August, 2007
Reviewed by Michael S. Hines
AMACOM, American Management Association, 2004, 330 pp
ISBN-10: 0-8144-7231-1
So, you've submitted a paper for CMG 2007 in San Diego, CA by the June 15th deadline, and now you are waiting for that all important notification from the referees on whether your paper is accepted or not. Sometime between July 30 and August 3 you will get that notice. If your paper is accepted, the next step is to complete camera ready copy. After that you will start putting your presentation together. This month I'm going to review a book on presentations that may help you get your point across better at the International Conference (or anywhere you may need to speak).
Remember also, that our Regions are always looking for good speakers and topics relevant to capacity planning and performance management. One way to practice for a larger audience is to use your region as a practice session among friends. "How to Prepare, Stage, and Deliver Winning Presentations" can help you prepare even for your first practice session.
This book is divided into 5 sections, each section deals with a specific part of making and giving presentations. I highly recommend this book to improve your presentation skills. There are many personal antecedents in the book that illustrate the points being made - making the book easy to read. I have no doubt that if you follow the principles presented, your presentation will be improved - and you might just be the next William Mullen Award winner. The William Mullen Award is given to those with the best writing and presentation skills at the International Conference. You could join such notables as Frank Bereznay and Peter Johnson, the 2006 Mullen Award winners.
Chapter 1. Presentations: Vital to Success in a Changing World
"You can have brilliant ideas, but if you can't get them across, your brains won't get you anywhere" So says Lee Iacocca, former CEO of Chrysler Corporation. "I've known a lot of engineers with terrific ideas who had trouble explaining them to other people. It's always a shame when a guy with a great talent can't tell the board or a committee what's in his head"1. Presentation skills complement professional skills, it comes with the territory.
Chapter 2. Executive Summary: The Fundamental Fifteen Keys to Winning Presentations.
A speaker who applies the Fundamental Fifteen is well on the way to a successful presentation. You will want to get the book to see what the Fundamental Fifteen are.
These basic points will serve you well.
Chapter 3. Becoming a Winning Presenter
Developing the capability to present your knowledge and skills and ideas to the best of your ability is a valuable investment. Presentations growth comes from a determination to do it, followed by a program of knowledge sharpening and skill development through practice.
Chapter 4. Plan: First Analyze and Strategize
Use the"Five W's" in your planning efforts - Who, What, Why, When, Where.
Chapter 5. Organize: Sort Out Your Ideas to Clarify and Convince
"The Standard Presentation Formula"
Chapter 6. Support: Make Your Case
Anticipate the audience key question "Where's the beef?" Put substance into your presentation to sell your points.
Chapter 7. Visual Aids/Graphics: A Picture Is Worth 1000 Words, Maybe
"A picture is worth a thousand words" is a widely cited axiom that touts the value of visual aids. But we should add, "unless the visual aid contains a thousand words on one slide" according to Mr. Leech. Remember - there are other visual aids besides PowerPoint. In Summary: Make Them Aids, Not Ailments.
Chapter 8. Arrangements: The Devil's in the Details
Be prepared. Anticipate disasters and be ready when they hit. Never underestimate the power of Murphy's Law, which says that whatever can go wrong, will.
Chapter 9. Working the Charts, Successfully
How well visuals are used can have a major influence on how effective they truly are. Poor use of good visuals can make a very bad presentation. This chapter presents 24 different things to make your charts successful.
Chapter 10. Practice: Skip It at Your Risk
In short - Practice, Practice, Practice.
Chapter 11. Show Time: Overview and Nonverbal Delivery Skills
Be well prepared, well rested, and ready to engage the audience in a dialog. This chapter offers several tips for managing the nonverbal habits we have that may distract from our presentation (such as - what do you do with your hands?).
Chapter 12. The Spoken Word: Language and Voice
You need to speak loud and clear so those in the back of the audience can hear you. You also want to be careful with your words so that you do not offend those in the audience.
(Hint: off color jokes are out of place). There are many other suggestions to improve your oral presentation in the book.
Chapter 13. Interact: Successfully Managing Q&A
Let the audience know up front how you will handle questions - at the end or as you go. Assure the Q&A stays focused. Defer on questions you can't answer there and follow-up on those questions later. There are many other suggestions for managing a Q&A time in the book.
Chapter 14. Switch Hitting: Becoming a Sharper Listener
This chapter swings around to you as the listener, rather than the speaker. It's designed to help you prepare to be a good listener and gain the most from presentations.
Chapter 15. Follow Up: It Ain't Over ‘Til It's Over
Once the presentation is over - there is still valuable information to be obtained and follow-up to do. Look for ways to improve the presentation. What did you (as the speaker) learn from the presentation? Use the presentation to its fullest. The book has several suggestions along these lines.
Chapter 16. Not Just One but a Winning Team
Team presentations add a level of complexity to presentations. You need to divide up the work so everyone knows their roles. You need to take care of seamless team member transitions during the presentation. Issues such as that complicate team presentations. This chapter can help you put together a winning team effort.
Chapter 17. Making Sure It's Not Greek to Them: International Presentations
Speaking to audiences with different language and culture can present particularly delicate issues. (You might not want to talk about the 4th of July in England, for example). Be sensitive to your audience and be careful of cultural and language differences. This chapter mentions several issues to be concerned about, and plan for.
Chapter 18. Becoming a Winning Presenter
Now that you have one presentation under your belt - what will you do? Would you like to continue learning more about public speaking? This chapter has some tips for continuing professional education in this area.
The Greeks of old laid down many of the rules of speaking, and applied oratory toward achieving success for themselves and their causes. One of the greatest was the general Pericles, who compared his own powerful skills to another: "When Pericles speaks, the people say, ‘How well he speaks.' But when Demosthenes speaks, the people say, ‘Let us march!'" Now there's a goal for you to ponder. 2
Notes
Index