guy, the spontaneous one. He’s likely to wing it; sometimes he gets himself into trouble. I’m the more measured one; I like to be quite succinct. I like to keep things on time.

What’s your favorite part of your job?

Olivia: For me it is helping the people who are scared, but have got something really useful to say, who’ve got something they want to share with the world. I think you call it “putting a dent in the universe.” It’s sad. I love helping people who have been scared about putting their dent in the universe, so they can speak up and share their message with people. When we run a course, we might have six people come in on the first day—they’re like scared little rabbits, and they don’t want to speak up. Over the two days we gradually build them up. We start things really soft and easy so they get used to us and the other people in the course. Gradually they get stretched and pushed a little bit if they need it, and also they’re given the psychological tools to manage how they feel. By the end of the second day they say, “Yay, I’m looking forward to my next presentation!”

When I hear somebody say “I’m actually looking forward to my next presentation. I never imagined that I’d ever look forward to a presentation!’ I think, Yay!

Thanks to Olivia for taking time to chat with me! Hope you find her story as inspiring as I do.

With an increasing number of mobile design options emerging by the day, creative people are finding new and powerful ways to flesh out their visual concepts while on the move. The era of the mobile studio is upon us, so we thought we’d share a handful of brilliant apps to help you capture your inspiration whenever–and wherever–it may strike you.

Adobe Ideas

A vector app for iOS and Android that lets you finger paint and sketch. In addition, It works seamlessly with the desktop versions of Illustrator and Photoshop so you can take your creations to the next level when you get home.

http://www.adobe.com/products/adobeideas.html

Source: http://www.adobe.com/products/adobeideas.html

Adobe Photoshop Touch

Create multilayered images, apply filters, and share your creations using your Android tablet. Not only this, the layers are preserved when you bring you creations into Photoshop on your desktop.

http://www.photoshop.com/products/mobile

Source: http://www.adobe.com/products/touchapps.html

Air Display

Brought to you by Avatron. Multiple monitors in a coffee shop for ten bucks. Hard to argue the creative benefit when paired with your laptop and your favorite creative software.

http://avatron.com/

Bamboo Paper

A simple and effective sketchbook app from Wacom, the ever-popular tablet people. Use your fingers or try their Bamboo Stylus for even greater precision.

http://www.wacom.eu/index2.asp?pid=294&lang=en&gm=3

Moodboard2

Collect and organize things that inspire you. Plan your creative projects when the mood strikes, then share with friends or clients.

http://www.atinytribe.com/apps/moodboard

Source: http://www.atinytribe.com/

Photoforge2

Full resolution editing and layer support make this one powerful tool for creative nomads.

http://photoforge2.com/

Source: http://itunes.apple.com/app/photoforge2/id435789422?mt=8

Procreate

Savage Interactive delivers a whopping 1920x1408px canvas to your ipad. Use their intuitive interface to sketch, paint, and even edit photos.

http://savage.si/procreate/

Source: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/procreate/id425073498?mt=8

Sketchbook Pro

Autodesk introduces their digital sketching software to iOS and Android. Voted one of the “5 Must-Have iPad Apps” by Wired Magazine.

http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/pc/index?id=6848332&siteID=123112

Snapseed

Nik Software brings us a stunningly simple photo editing app for iOS that features some innovative new filters and options.

http://www.niksoftware.com/snapseed/usa/index.php?view=intro%2Fmain.shtml

Source: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/snapseed-for-ipad/id439438619?mt=8&ls=1

And last, but not least… the zero dollar app that requires no installation:

Light Table Pro-Series Alpha: Championship Edition

Photo courtesy of Andrew Heine. All Rights Reserved.

Now go download one or a bunch of these apps and hit the road!

Throughout the year, Duarte host several events to raise money for one goal: purchasing a veritable mountain of toys! … that we donate to Mountain View’s “Cops That Care” program, who then distributes the gifts to children in need of a little—or a lot—of holiday cheer.

Although I must admit it’s very tempting to keep them.

I will also admit that the raising of the funds isn’t too terrible. From the good old fashioned bake sales and Taco Tuesdays, to screen-printing parties and extravagant auctions and raffles, we have a great time parting with our dollars.

Duarte has been collecting and matching donations for several years now, but this year, we toted a camera along, and captured photos of children’s sheer delight. And we’ll share those with you now. Because, obviously, we’re really good at sharing.

A little more info about Cops That Care program:

This wildly successful event, founded by Officer Ron Cooper, provides gifts for children whose families may not have the means to purchase gifts on their own.  Children who have an affiliation to the Mountain View community will be able to visit the North Pole (also known as the Police/Fire Auditorium at 1000 Villa St.) and select a toy from the thousands available.

[Source: http://www.mv-voice.com/news/show_story.php?id=2232 ]

Happy Holidays from the Duarte Family!

US forces in Iraq lowered their flag on Wednesday, officially marking the end of our nine-year military mission. As the final few thousand troops begin their journey home, we celebrate their bravery and mourn the thousands of lives lost during the war.

In a historic moment like this one, we also take the time to reflect on the people and events that changed the course of the conflict. One of those people was Captain Travis Patriquin.

In 2006 the Army sent Patriquin’s brigade to reclaim to the city of Ramadi from al Qaeda. At the time Ramadi was the source of some of the worst violence in the country, having claimed the lives of hundreds of US soldiers. As Patriquin got to know members of the Sunni community and an influential local sheik, he grew concerned about the ideas driving US strategy. He became convinced that the solution to the bloodshed was to arm and train the local Sunni tribes to aid in the fight against al Qaeda.

He created and circulated a now-infamous PowerPoint presentation entitled “How to Win in Anbar” which argued for this change in strategy. Captain Patriquin purposefully discarded most of the “bad” conventions he saw in military presentations – complicated infographics, long lists of bulletpoints – and instead used simple illustrations to focus on the story he wanted to tell.

His design had the desired effect. His presentation went viral, getting passed around military servers around the world and eventually landing at the Pentagon. According to a recent book on Captain Patriquin’s legacy, it even ended up in the inbox of General David Petraeus.

Today, many credit Captain Patriquin with inspiring the “Sunni Awakening,” a phenomenon that helped hasten the end of the war. Col. Joe Harrington, the current executive assistant to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was recently quoted as saying that “Travis Patriquin has as much to do with the success that the Americans and the Iraqi government has as anyone else.”

Tragically, Captain Patriquin is not here to witness the success of his ideas. He was killed by an improvised explosive device in Iraq in December 2006. But he left behind a powerful legacy of service and a reminder to all of us that good ideas have the power to change the world.

Visit http://abcnews.go.com/images/US/how_to_win_in_anbar_v4.pdf to see Captain Patriquin’s presentation and watch this video to learn more.