Presentation S.O.S.

From Perspiration to Persuasion in 9 Easy Steps

by Mark Wiskup

Number of pages: 192

Publisher: Business Plus

BBB Library: Communication, Personal Success

ISBN: 9780446695541



About the Author

Mark Wiskup is a renowned communications expert. He is the president of Wiskup Communications.

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Editorial Review

Every profession has its own dreaded moments. In the world of business, dreaded moments arise when it is presentation time. Giving a presentation can turn even the calmest and surest of people, into a sweaty bundle of nerves. Public speaking is indeed a well-founded, fearful event and we have every right to fear those moments, to fear the reaction of those giving up their valuable time to listen to us. The good news is that we can take the fear and anguish, and work them for us instead of against us, coming up with a presentation that will leave your audience wanting more.

Book Reviews

"Fear of speaking in front of a group is the third greatest fear of Americans, according to the book of lists -- preceded only by death by fire and death by drowning! Yet in business we are often judged, albeit unfairly, by our ability to present. Wiskup knows this and does a fine job of helping the reader understand where this fear originates. By understanding the particular hot button that causes your fear to rise up within you and choke your ability to present in a powerful and persuasive way, you begin to understand how to eliminate that fear." ArmChairInterviews

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Wisdom to Share

Today’s people are overwhelmed by digital media and that has become our excuse for believing that people now have short attention spans. Make it impossible for people to tune out by giving them something worth listening to.

Perfection should not be your main goal in presentations. Even if the audience is expecting greatness, they are conditioned for mediocrity. It is alright to make mistakes but just don’t dwell on them because honest mistakes will not be held against you.

During a presentation, you can never be sure when the audience is drifting away, so keep them coming back with a repetition of the PSB.

Story telling is the means that will take your presentation from good to great.

Audiences want to follow and learn from speakers who are inspiring and who make critical messages come alive with stories and word-pictures. Leave out the famous quotes; people want to hear descriptive stories that they can’t get elsewhere except from the person they are listening to.

For your presentation, Power Point is the tool that is meant to be usednot abused.

No member of the audience is going to be thrilled with your Power Point skills, so the simpler you make your charts, the better.

Connecting with an audience is a two-step process. You’ve got to say things that connect, or bring the audience closer to you; then you must dump the seemingly harmless and overused expressions that disconnect or push the audience away.

Some other words that should be taken out of your dictionary—at least during your presentation—are: basically, honestly and frankly.

The Q&A is not only the time for you to provide more facts, it is the time for you to maintain and perhaps increase your connection with the audience.

Remember that even though the title is but a brief reference, it is the first thing the audience will see, so get the right start with a strong title and insightful text.