Creating Clarity - A New Book on the Power of Visual Tools

Why do I like to promote a book about Creating Clarity?

First, it is written by a long-term friend and partner, Holger Nils Pohl. I have been privileged to experience his talent in many live events. He is good.

Second, visual tools can help you:

Get more done in meetings
Clarify your thinking and express your ideas
Engage your audience and inspire action
Collaborate with others and build trust
Design solutions and innovate faster
Learn and remember better

In the beginning of the book, Holger prepares us for our visual journey in the book. One simple image on the left side with a few key words and the same on the right side, explaining why working visually is so effective.

His illustrations include:

Working on Strategy
Communicating Transformation (see image above)
Assessing a Challenge
Developing New Ideas
Speaking About the Future

They really help to understand the power of visual tools and help us with the right mindset.

Download first pages

Here is the core of his Creating Clarity framework: understand, create, share.

This book provides you with a lot of practical examples. Within the framework part of the book, he presents 10 cases, which include a selection of tools. I think we could also call each case as a sprint to solve a specific challenge.

Understanding the Customer (World Map, Speedboat, Space Rocket, Customer Profile)
Understanding Your Life (Deconstruction Map, Wheel of Change)
Transforming a Company (Innovation Pyramid, Strategic Innovation Canvas, Business Model Canvas, Transformation Roadmap)
Developing Fresh Ideas (Shower of Ideas, Visual Rapid Prototyping)
Co-creating with Customers (Tweet Pitch, Social Aid)
Presenting Project Outcomes (Pencil Preparation, Gallery Walk, 2 x 2 Matrix)
Team Tactics Presented Differently (Transparent Sticky Notes “Stattys Notes”, Erase + Draw)
Running a Business Model Sprint (Business Model Canvas, Value Proposition Canvas, Book Cover, Dotmocracy, Thinking Hats Feedback)
Designing and Running a Workshop (Customer Profile, World Map, Affinity Mapping, Culture Map, Visual Poster)
Developing a Conceptual Idea (Searching Pen, Storyboard)

What I personally like is that Holger offers a sequence of several tools to tackle one challenge. There are literally so many good visual tools out there that it is sometimes difficult to understand which ones to use. It is also unlikely that one tool alone will solve your challenge. Combine 3-4 tools and you have a useful sprint.

He calls next part of the book a Visual Tool Library.

It is about techniques, templates, inquiry tools, analysis tools and presentation techniques.

Visual techniques:

Affinity Mapping - A tool that will help you with everything
Spacious Writing - Creating a visual without the need to draw
Book Cover - Somebody has written a book about your idea
Interviews and Conversations - Gathering insights
The Searching Pen - Let the pen discover your thoughts
Dotmocracy - Get a feeling for a tendency towards an idea or two
Thinking Hats Feedback - Direct, rich, and open feedback
Alignment Cards - How to create alignment the visual way
Deconstruction Map - What we call a mind map
Storyboard - If it fits into a storyboard, it can be done

Visual templates:

Parallel Reality - Can you change something right now?
World Map - The big picture of your strategy
Kanban Board - To-do list the visual way
Transformation Roadmap - A regular check-in with your transformation progress
90 Day Planning - Focus on the process and the outcome
Shower of Ideas - Free up brain capacity first
Social Media Ad and Tweet Pitch - Use common structure to test ideas
Agenda Board - Set the right tone and manage expectations
Speedboat Template - Find out more about your customer pains
Space Rocket Template - Identify more gains
Story Flow - A storytelling structure
Visual Rapid Prototyping ️- Deepen your ideas

Visual inquiry tools:

Business Model Canvas - How to create value for your company
Strategic Innovation Canvas ️- Plan long term and strategically
Team Alignment Map ️- Your success is ultimately linked to your team
Culture Map ️- Design the way you want to work
Innovation Pyramid ️- Thinking beyond product innovation

Visual analysis tools:

Transformation Gap ️- Being honest about your transformation readiness
Wheel of Change ️- Change your life
Industry Shifts Map ️- See the change coming and act accordingly
Customer Profile ️- And the Value Proposition Canvas
2x2 Matrix ️- The Swiss army knife of visual tools

Visual presentation techniques:

Visual Poster ️- A one-technique-does-it-all-solution
Transparent Sticky Notes ️- Save time and prepare your writing as well
Eraser Techniques ️- Present at ease and with magic
Pencil Preparation ️- Present fluently even while drawing
Gallery Walk ️- Bring the wisdom back into the group
Achievement Wall ️- Keep track and motivate

I am sure you have found something interesting and practical that would also help you to create clarity in your life.

We at Stattys have been involved in this book project and did the shipping of the Kickstarter project. Now we can offer you several options to buy the book and some of the tools.

Note that this book is a high-quality book printed CO₂-neutral in Germany. You feel the quality paper in your hands, but it also makes it a shipping challenge with 1.1 kg weight.

Shipping has become really a challenge since Covid-19. The costs have increased, but the quality of delivery not.

We would like to cover part of the delivery cost, but kindly ask you to also order something else useful so that your order value for a German delivery is over € 59 and € 99 for an international delivery. When your shopping cart value is over these amounts (without VAT), the shipping will be free of charge for you. You also have the option of eBook only, where there will be no delivery cost.

You only need to have the physical book or the eBook in your shopping cart and then add Stattys Notes, the Toolkits from Holger or anything else you like.

Order here

Keep your ideas moving,