Bert Decker, communications expert and author of several presentation-related books (including this updated version of You've Got to Be Believed to Be Heard), has published his annual Top Ten Best (and Worst) Communicators for the year 2008. This is a very interesting read. Bert's list focuses primarily on famous speakers or news makers in the US; I think you could add many to the list — famous and not so famous — from around the world as well. Feel free to share your favorite (or "best/worst") from other parts of the globe below.
More great communicators (off the top of my head)
I've highlighted some of my favorites over the years such as TED presenter
There is a line of thinking that says if I tell you the meaning of the word Zen, then it wouldn't really be Zen. The same could be said concerning the meaning of Jazz as well. "What is Jazz?" in a sense is like saying "What is Zen?" Of course, we can talk about them and label them, and with our verbalization we get close (and the discussion may be interesting, even helpful, inspiring, etc.). But we never experience the thing itself by talking about it. Zen is concerned with the thing itself. Zen is about the now — right here, right now. The essence of jazz expression is like this too. It's about this moment. No artificiality, no pretending to be anything you're not. No acting. No wishing at this moment to be anywhere or with anyone except where you are. There are many forms of jazz and jazz expression, but to my mind if you want to at least get close to the essence of jazz, then listen to this album: Kind of Blue by Miles Davis (I talked about this album here a few months ago). This is one of my favorite albums of all time and is considered to be one of the best albums (if not the best album) ever recorded. Listen to this cut of "So What?" off the Kind of Blue album below on YouTube.
I always thought that there was a sort of aesthetic to the Kind of Blue album that expressed the tenets of restraint, simplicity, and naturalness. In the music you hear a kind of free yet structured spontaneity, an idea that seems oxymoronic until you study one of the Zen arts...or jazz. Then recently I read the liner notes again from the Kind of Blue album, notes that were written by the legendary pianist Bill Evans. In these notes (copies pictured in photo on the right and are included in the 50th Anniversary box set) I found that he actually makes a direct reference to a traditional Japanese art form (though I'm unsure if he's referring to shodo or sumi-e). As you read these notes below, think of how Miles Davis's approach to the Kind of Blue session can be applied to live presentation in all its myriad forms, and for that matter, to the art of life.
Bill Evans's liner notes from Kind of Blue
"There is a Japanese visual art in which the artist is forced to be spontaneous. He must paint on a thin stretched parchment with a special brush and black water paint in such a way that an unnatural or interrupted stroke will destroy the line or break through the parchment. Erasures or changes are impossible. These artists must practice a particular discipline, that of allowing the idea to express itself in communication with their hands in such a direct way that deliberation cannot interfere.
The resulting pictures lack the complex composition and textures of ordinary painting, but it is said that those who see well find something captured that escapes explanation.
This conviction that direct deed is the most meaningful of reflections, I believe, has prompted the evolution of the extremely severe and unique disciplines of the jazz or improvising musician.
Group improvisation is a further challenge. Aside from the weighty technical problem of collective coherent thinking, there is the very human, even social need for sympathy from all members to bend for the common result. This most difficult problem, I think, is beautifully met and solved on this recording.
As the painter needs his framework of parchment, the improvising musical group needs its framework in time. Miles Davis presents here frameworks which are exquisite in their simplicity and yet contain all that is necessary to stimulate performance with sure reference to the primary conception.
Miles conceived these settings only hours before the recording dates and arrived with sketches which indicated to the group what was to be played. Therefore, you will hear something close to pure spontaneity in these performances. The group had never played these pieces prior to the recordings and I think without exception the first complete performance of each was a take."
Recorded in 1959, its impact still grows Recently, I purchased the 50th Anniversary of Kind of Blue from Amazon. It's a bit expensive, but certainly for an organization or a school I think it's a good purchase. You can see a clip from the documentary DVD included in the package below — this should give you a feel for the contribution this special album has made. The package also includes copies of Bill Evans's hand-written notes which later became the liner notes for the original album. The copies of his notes alone for me make the purchase worth while.
One my favorite reads of 2008 was Moving to Higher Ground: How Jazz Can Change Your Life by Wynton Marsalis and Geoffrey Ward. The lessons found in jazz — its meaning, its history and its relevance for life, business, and education — run deep and wide. It's really quite amazing. Every student should have a good exposure to jazz (and classical music for that matter) in their education — music education is not a nicety, it's a necessity. Organizations and schools are always talking about the need to foster creativity and innovation, the need to encourage dedication and self-discipline, and the importance of developing skills for collaboration. Yet the arts — especially jazz — teach all these things. In his book, Wynton illuminates the deep beauty that is found in jazz and why and how it's relevant for us all. Here's a line from Chapter seven:
"Our desire to testify through some type of art is unstoppable. A palpable energy is released when inspiration and dedication come together in a creative art. The energy is transformative in an individual who is innovative, but it is transcendent when manifested by a group. There are no words for the dynamic thrill of participating in a mutual mosaic of creativity."
— Wynton Marsalis
Above: I found the book so relevant to my world that I could barely get through a page without underlining every other sentence. Good nuggets of wisdom in there. (Snapped in an Osaka Starbucks.) Musicians at Google: Wynton Marsalis I recommend the book, but first I suggest you set some time aside to watch this Musicians@Google interview with Wynton Marsalis and Geoffrey Ward below held at Google a few months ago. I discuss a few of Wynton's thoughts from the interview below.
As long as we're talking about design, let me suggest another book. One of the books for 2009 (yes, already) that I highly recommend is called The Designful Company: How to build a culture of nonstop innovation by designer and branding guru Marty Neumeier. Marty understands that we're all very busy, so he designs his books to make a big impact in less than 200 pages. His previous best-sellers — Brand Gap and Zag — are provocative, informative, and inspirational books that I use every semester in my Marketing classes, etc. Like his previous books, The Designful Company is a lesson in simple, clear, and beautiful presentation that complements the content. This is not a graphic design book, but rather a
Over the years I've read a lot of design books and I have recommended many of them here. But a lot of people have ask me if I would recommend just one book (proving again that the more choices you offer the harder it is to decide; the paradox of choice). It's difficult to recommend just one book for the non-designer interested in becoming more design mindful. But if you are looking to take a first step in learning about the fundamentals of graphic design with an eye toward becoming a better judge of what is effective visual communication and what is not, then I suggest The Non-Designer's Design Book, 3rd Edition (208 pages) by Robin Williams. This book has sold a ton over the years and is highly recommended by just about everyone. It's not an overly comprehensive book, but I like it because it's small and focused on a just a few fundamentals that, if understood well, can indeed make a difference.
Bert Decker, communications expert and author of several presentation-related books (including this updated version of You've Got to Be Believed to Be Heard), has published his annual Top Ten Best (and Worst) Communicators for the year 2008. This is a very interesting read. Bert's list focuses primarily on famous speakers or news makers in the US; I think you could add many to the list — famous and not so famous — from around the world as well. Feel free to share your favorite (or "best/worst") from other parts of the globe below.
I've highlighted some of my favorites over the years such as TED presenter
There is a line of thinking that says if I tell you the meaning of the word Zen, then it wouldn't really be Zen. The same could be said concerning the meaning of Jazz as well. "What is Jazz?" in a sense is like saying "What is Zen?" Of course, we can talk about them and label them, and with our verbalization we get close (and the discussion may be interesting, even helpful, inspiring, etc.). But we never experience the thing itself by talking about it. Zen is concerned with the thing itself. Zen is about the now — right here, right now. The essence of jazz expression is like this too. It's about this moment. No artificiality, no pretending to be anything you're not. No acting. No wishing at this moment to be anywhere or with anyone except where you are. There are many forms of jazz and jazz expression, but to my mind if you want to at least get close to the essence of jazz, then listen to this album: Kind of Blue by Miles Davis (I talked about this album here a few months ago). This is one of my favorite albums of all time and is considered to be one of the best albums (if not the best album) ever recorded. Listen to this cut of "So What?" off the Kind of Blue album below on YouTube.
I always thought that there was a sort of aesthetic to the Kind of Blue album that expressed the tenets of restraint, simplicity, and naturalness. In the music you hear a kind of free yet structured spontaneity, an idea that seems oxymoronic until you study one of the Zen arts...or jazz. Then recently I read the liner notes again from the Kind of Blue album, notes that were written by the legendary pianist Bill Evans. In these notes (copies pictured in photo on the right and are included in the 50th Anniversary box set) I found that he actually makes a direct reference to a traditional Japanese art form (though I'm unsure if he's referring to shodo or sumi-e). As you read these notes below, think of how Miles Davis's approach to the Kind of Blue session can be applied to live presentation in all its myriad forms, and for that matter, to the art of life.
One my favorite reads of 2008 was Moving to Higher Ground: How Jazz Can Change Your Life by Wynton Marsalis and Geoffrey Ward. The lessons found in jazz — its meaning, its history and its relevance for life, business, and education — run deep and wide. It's really quite amazing. Every student should have a good exposure to jazz (and classical music for that matter) in their education — music education is not a nicety, it's a necessity. Organizations and schools are always talking about the need to foster creativity and innovation, the need to encourage dedication and self-discipline, and the importance of developing skills for collaboration. Yet the arts — especially jazz — teach all these things. In his book, Wynton illuminates the deep beauty that is found in jazz and why and how it's relevant for us all. Here's a line from Chapter seven:
"Our desire to testify through some type of art is unstoppable. A palpable energy is released when inspiration and dedication come together in a creative art. The energy is transformative in an individual who is innovative, but it is transcendent when manifested by a group. There are no words for the dynamic thrill of participating in a mutual mosaic of creativity."As long as we're talking about design, let me suggest another book. One of the books for 2009 (yes, already) that I highly recommend is called The Designful Company: How to build a culture of nonstop innovation by designer and branding guru Marty Neumeier. Marty understands that we're all very busy, so he designs his books to make a big impact in less than 200 pages. His previous best-sellers — Brand Gap and Zag — are provocative, informative, and inspirational books that I use every semester in my Marketing classes, etc. Like his previous books, The Designful Company is a lesson in simple, clear, and beautiful presentation that complements the content. This is not a graphic design book, but rather a
Over the years I've read a lot of design books and I have recommended many of them here. But a lot of people have ask me if I would recommend just one book (proving again that the more choices you offer the harder it is to decide; the paradox of choice). It's difficult to recommend just one book for the non-designer interested in becoming more design mindful. But if you are looking to take a first step in learning about the fundamentals of graphic design with an eye toward becoming a better judge of what is effective visual communication and what is not, then I suggest The Non-Designer's Design Book, 3rd Edition (208 pages) by Robin Williams. This book has sold a ton over the years and is highly recommended by just about everyone. It's not an overly comprehensive book, but I like it because it's small and focused on a just a few fundamentals that, if understood well, can indeed make a difference.