Presentation Zen: Simple Ideas on Presentation Design and Delivery (Voices That Matter)

For years I've been urging my clients (I'm an Executive Speech Coach) to visually simplify the message... and now I have the perfect book to backup my request - Presentation Zen! Garr Reynolds is a master at presentation design - his ability to distill the message and reduce the visual slide noise is invaluable. A must read for every speaker who wants to learn to create a visually impactful presentation.

For anyone serious about effective presentations, this is required reading. Once you have read it, prepare to change your presentation approach in a fundamental way. Ask me next year, as I intend to start down the road now incorporating these concepts and expect this will take awhile to become comfortable with. Invaluable.

Garr Reynolds is now an icon for all the presenters (who seriously care about their presentations). Several of the things he talked about is applicable in presentations created for informational purposes. This can be marketing and advertisement, personal branding, book review or anything. However, when it comes to technical presentations, it becomes a different story.

Though this book does not talk about techniques in this area, I believe these can be evolved from the principles presented in the presentation zen. I am curious if Reynolds has started researching about technical presentations and how persentation zen can be extended to address the boredom and save the world.

Overall, a wonderful buy! Remember that you also get some stock images for free with the purchase of this book.

Saranyan
http://saranyan.wordpress.com

In this beautifully designed and well written manifesto, Garr Reynolds illustrates how your presentations can engage and even inspire audiences, with just a little more effort and imagination in the preparation and design stages.

Most presentations we see are lists of bullet points. They are entirely 'left brain.' The best presentations, Reynolds says, use 'whole mind' aptitudes and talents. During preparation, he advises, get away from your computer. Use paper and pen to sketch out rough ideas in the early stages.

Remember that design is not decoration. Design is about making conscious decisions about inclusion and exclusion. Simplicity is powerful. Simplicity 'comes from an intelligent desire for clarity that gets to the essence of an issue, something which is not easy to do.'

Make your audience feel something. Example: You're explaining the devastation of hurricane Katrina. Do you use bullet points, data, and talking points? Or do you show pictures of the wreckage and flooding and human suffering?

The best book on creating great presentations I've ever read. If you're going to read one, this is it. Please watch my presentations and web casts (http://silverlight.net) starting mid-June through the next few months and see if it changes what I do; it had better. Truly a great book, very high signal:noise ration, very hgih quality, well worth taking the time to read.