
Seth's Blog: The talking pad - javery
http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2009/08/the-talking-pad.html
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mad44
I had Seth's blog on my Google Reader RSS for maybe 3 months. It seemed
interesting and novel at first. Then, it started looking vacuous and empty. I
dropped the feed. I checked the link to see if something changed in my
perception/assessment. No, no change. Maybe I am shallow, but I find his blog
shallow. There.

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redorb
I actually enjoy - I guess to each his own, my reason for liking might be the
same reason for your not liking (brevity)... but I think he cuts the fat most
of the time.

 __the only thing that makes me weary about this technique is that salesman
use it known as the four square...

[http://www.edmunds.com/advice/finance/articles/47277/article...](http://www.edmunds.com/advice/finance/articles/47277/article.html)

but if its used in a genuine way, Im sure it helps.

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oostevo
There a book built around this concept: <http://www.thebackofthenapkin.com/>

I'm not a salesman, so I've never tried this technique for sales, but I'm
always surprised how much better people can understand things when I diagram
them in real time using a piece of paper than with any fancy infographics I
might have carefully constructed ahead of time.

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SamAtt
Or...you could just learn to use Powerpoint well. Does anyone think Steve Jobs
would be more effective if he stood up there with a yellow notepad?

The idea that "talking to the screen" is inherent in using Powerpoint just
seems a little silly to me.

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byrneseyeview
For a big presentation, it makes sense: nobody expects to be talked to
directly, so it doesn't matter that Steve Jobs is giving them 0% of his
attention instead of .1%. But in a more intimate setting, using a Powerpoint
presentation is like staring at your shoes.

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movix
Am I missing the point of this, or is all he saying is 'it's easier for people
to understand if you do a quick doodle of what you mean'.

Is this rocket science?

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Hates_
No, and to me that's what makes Seth Godin's stuff so appealing. It's so
obvious most of the time, yet it's stuff people time and time again fail to
recognise and do themselves. He has one clear message which he drives through
in all his books and in his presentations. It's not about new techniques or
silver bullets, it's about getting back to what matters, and that's simply
having a relationship with the person our dealing with.

