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I once learned that Alfred Hitchcock used to sketch on storyboards to pre-visualize the shots of his movies. What if I could apply cartooning and storyboarding techniques for my Zen-style presentations? With acceptable results, I thought, I could use those sketches as first-class citizens and incorporate them in my slides. Can you imagine the possibilities? No more frenetic searches for decent stock images, guaranteed originality and unlimited possibilities for further improvement.
This is one of the super crazy “what if” scenarios that I played in my head for quite some time but never had the courage to try – until recently.
Ladies and gents, I’m proud to unveil the making-of The Rise of the Lean Machine, a presentation that I just premiered at the excellent Lean & Kanban 2010 conference in Antwerp.

As many of you know, I’ve been obsessed about visual storytelling for many years. I developed a pretty good process to structure a story-driven presentation, borrowing techniques from screenwriting and creative nonfiction. As my Crafting Outstanding Presentations illustrates, Story, above everything else, is the main device that I use to render dry information memorable.
With all that focus on the power of Story, however, I never anticipated I could take my script further and create the kind of artwork you saw above, particularly at the crazy fast pace I had to deliver it. Heck, even my mum was as surprised as I was.

It all started a couple of years ago when I decided to pick up a new hobby: drawing cartoons. Inspired and guided by Robin Hall’s excellent “The Cartoonist Workbook”, I soon learned how to turn my scribbles into something believable. I even bought myself a beautiful (and expensive) Wacom Cintiq 12WX to draw and color directly on screen. I can safely say that I could easily match the artwork that you see in typical cartoon strips in newspapers. You need tons of wit to succeed in that business, but that wasn’t my goal. Creating cartoons was relaxing, fun and… easy! So easy, in fact, that I’m almost certain that anyone can do it. All you need is that book, practice and simple observation.

But it wasn’t until I picked “Visualizing Ideas” and “The Storyboard Design Course” that I began to think that I could eventually apply those techniques for my presentations. I was daydreaming, however. Personal and professional events – some with catastrophic consequences – forced me to re-assess my priorities. My beloved cintiq quickly started to collect dust.

Fast forward to recent times.
I committed to present the Rise of the Lean Machine at the conference in Belgium because I had a genuinely good story to tell – a story that deserved to be told right. But all I had were vivid episodes which I captured by instinctively filling my whiteboard with post-its covered with scribbles rather than words. Could I translate them into comic art? It was a nice thought, but could I finish on time for the conference? Time was tight, so I run a quick feasibility experiment.

Embarrassingly, it took me almost 2 days to complete the first drawing. Using a photo as loose reference, I sketched “It was a dark night in Dublin” on my tablet and painstakingly colored it. At school I did quite a bit of technical drawings, so I have no problem designing inanimate objects in perspective. But this time I wanted to add strong cinematic drama: bend the horizon, exaggerate the perspective, curve the buildings, choose a dark palette, hint at details with few color strokes. It was a completely new style for me altogether.
I published that first picture on my flickr account for my own inspiration. I remember telling my wife, Irene: “I love it, but there is no way I can do 70 slides like that, there is just not enough time”. “Can you do only the key frames?,” she replied. “I don’t know. On the narrative side, I still need to work out the essential plot of the story”.

I didn’t know what to do and I was really worried. I posed a worthy challenge, but I was simply running out of time. My rational brain knew I couldn’t do it, my heart was telling I had to. You could cut the tension with a knife.

Our baby Matteo was born last year. We never had a break since. It might appear irrational, but despite the time bomb I was sitting on, we decided to put family first and go on a last-minute holiday break. Three weeks before the conference, I still had to tighten the structure of the story – something I knew I could do in a sunny Spanish island. As for the pictures, I just gave up on the whole idea of drawing them.

Well… I almost gave up.
Surrounded by Mediterranean pine trees facing a beautiful sandy beach, I started sketching images on a plain notepad. I sketched for 2-3 hours a day using a simple pencil, a sharpener and an eraser. Damn, I needed a ruler too! At the end of the week, I had quite a bit of work done – enough to let me believe that, perhaps, I could actually pull it off.

On my return at home I scanned each image and imported it on a 1600x1200px canvas in ArtRage Studio Pro. Then, using my tablet, I traced all the edges with a (virtual) ink pen. I don’t have a defined technique for coloring, but I generally color-block shapes first and then add light and shadows. I just pick one or more sources of light and give depth to shapes by coloring over the existing texture.

Frankly, my technique is instinctive and I’m only at the beginning of this journey.
As I always do when I’m under pressure, I set up a personal Kanban board with a simple TO DO, DOING(1), DONE workflow and 48 minutes timeboxes (12 minutes break) to work non-stop all day long. I honestly didn’t think I was going to finish on time, so I reduced the scope as I went along. I kept thinking about the conference, saying to myself “it’s only an hour, it’s only an hour”. I tweaked the story and slides until the last minute. There are a few slides with bullet points that I would like to rework, some images I would like to include, some sentences that I would like to clean up, some concepts I would like to further highlight (e.g. the role of Lean Enterprise Architecture). But hey, I had to constantly remind myself that there is a difference between being a perfectionist and an achiever.

The presentation has been an instant success. I received a lot of praise for the content, the story and the artwork. I paid a huge price too, however. Beside the sleepless nights during those frenetic 2 weeks, I had to decline working on a sizable business opportunity with an unmovable first deadline. That, my friends, hurt.

Was all this worth it? I don’t know.
But time, for sure, will tell.
Tick… Tock… Tick… Tock…

On the surface, the slides below illustrate pretty pictures and practical storytelling techniques. Look beyond the means, however, and you’ll discover how a single presentation can powerfully influence people and, maybe, even change someone’s future – including yours.

Thanks to everyone for the overwhelming support; you are the reason why, today, I’m reopening this blog.

This approach comes from the realization that, although important, rational thinking has its limits. Even if we have facts that prove that we are “right”, it doesn’t mean that people listen to us.
By framing a subjective point of view, however, a story can influence perceptions, reinterpreting and directing what those facts mean to our audience.

If you happen to believe that stories are just for entertainment, think again. Stories are powerful, even frightening, weapons of influence. They have been used for thousands of years to persuade masses to join religions and wars, to unite and divide, to discriminate between “right” and “wrong”.

I’m often told that storytelling is too difficult. Yet, we unconsciously tell stories to others and ourselves on a daily basis. We tell who we are, what we have done, what we value, etc. We strip out all the unnecessary details and use stories to package our experience, or the experience of others, for easy consumption.

Aristotle observed that traditional narrative is structured around a dramatic story told in 3 acts: beginning, middle, end. I was surprised to discover that, after thousands of years, Hollywood-style screenwriting is still firmly grounded around this structure.

In a future post I’ll examine it in more detail, but for now, I’ll just state the obvious: a good story starts with a good idea.
What’s a simple definition of a good story idea (to be told in 3 acts)?

Someone wants something badly and goes after it against great odds.

I learned this definition by heart (and I wish I could recall where I found it). This simple sentence embodies three key elements of a good story: Character (“someone”), Desire (“wants something badly”), and Obstacles (“and goes after it against great odds”).

Implicitly, this definition also elicits the dramatic question: “Will he/she succeed?”

I’m just scratching the surface here, but watch a movie tonight and see for yourself.

It might seem obvious, but the story ends when the answer to the dramatic question is revealed.

When I performed my “Agile Tales” presentation in Stockholm for the very first time last year, I distilled a story from my own experience. Back then I didn’t know anything about storytelling.

Coincidentally, I had a character (me), plenty of obstacles (IT project from hell), and strong desire (I didn’t want to fail!). It’s a classic case of something that works without knowing why!

The story was about overcoming obstacles using agility, effective communication, and deliberate creativity.
Early in the presentation, I explained that I was involved in this impossible IT project. All the odds were stacked against me.
The setup was excellent, wasn’t it? But then I said:
“Amazingly, project from hell was a success. Maybe this is why…”

Do you see what I did? I made a rookie mistake.
I resolved the dramatic question too soon, effectively releasing the tension I created.

Several months (and more than 50 screenwriting books) later, I said instead:
“Project from hell was threatening me. This is what I tried…”.

The facts were exactly the same, but I plotted the story differently. This simple modification allowed me to preserve the tension until the end.

Next time, I’ll continue this fascinating exploration into the world of storytelling by revealing a technique I learned from a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner.
Stay tuned.

I met Chris at a software architecture workshop in South Africa early last year, and we kept in touch ever since. Every time I visit Sweden he always surprises me with something different. His fearless approach to creativity and love for experimentation is truly inspiring and reminds me that, although we may fail, we ought to really try nonetheless.

I really couldn’t refuse to write a duoblog post with him this week, especially since the question he proposed to develop is so close to my heart:  “What is the secret of a great presentation?”

I have a definite opinion on the matter but, for fun, I did a quick research to see what others say. Among the top Google results, I found gems such as “sustained eye contact” and “be charming and knowledgeable”. Are you thinking what I’m thinking? Yep, rubbish.

If you’ve ever attended one of my presentations in the recent past, you may expect me to take this chance to talk about the importance of Zen design, the need for relevant images and my dislike for bullet points. You would be wrong. As in many things in life, the most visible aspects are not necessarily the most important.

Arguably, many presentations fail simply because have absolutely nothing to say. Like special effects can’t save a movie if the script is poor, pretty pictures won’t save a shallow presentation either.
Presentations that dump mountains of data equally show lack of respect for their audience. People crave meaning. At least I do.

For some time, I thought I could do better. I would research my topic deeply and, assuming that I had something worth saying, I would structure my presentation around a logical outline.  In a typical presentation, I would quickly make my main point (the “lead”) and I would generally follow it by 3 key sections to elaborate on the subject (“supporting details”). Finally, I would conclude my talk by restating my main point (“summary”).

Assuming the subject addressed my audience needs, this structure had a fairly predictable outcome: clarity.

One day, however, I realized that, irrespective of the technology/process/idea I present, my key role is to inspire change.

To succeed, I had to go well beyond clarity. I had to emotionally engage. Why? Because it turns out that people make choices based on emotions (and use data to justify them). If you were really rational and objective, wouldn’t you eat better and exercise regularly, for example?

Some people say that passion is all you need. Passion, however, is like a raw diamond: even if you have it, you need to learn how to make the most out of it. I know I can be really passionate. But how can I focus that passion to truly inspire change?

I found the missing piece while shedding tears watching a movie. Since then, I observed and studied many works able to inspire, influence and persuade; all of them tap into the art of storytelling.

I lost count on the number of books I read on screenwriting and creative non-fiction. I’ve been obsessed by it in the last couple of years. I learned and even developed my own tools to help me leverage the power of Story. I’d have so much to share: structure, dramatic outline, moral premise, character transformation, worse case scenarios, etc.

I now structure my presentations around a dramatic compelling story (not just anecdotes) in which the technology/process/idea plays a key role. The story is a device that I use to engage the audience and introduce the concepts I really care about.

That’s it. Simple but not easy.

Last year I asked a colleague to give me feedback on a script (based on factual events) for a 1-minute presentation teaser I was about to develop over the weekend. Since I communicated with him through instant messaging, I had no special effects to support it. I wasn’t even physically there. He read the text, line by line, as I was typing it. After a short pause he replied: “Wow Claudio, I’m hooked. I want to know more about it.”

This is what I wrote:

you are a talented software developer
your technical skills make you feel invincible
until one day...
everyone turns against you.
your career and self esteem are put in great danger
by the single IT project
you can't run away from.

For your convenience, I put a link to the teaser as well (http://vimeo.com/1825440 ), but I would like you to think hard on the power of text alone.

My dear Chris and readers, were you “hooked” like my colleague was? I’m curious to read your reactions and opinions.

Next time I will introduce the key elements of a dramatic story and show you a simple but effective device I created to design captivating scenarios.

By the way, this is a duoblog post, remember? I’m looking forward to read Chris’ view on the same subject here.

Last week, I also presented at the Irish Java Technology Conference and I really enjoyed the brief discussion afterwords.
We talked about styles and the role of stories in technical presentations. I read about 50-60 books on screenwriting and creative nonfiction in the last few months. I know things now that I would have never suspected even just a couple of months ago. 
My thoughts on the matter are in continuous evolution, and I keep finding pleasant surprises at every corner.

I’ll be discussing some of those ideas at Jimmy Nilsson’s Software Architecture Workshop in Austria at the end of this month and, soon or later, I will write something here.

The constant exchange of ideas and points of view was incredible. I loved seeing attendees and exhibitors taking as much of an active role as the speakers (check Chris‘ article, for a brilliant example of creativity at work). It was like witnessing 900 people putting aside their differences and fulfilling their social responsibility to share their experiences with everyone else.

I am truly honored to have played even a tiny part in this fantastic event. My Agile Tales session went really well, at least judging by the warm feedback and the emails that I’m still receiving!

The organizers made a recording of all talks and I can’t wait to see them published at the oredev.org website. Of all the sessions that I’ve seen, I particularly loved Aslam‘s content and presentation style. I’m definitely going to dissect and steal some of his ideas in the future

In many ways, the moments I treasure the most, however, happened outside the session rooms; I spent a lot of quality time meeting many interesting and diverse people in the corridors, at the local pub in the evenings, or even in the hotel at breakfast. Inevitably, nobody recorded those precious fragments, but never mind.

I was also particularly pleased to see Aspects of Leadership, Agile, Alt.NET and Domain-Driven Design being treated as first-class citizens, with dedicated tracks and great speakers.

Is Øredev the best conference I have ever been to? Quite possibly.

Frankly, I’m growing tired of product/vendor-driven conferences that are almost exclusively versed into a single technology platform. Don’t get me wrong. They play an important role but, unfortunately, they hardly attempt to address any of the most fundamental issues that we face in our industry. As my awareness grows, so are my pragmatic needs for better and broader education.

Thanks so much to Michael Tiberg, Emily Holweck and their entire crew for organizing such a sophisticated and enjoyable conference. I hope I will be there again next year.

Øredev Presentation Teaser from Claudio Perrone on Vimeo.

So, what do you think? Do you like it? I certainly loved being the screenwriter, director, sound engineer and producer for exactly one minute of moving pictures! I now keep playing the soundtrack in my head though…mmm…I can’t get rid of it.

Let me share some trivia with you:

• The soundtrack is based on the popular classical piece “Carmina Burana (O Fortuna)”.
• I edited this work twice. I used iMovie ’08 on my Mac at home initially, but I found its lack of features (e.g. a timeline) too frustrating. I then switched to my old Sony Vegas on Windows, finally overcoming my fears due to the complexity of its interface. Although I am a very casual user, I’ll probably consider trying Final Cut Pro in the future.
• The first picture (yeah, that’s my big face, attached to that even bigger nose) is part of a great shot taken by the fabulous Martin Fowler at a recent software architecture workshop.
• After I finished my first draft, my colleagues gave me a lot of very constructive feedback; my wife Irene, however, has been my biggest fan and most methodical reviewer. The other evening, she gave me a dense list of comments and then rushed me to go upstairs and fix the trailer, mainly so that she could watch one of her beloved TV shows in peace!

Anyway, the whole point of the teaser is to remind you that my talk is going to be on Friday morning, November 21st and it is going to be… oh, well, you’ll see. Mark it on your calendar and miss it at your peril

As you may have guessed already, I’m really looking forward to speaking at the conference and hopefully I’ll have the privilege to see you there.

The number and quality of speakers lined-up for the event is so impressive that, besides catching up with many good friends, I will avidly attend as many sessions as possible myself.

There, I said it. Join my close friends and make fun of me. I’m a victim of the power of story to persuade and influence. My defenses are lowered, my disbelief is suspended and I’m vulnerable.

Not long ago, I was preparing for a technical presentation when I started wondering why movies can be so engaging and memorable while most presentations are comparatively dry and unremarkable.

Mainly thanks to Garr Reynolds and his magnificent Presentation Zen approach, I learned how to create slides with strong visual appeal: dense text and worn bullet points were replaced by a careful combination of words and images, creating a fertile ground for powerful metaphors and anecdotes.

Wow. I suddenly realized I entered the world of visual storytelling.

I also recognized, however, that my early work was somewhat episodic, like a movie with great special effects but a weak story.

It was then that I became almost obsessed by one single thought: could I learn the craft of screenwriting and adapt it to elicit emotions in my own technical presentations?

I wanted to become a better visual storyteller, going beyond my self-limiting goal of giving “right” recommendations delivered in a clear fashion. I realized I had a chance to find my own voice and give meaning to facts with my experience, passion, and subjective interpretation.

To my greatest surprise, I uncovered a fascinating world that is affecting my journey through life to no end.

Next week, I’m going to share some of my findings at the legendary Software Architecture Workshop in Crested Butte (Colorado), where some of the most renowned thought leaders of our industry will gather.

This adventure has just begun.
The rest of it will unfold in time.