For the past few days, I have been enjoying Garr Reynolds’ book Presentation Zen Design. A friend gave me the book because he knows I make many presentations and because he knows that we study and implement design in the Synergy 8 course. In short, the book is brilliant. It is one of those relatively rare reads that makes you think you have only just begun when you finish reading the last page. It satisfies while leaving one hungrier still.

Throughout the book, Reynolds makes the point of “kaizen” as continuous improvement. On page 234, he summarizes that

Kaizen is key to the steady improvement and innovation of successful companies….’Kaizen is one of those magical concepts that is at once a philosophy, a principle, a practice, and a tool.’ It’s also an approach we can learn from and apply to our own lives as we strive for continuous improvement on a personal level….Kaizen is daily, continuous, and steady – it takes the long-term view. Kaizen also requires a commitment and a strong willingness to change….The interesting thing about kaizen is that big, sudden improvements are not necessary. Instead, what is important is that you’re always looking for ideas-even the smallest ideas-that you can build on. Tiny improvements are OK as over the long term they can add up to great improvements. Each journey begins with a single step.

So, here’s to kaizen. And, on a related note, check out Garr Reynolds’ site devoted to presentation zen.
Garr Reynolds’ recent post on education and learning.