Presentation Advisors Blog

Book Review & Giveaway: UnMarketing by Scott Stratten

Rarely do I read a book and highlight the footnotes. Yes, UnMarketing was that good.

Scott Stratten, better known as @UnMarketing on Twitter, has written a book about Marketing that didn't seem like it was about Marketing at all. I read it. I loved it. You will too.

You see, this isn't a book about Marketing in the traditional sense, where you're given all the tricks you need to boost sales, lower customer churn, drive website traffic, and automate half your marketing tasks, all in only four hours a week. On the contrary, Scott vehemently argues against all things automated and describes how his "overnight success" actually took him years of building strong relationships based on trust.  Success in business isn't for the weary, folks.

Book Review and Giveaway: Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh

When a business becomes so successful that there is an article-a-day written about them, it's only a matter of time before the CEO writes a book about how he/she achieved such a feat.  What you expect is 200 or so pages of business processes and advice.  That's absolutely NOT what this book delivers.

Instead, Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose offers a first-hand account by Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh of what shaped him as a person which would eventually lead him to creating an online company whose values were developed from the inside out.  Zappos invested their time, money, and resources into customer service, culture, and employee training.  Three areas often pushed aside by companies whose only goals are dollar signs.

I had expectations for this book and it completely missed the mark - in a good way.  This isn't a business book (or a customer service book), per say.  It will DEFINITELY help you look at business differently, from Tony's perspective as a CEO unlike any other.  This book provides Tony's account of his journey, from grade school to Amazon.  I am familiar with Zappos but was unfamiliar with their history, from an idea on a napkin to a 1 billion dollar business.  Let's just say it wasn't all rose petals and double martinis.  It's not a complete history of Zappos, nor Tony's autobiography, although it includes many elements from both.  It is simply Tony trying to tell the story of his journey while also offering insight into the science of happiness, complete with graphics and resources. 

While I'm a fan of all things related to business, there was actually a specific section in Delivering Happiness dedicated to Tony's experiences with public speaking which I featured in my post Presenting Happiness: Tony Hsieh's Rules for Public Speaking. 

This book will teach you what passion can accomplish, and how sometimes all you can do is have faith.  In the end, this book will do nothing less than inspire you to deliver happiness in your own way, whether it be to your culture, your customers, or yourself (or all three).  I highly recommend it. 

Want to win a FREE copy of Tony's Book?

The folks at Delivering Happiness not only provided me with an advanced copy to honestly review, but a second copy (paperback, which I think is more convenient) to give away to one of my readers!  Very cool of them.

If you would like to receive Delivering Happiness free to your doorstep, there are two ways:

1. Simply ReTweet this post with the hashtag #FreeDHBook (that's VERY important!) and/or
2. Leave a comment below with the title/author of a book that has changed your life personally, professionally, or both

If you do both #1 and #2, you will be given two entries, although retweeting multiple times (while appreciated) will not improve your chances of winning.

Good luck, and thanks so much for reading!

Book Review: The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs by Carmine Gallo

“How to be insanely great in front of any audience”

That’s pretty much what Steve Jobs is, right? Insanely great. It even sounds like a phrase Steve would use to describe the products he’s so passionate about.

It’s not to anyone’s surprise that Carmine Gallo’s book, The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs: How to Be Insanely Great in Front of Any Audience is a great resource for anyone interested in not only presenting, but also communicating. Steve Jobs is widely recognized as one of the world’s best presenters – turning his Keynote talks into entertainment experiences more similar to the opening of a blockbuster movie than to a CEO talking about his new products. “Some people go to great lengths to…[watch Steve Jobs present], even spending the night in freezing temperatures to ensure the best seat at one of his speeches” writes Gallo. But I’m figuring if you read this blog, I don’t have to explain to you who Steve Jobs is.

Gallo takes a fantastic approach to this book, not just examining and explaining Jobs’ presentation style, but quoting educational psychologists like Dr. Richard Mayer and award winning presentation designers like Nancy Duarte to prove exactly why Jobs’ presentation style is so effective. Along the lines of Jobs’ presentation style, Gallo separates the sections of the book not in chapters, but in Acts with multiple scenes and even intermissions to offer extra presentation tips. Gallo even wraps up each scene with “Directors Notes”, encapsulating the major takeaways from that particular scene.

Much of the information offered in this book can be had if you read Garr Reynolds’ Presentation Zen and Nancy Duarte’s slide:ology, but this is the only book that connects the presentation tips to Jobs’ execution, giving readers the confidence to implement this type of presentation style.

Connecting Job’s presentation style to the methodology based on simplicity and storytelling that Reynolds, Duarte, and many others teach is quite important. As a presentation designer and consultant, I often run into opposition when explaining why the text heavy, bullet-point ridden slide presentations we often see are not only bad but counterproductive. It’s hard for anyone to accept this “radical” way of presenting because it’s utilized correctly by so few (relatively speaking). Lucky for us, Steve Jobs is one of those few, and Apple’s success is proof enough. That’s exactly where this book comes in handy – to connect those dots.

This book is an obvious must-have for presentation designers, but I think it can be a handy tool for anyone in sales and marketing, or basically anyone who has an idea to share. It goes beyond just the visual design of Jobs’ presentation and highlights how he conveys his passion and ideas so well. It outlines audience needs, offers a framework for the Ultimate Elevator Pitch, and even talks about leadership.

I highly recommend it, and you can purchase it here:

Full Disclosure: All links to the book are referral links, but all opinions on this book are 100% honest.  I purchased the book on my own and was not asked to review it.  I only recommend books I've read and believe my readers will find value in.

Presenting Happiness: Tony Hsieh's Rules for Public Speaking

I just finished reading Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh's new book entitled "Delivering Happiness: A path to profits, passion, and purpose."  Look for my review of "Delivering Happiness" on June 7th (official launch day).

However, I came across a few pages of his book that I simply couldn't wait to share with my readers. 

Because of Tony and Zappos' success, Tony is often asked to speak at major events and conferences.  I was happy to see that Tony dedicated a short section to his experiences as a presenter and public speaker - right up my alley!

Like many people, Tony had no formal presentation training and the month leading up to his first presentation Tony spent many days and nights memorizing his speech (not the best way to prepare).  As more speaking requests came in, Tony accepted most and dreaded them all.  Memorizing his speeches was such an arduous task that it made speaking no fun.  Not only that, the execution was very difficult because one mess up and his presentation would come to a screeching halt.

I often write about the importance of preparation to ensure you execute properly during your presentation, but memorizing and preparing are not synonymous.  Memorizing is not scalable - meaning that even if you succeed, you can't do it for every presentation.  Not only that but the result is a rigid, robotic delivery with no room for error.

Being the bright guy that he is, Tony realized this and changed course.

I decided not to memorize or reharse anything.  I would just wing it and see what happened.  I knew I had a lot of stories I could choose from on the fly to tell, and I knew that as long as I stuck to topics I was passionate and knowledgable about - customer service and company culture - that I would have plenty of material to draw from to fill the time.

I thought this was a wonderful quote, but you have to understand the context because "winging it" is never a suggested practice - at least not from me.  The difference was that Tony only took speaking engagements where he could speak about a topic that he knew inside and out - the Zappos culture.  Not only was he knowledgeable, but incredibly passionate.  We don't all have the luxury of presenting on topics we're passionate and completely knowledgeable about, but the storytelling aspect of presenting allows you to relate your topic to something you are passionate about.

Ultimately Tony has three rules for his presentations:

1. Be passionate
2. Be real
3. Tell personal stories

When you break presenting down into its simplest form, I think these three rules are definitely pillars of effective presenting.  If you aren't passionate or real, the audience will see right through you.  You may be able to succeed without telling personal stories in your presentation, but you're missing a huge opportunity to engage the audience.

If you'd like to get an advance copy of Tony's book, visit the Delivering Happiness site.

Image (CC) Brian Solis. www.briansolis.com.

No Presenter is Perfect, Not Even Steve Jobs

I've written a post about being the perfect presenter before, but while reading "The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs" by Carmine Gallo, I read a great excerpt about Steve's perfection, or rather lack thereof, that I wanted to share with you.  I edited some of it for brevity's sake.

"No matter how much you prepare, something might, and probably will, go differently from how you had planned.  Notice that I didn't say something will go 'wrong.'  It goes wrong only when you call attention to the issue or you let it ruin the rest of your presentation. The difference between mediocre presenters and a true master such as Jobs is that when demonstrations do not turn out as planned, Jobs reacts with a cool confidence."

Steve Jobs is widely considered to be one of, if not the, best presenters alive today.  Steve Jobs makes mistakes too.  Take a look:

Nobody prepares like Steve Jobs.  He practices for hours and hours and hours to make sure his presentations are perfect.  He'll go through multiple full dress rehearsals of his Keynotes.  The key difference, aside from the fact that he prepares more than anyone out there, is that while Steve Jobs strives for perfection, he doesn't expect it.  Don't get me wrong - I'm sure he's frustrated when something doesn't go as planned.  But as Carmine said, Jobs doesn't lose his cool nor does he draw any undue attention to the hiccup.  He just moves on.  That's all you can do. 

I said it before and I'll say it again - Nobody is perfect.  Not you, not me.  Not Steve Jobs either.  So when your presentation doesn't go as planned, just try to continue having fun and move on.

Free Tickets to Seth Godin's NYC Linchpin Session

On Friday, January 15th at 9:30, Seth Godin will be doing a 2-hour live talk and book signing for his new book entitled, "Linchpin: Are You Indespensable?"  I purchased a group set of tickets, which includes 5 tickets.  Myself and my wife (Weddingistas.com) will be going, and I wanted to give away three tickets to my readers.  The details about his talk can be found on Seth's Squidoo page here.  The details about the free tickets are at the bottom. 

The winners have been chosen and notified.  Thanks to everyone who participated and all those who helped spread the word!

I love Seth from two standpoints.  First, and most dearest to my heart, he's an incredible presenter.  He's engaging, interesting, and most of all, knows how to design an effective presentation.  He's actually a champion against really bad PowerPoint.  He wrote an eBook about really bad PowerPoint (that you REALLY need to download) and he comes up twice on the first page of Google when you search "bad powerpoint."  You can see his incredible T.E.D. presentation about standing out below.

Secondly, he's aptly referred to as a "Marketing Guru", and I'm a marketer at heart.  He truly get's what marketing is all about.  His blog is one of the most popular marketing blogs in the world, and his insights are nothing short of profound.

His talks are usually pretty pricey, running in the hundreds of dollars per ticket.  They're also rare.  When I heard he was speaking in NYC and for a very reasonable price, I jumped on the chance.

So I've got three tickets I'd like to give away.  All you have to do is comment on this post and let me know that you're interested.  I'll pick three at random.  You'll have to make sure you're on time and meet me prior to the start of the talk (no later than 9:15am).  Oh, and you have to be nice...and tell my wife she looks pretty.  Thanks, and I look forward to seeing you there!

Oh, and please ReTweet this if you can.  Thanks!

DETAILS:
Start time: Friday January 15, 2010 doors open at 9:30 AM - Eastern Time
End time: 11:45 AM
Where: Haft Auditorium, 227 West 27th Street , New York, NY 10011

Book Review - Brain Rules by Dr. John Medina

I recently finished reading "Brain Rules" by Dr. John Medina.  It was a fantastic read and many of the rules were directly applicable to presenting and presentation design.  Regardless of your occupation, I think every reader will take a lot of important information that can help them in their careers.  It is written in a way that keeps your brain engaged, combining technical information with funny anecdotes and real world examples.  If nothing else, it will certainly change the way you look at cubicles, classrooms, and the way we all learn.  I highly recommend it.

Of the 12 Brain Rules Dr. Medina outlined, three rules struck at the core of presenting.  I couldn't stop highlighting and earmarking pages in these chapters.  These rules are rules #4, #9 and #10.  I'll break each one of them down a little further.

If you want your audience to learn something new, you have to keep them engaged.  The more attention the brain gives to a given stimulus, like your presentation, the more likely they are to retain the given information.  If you can hit some sort of emotional nerve, even better.  "Emotionally arousing events tend to be better remembered than neutral events" says Dr. Medina.  Unfortunately, science tells us that after about ten minutes our brains will "check-out" and start thinking about something else unless you can regain our attention.  This means that the given stimulus must change after about 10 minutes.  How can you do that?   There are plenty of ways.  Tell a personal story.  Show a video.  Engaged your audience in conversation.  Ask a question.  Start a group activity.  This constant change in stimulus will reengage your audience and keep them from "checking out." 

The most efficient way to ensure that your audience retains information, whether your teaching Chemistry or selling steak knives, is to present in a way that stimulates multiple senses.  According to Dr. Medina, "Extra information given at the moment of learning makes learning better."  This is where visuals can be so effective when used properly.  Instead of just repeating your words on the screen in the form of bullet points, stimulate another one of their senses.  Let them hear the information and support it by seeing a vibrant image. Combining two senses vs. just one will increase recall by more than 75%.  (Please note, a slide full of bullet points is NOT a visual stimulus.  Seeing the word "despair" and seeing an image of a starving child are two different things.)  Inherently, PowerPoint doesn't cater to smell or touch.  But by all means, if you can incorporate these things into your presentation, do it.  The more senses you can stimulate, the better.

 
Want to improve the ability of your audience to recall a message by 55%?  Add an image.  According to Dr. Medina, vision is by FAR our most dominant sense, taking up half of our brain’s resources.  The dominance of images has been called the Pictoral Superiority Effect, where the more visual the input becomes, the more likely it is to be recognized and recalled.  If you want someone to remember your idea, your product, your value proposition, support it with imagery.

The problem with PowerPoint is that the templates all contain places for bullet and sub-bullet points.  In my perfect world, the default template would be a white slide with one big box entitled "IMAGE."  If you insist on putting bullet points, you'll have to go through a few clicks to get there.  Maybe I'd even password protect it somehow!

Those are just three of the twelve Brain Rules, all of which are extremely interesting to learn about.  Go out and pick up Brain Rules and I know you won't be disappointed.  Check out some of Dr. Medina's videos on YouTube as well.  Some were made specifically for the book, and others are clips of his own live presentations.  If nothing else, read this book to find out why you should NEVER drive while talking on the cell phone!

Additional Information:

Brain Rules Website
Brain Rules YouTube Page
Garr Reynolds' take on Brain Rules, including a 131 slide presentation

Book Review - The Exceptional Presenter by Tim Koegel

This past weekend I took a trip out to beautiful San Diego to see one of my favorite clients – the boys at StayClassy.org.  They’re an amazing group of guys who founded a non-profit organization that gets the twenty-something population of San Diego involved in philanthropic endeavors.  They have unheralded passion for their work, many of them leaving lucrative jobs to pursue this cause.  Passion is crucial when you’re trying to get others to believe in you and your story/cause/business.  Check them out.

The Exceptional Presenter

Prior to the trip I picked up “The Exceptional Presenter” by Timothy Koegel, a presentation consultant based out of D.C.  The tagline was “A Proven Formula to OPEN UP and Own the Room.”  I figured it was right up my alley.

Review

In short, I really liked the book.  It was an easy read (nearly finished it on the flight from NYC to SD).  Timothy does a great job understanding that his audience is mostly made up of people who feel they aren’t skilled presenters, thus it takes a simple approach at improving presentation skills.  He mixes the recipe well, adding in case studies, exercises, performance tracking, and note pages.  He has certainly crafted a book that isn’t read just once – the reader will continually reference it again and again for quick tips and to track their own progression as a presenter.

The book, as it states, focuses mostly on how you can become not just a good presenter, but an exceptional presenter.  He does mention the use of visuals to compliment your presentation instead of being the presentation.  This is one of my commandments in presentation design and I was happy to see him mention it.  

I definitely recommend you read this book, and you can buy it from Amazon by clicking on the picture of it on the right side of this blog. 

Important Takeaways

The entire book contained important points to takeaway, but I wanted to share some I found extremely pertinent to presentation design. 

1. Perfection is Impossible – Tim immediately sets the tone of the book by explaining that nobody is a perfect presenter.  Exceptional and Perfect are not synonymous.  Also, presenters like Steve Jobs who are arguably the best presenters out there seem to speak so naturally in a conversational tone, thus, they must be natural presenters.  On the contrary, becoming as “near perfect” as these presenters takes a commitment to preparation and practice.  It’s difficult, but not unattainable.  You simply have to commit to become better.  Becoming an exceptional presenter is a journey, not a task.


2. OPEN UP and Own the Room
   • Organized – Be organized and you’ll appear organized.  Show up at least 60 minutes early (60/20 rule).  Spend 40 minutes organizing and getting ready; spend 20 minutes mingling, introducing yourself, maybe even find some allies in the audience
   • Passionate – Tim says, “Exceptional presenters radiate passion, conviction, and enthusiasm.”  If you don’t care about your story, why should anyone else?
   • Engaging – You must engage and connect with the audience.  Build rapport by involving them in the presentation.  Remember, you’re talking with them, not at them.  
   • Natural – A conversational tone will put the audience at ease and make everything seem more familiar.  Attaining this conversational tone is very difficult and takes a great deal of practice.
3. Don’t try to tell them everything you know.  Trust me, they don’t want to know everything you know.  “No one will complain if you finish two minutes early” Tim says.


4. Finally, my favorite quote, “Present to win, or prepare to lose.”  Presenting takes a lot of practice, and nobody was born a great presenter.  If you take the time to practice and prepare, then your presentation skills will help you win in many different facets of life. 

I know I’ve told you a lot, but there’s a lot I didn’t tell you.  It read more like a textbook, where I felt like I learned something on every page.  I highly recommend.