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Presentation Zen: Simple Ideas on Presentation Design and Delivery (Voices That Matter) By Garr Reynolds ( New Riders Press )
Release Date: 2008-01-04
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List Price: $29.99
Price: $19.79
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Product Description
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.
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 Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication
Since presentations have become a larger (and more important) part of my professional life and given that they are now targeted at the highest level of my organization, I decided to re-evaluate my skills as well as my approach.
This book has proven to be exactly had I hoped for: a fresh change of perspective.
While it does not contain any new found wisdom, it certainly provides something equally important: simple ideas that make you better, more confident AND that stick to your mind. (Well for some presenters, it might even prove to be a new found wisdom, judging by the dozens of lousy presentations that I have attended in my career).
I should stress though that while simplicity is the core idea in this book, this does not mean that it is targeted to those looking for "quick & dirty" productivity tips.
On the contrary, I have found that I now devote more time in the preparation of a presentation. Because it is now clear to me that editing is the most demanding part of the process.
The book has helped me understand what is important to communicate and what is not.
How to extract the essence of complex ideas and present them in a simple, informative manner that engage the audience, not bore them to death.
If I had to write just a one line comment, this would be that it has made me regard each presentation as an enjoyable creative challenge and not as a mundane task.
It was certainly a joy to read and I really feel that I benefited, not only as a professional but also as a person, since most of us are also expected to convince, to educate and to inspire others, outside the realm of our professional lives.
One final note apart from the content but regarding the book itself: while I have always found Amazon's service to be uber professional and top notch, I was quite disappointed that this particular book arrived at less than perfect condition. Given that the packaging was almost bulletproof (and it contained two other books), this leads me to assume that the cosmetic damages were there prior to its dispatch.
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 Transforming my Presentations! ( bkerrphd )
I can't quite remember why I ordered this book--but I have been entranced by it! To match the simple beauty of this book, I should be posting an intriguing photo with a poignant quote. Hmm--perhaps it would be that line that goes something like: People will remember not what you made them think but how you made them feel. The picture might be a peaceful beach scene with someone sitting cross-legged with a slight buddha smile, feeling the warmth of the sun on her face. Well, all these words underline the message that getting your audience's attention with a sharp image and putting up as few words as possible is the way to transform presentations. I'm hard at work simplifying, eliminating as many bullet poings as possible, and transforming my presentations for maximum emotional content.
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JUST BUY IT NOW !!! ( uaener )
This is a must. It is everything you're looking for in a book. It has beautiful insights, explanations, pictures...
For someone who wants to make a difference in his company, this is a MUST.
Above satisfaction guarantee ...
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A stress-reliever ( calpom )
A great compilation of basic and simple ideas about public presentation, yet fundamental ones. You may have read about these concepts already (e.g. Made to Stick, slide:ology), but Garr connects them nicely and the zen concept is not only refreshing, it helps alleviating the stress often assotiated with public speaking.
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Excellent advice
The book is its own best review. It is engaging, persuasive and memorable practicing what it preaches and giving a good presentation. The advice is a bit esoteric if you are looking for liniar, rational, step-by-step methodology and is obviously based much more on intuitive thought and art, but this is exactly what the author promised. The book does have sufficient building blocks and practical instructions to get started in the presentation process, but goes far beyond that in scope. The author does seem to capture the true intent of a presentation as being an opportunity to influence and persuade an audience rather than death by power point with data saturated slides. This is not a hold your hand, step-by-step guide to great presentaions. You can not be led to that level of performance. This book however does clearly point the way and encourage you to walk the path to giving great presentaions, but the reader still needs to do the walking.
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