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Want a Successful Revolution? Find an Explainer
Posted by: leelefever on May 17, 2013- 10:47am
Categories: Art of Explanation, book, explainer, quote, revolution
Jason Kottke pointed me to a passage from the Kurt Vonnegut novel Bluebeard, where he outlines the three types of specialists that are needed for success in a revolution. Remarkably, one is an explainer.
Here’s the passage:
Slazinger claims to have learned from history that most people cannot open their minds to new ideas unless a mind-opening teams with a peculiar membership goes to work on them.
Otherwise, life will go on exactly as before, no matter how painful, unrealistic, unjust,... Continue Reading
So, How's The Book Doing?
About 6 months ago, my first book was published: The Art of Explanation. Being my first, I didn’t know what to expect from the process, the reviews, the sales, the marketing. Thankfully I found my way through and now have some information on how it’s been received.
First, let me start by offering a HUGE thanks to all the people who have purchased the book. You rock. I wish I could thank you more personally. I hope it has helped you think differently about how you communicate.
So how IS the... Continue Reading
Sachi and I are heading to Hawaii soon and we're planning to host a little event in Honolulu. As you may know, Sachi is from Hawaii and we thought it would be fun to meet some good folks. Come enjoy a low key gathering with drinks and pupus.
Details:
When: Thursday, January 17, 5-7pm
Where: The Manifest, 32 N Hotel St., Honolulu
We've created a public event on Facebook. Please RSVP there if you can.
Mahalo!
QR Codes in Books - Do They Work?
Posted by: leelefever on January 7, 2013- 10:01am
Categories: Art of Explanation, book, data, ebook, mobile, publishing, qr codes
QR codes often get a bad rap these days. The ugly little boxes appear everywhere and to many, they seem to be a waste of time and space. But the reality of QR codes is like any tool - the value is determined by how it’s used. When used effectively, QR codes bridge online and offline worlds by making it easier to use a mobile phone to visit a webpage, for example. This three-minute video explains QR codes:
Email readers can watch the video here.
QR Codes in Books - Why?
My book The Art of... Continue Reading
Please Help Build Awareness for The Art of Explanation
Posted by: leelefever on November 27, 2012- 10:40am
Categories: Art of Explanation, book, buzz, marketing, promotion, social media
Dear Common Craft friends and fans, I’m writing to humbly ask for your help.
The Art of Explanation, my new book, recently became fully available in bookstores and online. And now, it’s up to us to get the word out - and I’m hoping you can help.
First, I hope you’ll consider buying the book. It’s meant for everyone and especially professionals. If you’ve already purchased and read it, please consider writing a quick review on Amazon or your website.
There a number of other ways you can... Continue Reading
What is an "Enhanced" eBook?
Posted by: leelefever on November 25, 2012- 2:01pm
Categories: Art of Explanation, book, ebook, Explanation, publishing
I think we’re at the very beginning of a huge transformation that will change how we think about books. Thanks to new devices and publishing platforms, books are becoming more interactive and multimedia. One form this is taking is the "enhanced" ebook. To understand the enhanced versions, let’s start with normal ebooks.
“Normal” ebooks are essentially digital versions of regular books that are usually read on devices like the Kindle, iPad and Nook. For most of their history, ebooks have... Continue Reading
How to Explain YOUR JOB at Thanksgiving Dinner
Posted by: leelefever on November 18, 2012- 3:41pm
Categories: Art of Explanation, book, explainer tip, holiday, thanksgiving
The story below is based on ideas from my book The Art of Explanation, now out in print and ebooks. Perfect airplane reading!
You’ve been there before. You sit down to gorge yourself on turkey when the questioning starts. Sitting across from you is Uncle Henry. He’s spry at 65, but is not so knowledgeable about technology. He asks, “So tell me again what it is you do for a living?” Your Mom hears the question and tunes in. “Yes, do tell!” she says, attracting the attention of everyone at... Continue Reading
Kalid's Cat - Why Initial Understanding Matters
Posted by: leelefever on October 3, 2012- 9:59am
Categories: Art of Explanation, book, curse of knowledge, explainer tip, Explanation
A few weeks back I had coffee with Kalid Azad, who runs Better Explained, a blog and book that focuses on the use of intuition to understand “gnarly” subjects like math and programming. His tagline is “Learn right, not rote”. I love that.
Kalid made a point that day that stuck with me. Here it is from a blog post called “Developing Your Intuition for Math”.
Our initial exposure to an idea shapes our intuition. And our intuition impacts how much we enjoy a subject. What do I mean?
Suppose... Continue Reading
Hands On: The Art of Explanation Book
A couple of days ago I held The Art of Explanation, my first book, in my hands for the first time. What a feeling to finally see and feel it in its final form.
Overall I'm quite pleased with the design and packaging of the final product. I wanted it to feel consumable, like something you could read on a cross-country flight. I wanted it to look inviting and interesting. I wanted it to be Common Crafty.
See what you think...
Here's the never-seen-before back cover.
The all-important spine... Continue Reading
QR Codes and How to Track Them
Posted by: leelefever on August 14, 2012- 12:44pm
Categories: analytics, art of explanation, book, QR Codes, technology
As I’ve mentioned previously, I have a book coming out in October and it will contain QR codes. The big idea is to give readers of The Art of Explanation an easy way to watch the videos we use as examples in the book. Scan the code with a smartphone --> watch a video. It’s easier than typing a long URL. Of course, we made a video explaining QR codes, if you’d like to learn more.
The QR code in the photo above is from a previous draft and not a trackable version.
There will be 16 QR... Continue Reading