The Non-Obvious Guide to Better Presentations: How to Present Like a Pro

by Jacqueline Farrington, Jacqueline Farrington

“In the undeniably vast crowd of books about public speaking, this one stands out for its intelligent, direct approach … An indispensable manual on all aspects of public speaking and a boon to those who may be anxious about it.” —KIRKUS STARRED REVIEW A timely guide to effectively presenting virtually by Fortune 500 presentation skills coach and former Yale Drama School lecturer Jacqueline Farrington. The ability to shine online has suddenly become one of the most important skills for us personally and professionally. Whether you’re presenting to a team of 7 on Zoom or 7,000 on WebEx, the practical and proven insights in this book will build confidence, skills and positive outcomes. Read this book to learn: This Non-Obvious Guide is to become the most comprehensive, readable and actionable collection of principles for performing at your best online. Written by a globally known presentation skills coach who delivers her results-driven process for shining online (and on stage), this guide also features plenty of humor and fun references to relevant lines from our favorite flicks to keep you engaged—and help you learn more in less time. Read this book to learn how to apply actionable principles from stage and screen to your virtual presentations. The future of presentations, workshops, and meetings is virtual and acting, producing, directing skills are required, no matter who’s in your audience, and no matter what your topic. Based on the science of how our brains encode virtual experiences, this pithy, entertaining guide details how to create your most authentic and strategic presence; make the most of your voice, body language and stories; format options; visual considerations; equipment set up; tapping the backchannel and more.

Genres: Communication, Nonfiction

226 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 14, 2023

Reviews

[Brian Cluster · Rating 4 out of 5]

For those who haven't had the opportunity to present for a while, this is a very accessible and delightful book on building, delivering, and continuously improving public speaking. The author, Jacqueline Farrington, provides a complete handbook in less than 180 pages that covers the basics and much more.

Some of the helpful sections to me were the presence, congruency and when things go wrong. The key messages or statements seem so obvious but they are not really because many people forget.

On confidence: " To build confidence, focus on what you want to create instead of what you don't want to create."

On congruency and perfection. " Rehearsal is about trying techniques to make discoveries about what works"

I also appreciated what she said about preparing for things to go wrong, so you don't have to worry about them in the moment. You prepare a set of if/then situations such as if my sound goes off then....I do xyz.

Recommended book for those who want a refresher on public speaking and making presentations and want to improve.

[Bobbi Galvin · Rating 4 out of 5]

From publisher description: "This quick and precise guide shows how to create your most authentic and strategic presence; make the most of your voice, body language and stories; format options; visual considerations; equipment set up; tapping the backchannel and more."
Great summary notes at the end of each chapter. Great for anyone who is new do doing professional presentations.