FOREWORD BY GUY KAWASAKI Presentation designer and internationally acclaimed communications expert Garr Reynolds, creator of the most popular Web site on presentation design and delivery on the Net — presentationzen.com — shares his experience in a provocative mix of illumination, inspiration, education, and guidance that will change the way you think about making presentations with PowerPoint or Keynote. Presentation Zen challenges the conventional wisdom of making "slide presentations" in today’s world and encourages you to think differently and more creatively about the preparation, design, and delivery of your presentations. Garr shares lessons and perspectives that draw upon practical advice from the fields of communication and business. Combining solid principles of design with the tenets of Zen simplicity, this book will help you along the path to simpler, more effective presentations.
A groundbreaking book that boldly claims the key to success is not talent, connections, or ideas, but the ability to persuade people to take a chance on your potential. "The most exceptional people aren't just brilliant...they're backable." —Daniel Pink, #1 New York Times bestselling author of When, Drive and To Sell is Human No one makes it alone. But there’s a reason some people can get investors or bosses to believe in them while others cannot. And that reason has little to do with experience, pedigree, or a polished business plan. Backable people seem to have a hidden quality that inspires others to take action. We often chalk this up to natural talent or charisma...either you have “it” or you don’t. After getting rejected by every investor he pitched, Suneel Gupta had a burning question: Could “it” be learned? Drawing lessons from hundreds of the world’s biggest thinkers, Gupta discovered how to pitch new ideas in a way that has raised millions of dollars, influenced large-scale change inside massive corporations, and even convinced his eight-year-old daughter to clean her room. Inside Backable are long-held secrets from producers of Oscar-winning films, members of Congress, military leaders, culinary stars, venture capitalists, founders of unicorn-status startups, and executives at iconic companies like Lego, Method, and Pixar. Backable reveals how the key to success is not charisma, connections, or even your résumé, but rather your ability to persuade others to take a chance on you. This original book will show you how.
Reduce the time and stress associated with your presentations Bookshelves are crowded with books on how to be an exceptional presenter and promise to produce a brilliant, standing-ovation speaker. But what about a presentation resource for the rest of us? There are so many of us regular folk who who want to spend just a little time and effort to get over the big hurdle of giving a presentation, but don't know where to turn for advice. How to Give a Pretty Good Presentation is the easy answer to this common need. Straightforward, entertaining, and well-organized, this user-friendly resource will walk you step-by-step through the process from how to write, rehearse, and deliver a pretty good presentation that will make you appear confident, memorable, and competent. Although it does not promise the moon (or a standing ovation), this public speaking survival guide will help you: Appear confident (even while still feeling nervous!) Take the spotlight off of you and put it on your content Save time Not put people to sleep with your PowerPoint Presentation Produce better results Make better impressions Reduce the feelings of dread, sleeplessness, and procrastination associated with your presentations Prepare even if you've waited until the day before or an hour before your presentation is to be given Whatever your job, if you need to give a presentation and are feeling overwhelmed by it, How to Give a Pretty Good Presentation is there for you. If you want to reduce the time and stress associated with your presentations now and pass all future presentation opportunities with flying colors, then pick up this fun and accessible guide; you'll no doubt like the resulting improvement in both your personal and professional bottom line.
A practical guide based on a proprietary skill assessment tool—a Myers-Briggs for presenters—that provides tips and strategies that address the core element for becoming a successful presenter: YOU What kind of presenter are you? Are you charming? Purposeful? Informative? Inspiring? Do you have natural charisma? A clear message? A powerful vision? What’s Your Presentation Persona? is a revolutionary guide based on Badge, the first-of-its-kind proprietary skill assessment tool―a Myers-Briggs for presenters―that provides strategies and tips that address the core element for becoming a successful presenter: YOU. This groundbreaking book identifies 16 presentation personas, each with its own strengths and weaknesses, and shows you how to leverage your unique qualities to become a more powerful, persuasive, and successful presenter. Take the self-assessment test in the book and discover your persona. Are you: • The Director: a respected leader with an empathetic core (Oprah Winfrey or Ned Stark from Game of Thrones) • The Captivator: a charismatic presenter with a natural, unrehearsed flair (Gary Vaynerchuk or Captain Kirk from Star Trek) • The Producer: a successful speaker who believes in hard work—not luck (Martin Luther King Jr. or Walter White from Breaking Bad) • The Scholar: an always-curious learner informed by their own wisdom (Elon Musk or Hermoine Granger from Harry Potter) • The Liberator: an optimistic visionary who loves to inspire (Tony Robbins or William Wallace from Braveheart) The key to reaching others is knowing who you are. Get to know yourself. Build on your strengths. Work on your weaknesses. Learn how to deliver your message with confidence, charisma, humor, and authenticity. Be yourself—but better. Once you’ve mastered your presentation persona, explore others you’d like to experiment with and learn from. Incorporate techniques into your unique style to become the strongest, most well-rounded communicator you can be―so you can razzle-dazzle any audience on any topic anytime.
Unlock the amazing story buried in your presentation—and forget boring, bullet-point-riddled slides forever! Guided by communications expert Cliff Atkinson, you’ll walk you through an innovative, three-step methodology for increasing the impact of your presentation. Discover how to combine classic storytelling techniques with the power of visual media to create a rich, engaging experience with your audience. Fully updated for PowerPoint 2010, and featuring compelling presentation examples from classroom to boardroom, this book will help transform your presentations—and your business impact!
Presentation Patterns is the first book on presentations that categorizes and organizes the building blocks (or patterns) that you’ll need to communicate effectively using presentation tools like Keynote and PowerPoint. Patterns are like the lower-level steps found inside recipes; they are the techniques you must master to be considered a master chef or master presenter. You can use the patterns in this book to construct your own recipes for different contexts, such as business meetings, technical demonstrations, scientific expositions, and keynotes, just to name a few. Although there are no such things as antirecipes, this book shows you lots of antipatterns—things you should avoid doing in presentations. Modern presentation tools often encourage ineffective presentation techniques, but this book shows you how to avoid them. Each pattern is introduced with a memorable name, a definition, and a brief explanation of motivation. Readers learn where the pattern applies, the consequences of applying it, and how to apply it. The authors also identify critical antipatterns: clichés, fallacies, and design mistakes that cause presentations to disappoint. These problems are easy to avoid—once you know how. Presentation Patterns will help you Plan what you’ll say, who you’ll say it to, how long you’ll talk, and where you’ll present Perfectly calibrate your presentation to your audience Use the storyteller’s “narrative arc” to full advantage Strengthen your credibility—and avoid mistakes that hurt it Hone your message before you ever touch presentation software Incorporate visuals that support your message instead of hindering it Create highly effective “infodecks” that work when you’re not able to deliver a talk in person Construct slides that really communicate and avoid “Ant Fonts,” “Floodmarks,” “Alienating Artifacts,” and other errors Master 13 powerful techniques for delivering your presentation with power, authority, and clarity Whether you use this book as a handy reference or read it from start to finish, it will be a revelation: an entirely new language for systematically planning, creating, and delivering more powerful presentations. You’ll quickly find it indispensable—no matter what you’re presenting, who your audiences are, or what message you’re driving home.
A collection of best practices for creating slide presentations. It changes your approach, process and expectations for developing visual aides. It makes the difference between a good presentation and a great one.
Have virtual meetings become the most dreaded part of your workday? You open your calendar and feel your heart rate spike as you stare at them. Virtual meeting after virtual meeting, replete with all-to-familiar irritations: technical glitches, awkward conversations, Bob’s nose hairs. (Seriously, doesn’t Bob know his camera is pointed right up his nose?) Like it or not, being able to mug for the webcam is now an important addition to your CV. But there’s more to having a good videoconference than turning on your webcam. And UNMUTE! will show you how to do it. In this hilarious and fast-paced book, communication expert Lauren Sergy takes you on a deep-dive into virtual meetings: what works, what doesn’t, and how to make the most of this communication medium without it taking over your life. With energy, wit, and a bucketful of relatable stories, Lauren will help you - Polish not-so-small on-camera skills like eye contact, gesture, and speaking mannerisms - Set up your virtual meeting space like a pro...without turning your office into a production studio - Boost meeting attendees’ focus and engagement - Manage those annoying technical glitches - Dial down your stress and kick Zoom Fatigue to the curb UNMUTE! is a must-read book for anyone who uses videoconferencing at work. You and your colleagues can master virtual meetings; it’s time to take action!
