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The other 160 pages are filled with advice on how to prepare a talk, organize your thoughts, countless anecdotes about Japan and other stuff I was not looking for. A positive note is that the slides provided in the book, and there are many, provide plenty of good ideas. I was very disappointed by this book. A big disappointment. I work as a consultant and was looking for a book with practical tips to improve the design of presentations. 60 pages in the book do this, although the advice given remains very general in nature.
Can you strip your presentation down to its essence.A critical reader review mentioned pushing product. Another is slide examples. Clarity, simplicity and length are some of the other important themes. We're given a roadmap to go deeper, an interesting on at that.
Don't do that. I think Presentation Zen is true to its title. We're given the framework and the resources, then the rest is up to us. Given our diverse needs, I think this a reasonable approach.Reading The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs and Presentation Zen will help anyone put distance between new presentations and the dense "slideuments" of the past.--Jack H. Early on Garr Reynolds states that Presentation Zen describes an approach not a method. He succeeds in pointing us in the right direction, but leaves us with a great deal of work to do on our own. Do this. People want to hear "the story" of your facts.
Comics and storytelling are the mediums to emulate. I didn't sense that. Bender, author of Disregarded: Transforming the School and Workplace through Deep Respect and Courage Another suggested it was sparse. In the past I've found examples such as these to be a great way to learn (for desktop publishing see The Makeover Book by Roger Parker). What I saw was documenting sources.
In my mind, that's okay.One strength of the book is an eclectic reading list scattered throughout the book. [.]. Still, I would like to have seen more of these in PZ.There are many important themes in the book. The strongest pages include side-by-sides of weak slides and their more powerful redesigns. One develops intuition once many sets have been studied.
The book is also helpful for those who must prepare presentations for internal staff meetings.Although I recommend the book -- and Garr's web site -- I also caution audiences to be aware of emotional appeals because those with questionable ethics can use these techniques in a less-than-above-board manner. Garr Reynolds helps speakers rethink the supporting visuals that appear as a backdrop when on-stage so that the visuals extend the speaker's core message. This means that the book is valuable even if you don't plan to give a presentation, because it can help you be aware of emotional manipulation.Finally, if you are interested in information graphics (contrasted with images as concepts), I recommend Edward Tufte's books and seminars. This book is part of the tool kit I recommend to our students in our Master of Communication, Digital Media program at the University of Washington. Successful persuasive presentations rest on emotional connection, not facts-and-data.
My husband purchased Presentation Zen Design, which I am in the process of reading and is a great follow-on. An excellent investment in your professional development. I am a trainer and it has made me re-look at all my training materials in a whole new light. The DVD is excellent for those people who do not like to read or do not have a whole lot of time. You will never look at presentations the same again. Each time I present a seminar, I am re-doing my materials. I even gave it as a Xmas present to the entire top management staff of one of my clients.
Presentation Zen will finally make you understand why the typical PowerPoint presentation you often see is incredibly boring and ineffective at getting the audience to understand the message. ("What's my Point. Garr Reynolds begins the first half of the book on PREPARATION. He tells us that working with restrictions and limitations are a great ally and are good for producing creative work.
He shows us how we can see things from a different point of view. Why Does It Matter.") The second half of the book is focuses on DESIGN. To create messages that stick, he refers to Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die on the six key principles: SUCCESs - Simplicity, Unexpectedness, Concreteness, Credibility, Emotions and Stories. Instead of asking "How can I save more time." Why didn't we ask it is not just about our time, but it was about the audience's time. He also refers to Zen concept of simplicity to clarity, subtlety, essentialness, and minimalism.It is very rare to find a book that is written with such clear message that tells us what we have all been doing were wrong, and how to do it right. How should we prepare, design, and deliver an effective presentation to get the message across.
Here, he provides great design principles (with excellent examples) that anyone preparing a presentation should keep in mind. ("Are you wasting your audience's time.")If you want to know how to make a better presentation design and delivery, this is the book. How should we prepare our presentations. We should always focus on the core message and underlying theme.
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