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Presentation Zen: Simple Ideas on Presentation Design and Delivery (Voices That Matter) | 
 enlarge | Author: Garr Reynolds
Publisher: New Riders Press
Category: Book
List Price: $29.99
Buy New: $17.84
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Avg. Customer Rating:  90 reviews
Sales Rank: 276
Media: Paperback
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 240
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 7.3 x 0.5
ISBN: 0321525655
Dewey Decimal Number: 005.58
EAN: 9780321525659
Publication Date: January 4, 2008
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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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| Customer Reviews: Read 85 more reviews...
 This should be required reading for all presenters... January 1, 2008
172 out of 173 found this review helpful
This is everything that I want my presentations to be when I'm up on stage... Presentation Zen: Simple Ideas on Presentation Design and Delivery by Garr Reynolds. This will make you rethink everything you've known (and likely done) about how a presentation should be designed.
Contents:
Introduction: Presenting in Today's World
Preparation: Creativity, Limitations, and Constraints; Planning Analog; Crafting the Story
Design: Simplicity - Why It Matters; Presentation Design - Principles and Techniques; Sample Slides
Delivery: The Art of Being Completely Present; Connecting With an Audience
The Next Step: The Journey Begins
Photo Credits; Index
There's so much good stuff here that it's hard to figure out where to begin. Reynolds advocates for a departure from the ordinary style of presentation involving PowerPoint. You've all sat through those (or given them)... Pages of slides, chock full of text, gratuitous use of special effects, etc. Presentation Zen is more about simplicity and storytelling. Your slides should support *you*, the speaker. If someone can get all the information from your slides, why do they need you? Your slides should not overwhelm the audience, but should draw their attention to the point that you are making in your talk. Couple this approach with the ability to tell stories rather than recite facts, and you can put together presentations that will be appreciated, remembered, and best of all, acted upon.
He also gets into how best to design appealing and arresting slides. Reynolds uses sites like iStockPhoto to avoid the overused and cheesy clipart that comes part and parcel with PowerPoint. And rather than just pasting a graphic on the screen under some text, the graphic *becomes* the slide, and the minimal text is positioned on the graphic in such a way that the slide becomes a work of art. Since I do technical presentations, my first objection was that this doesn't give the listener anything to take away in terms of content. But rather than make your slides the take-away, Reynolds suggests that you put together a separate "handout" document that can be given out after the talk (or downloaded). That document can contain the details and facts that you present, without overwhelming the listener during the actual talk. It's a simple concept, but not one that I've seen done often.
The bad thing about a book like this is it points out just how bad I actually am at presenting. The good thing is that it challenges me (as well as shows me) to get a whole lot better. This should be required reading for anyone before they start to put together anything in PowerPoint...
Don't buy this book (Unless you want to know all the inside secrets of presentations!) February 9, 2008
18 out of 19 found this review helpful
There's a reason that none of the country's best presentation coaches and presenters want you to purchase this book: that's because it will put the former out of business, and make you as good as the latter. Seriously!
Garr Reynolds has done what everyone else (at least among the presentation cognoscente) has been talking about for years. He has created what is truly THE book that is an absolute, positive must-read for everyone who is even thinking about presenting. I coach hundreds of entrepreneurs and CEOs each year for their fundraising road shows, and Garr has written and illustrated with stunning clarity the essence of what I and others have been preaching for years: visual clarity, simplicity, presence, planning and more.
If you are even *thinking* about buying a book on presentation skills, this is it. After you devour it cover to cover, you can then go on to the two other books I recommend: "Presenting to Win" by Jerry Weissman, and "The Articulate Executive" by Granville Toogood (the top presentation coaches on their respective sides of the country.) But start here, heed the lessons in this instant classic, and your audiences will be guaranteed to be putty in your hands.
David S. Rose (Described by BusinessWeek as "The Pitch Coach")
mastery of style and substance January 10, 2008
11 out of 12 found this review helpful
Garr Reynolds new book Presentation Zen is a mastery of style and substance. Reynolds cuts through a lot of the silly noise about PowerPoint and gets right to how it can be used effectively, memorably and beautifully. Plus, Reynolds puts his own ego aside and puts a strong spotlight on other speaking masters like Seth Godin and Guy Kawasaki. If you've been putting off creating your next PowerPoint presentation, then put if off one more day and run to your nearest bookstore and buy Presentation Zen.
A Must Read! January 6, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Presentation Zen is a must read for anyone who has ever seen "death by PowerPoint" or who has ever taken up anybody else's time with PowerPoint. I've watched presentations where I've said "Wow, I wish I could do that." Garr Reynolds gives you the tools to do just that - create great presentations. Ones that don't even look like PowerPoint!
If you wish to create an effective message and influence your audience, you should add Presentation Zen to your library.
Presentation Jedi Master February 3, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I've been following the Presentation Zen website for a while, and it's nice to see the book after so much time incubating.
This is an excellent book for presenters tired of "death by power point." I have checked out lots of other presentation books, and by far, this is the best. The graphics and layout are beautiful, and it has had a profound influence on my presentations. You will need to have a solid grasp of power point and some of its lesser used tools to achieve maximum impact (PP is a hugely powerful program, rarely used to its full potential).
Want to get a feel for the basic theme of this book and what it preaches? See any of Steve Jobs' latest keynotes to get an idea. Clean. Straightforward. Classy. And smooth baby.
Following Garr's advice, my presentations now get mouth-open attention from the audience and kudos from peers. Garr and this book will make you a Presentation Jedi Master.
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