Digital Roam

Getting the word out on MSNBC... in pictures

As host of MSNBC's "Your Business" show, it's not surprising that JJ Ramberg is really smart; if you're going to run a nationwide business program, you'd better be. But what amazed me most about JJ when we shot a program the other day at 30 Rockefeller was how quickly she saw the power of pictures as a way to convey complex business concepts -- even though she's an admitted "terrible drawer".

Play video: MSNBC Consultant's Corner: The Back of The Napkin

JJ was just a little skeptical as we chatted before the cameras rolled. But once we got going and she challenged me to illustrate a typical small business marketing challenge, she got it immediately... and when our episode was done, I noticed her sketching circles and arrows on the back of her notes.

Aside from hosting MSNBC, JJ also runs her own businesses, and it turned out that she was sketching an idea that came to her during our show. Hmm... helping an on-air personality find a new way to look at problems while ON-AIR: that made me feel pretty good about how well back of the napkin sketches work.

Two visual thinkers walk into a bar...

When the Fox Business Network asked me to join them for a visual thinking session, I was surprised by the address: the Bull and Bear Bar at NY's Waldorf Astoria. It turns out that's where hosts Rebecca Gomez and Cody Willard hold court for the network's "Happy Hour" segment.

(If video window does not appear, click here to play video.)

So when Rebecca asked me about back of the napkin business sketches, I felt right at home. After all, isn't the bar where all the really good business ideas were hatched? (or hammered...?)