The secret of successful presentations

by Paul du Toit

Hi everyone,

The book i am going to recommend you today is called: The secret of successful presentations.

I bought this book at the recommendation of a lady who happened to be a trainer. She told me that this book contained all the tricks i needed to know and that it has information which is not available elsewhere.

So, after reading it, or should i say devouring it in one day, I can say with my hand on my heart that it is a must buy because it contains all the tips and tricks you need to know if you are preparing for a presentation or if you want to become a successful trainer.

The book contains various secrets of the field, from how to dress, to how to prepare the logistics and keep your focus if unexpected things occur.

At the begging of the book, the author recommends to grab a pen and highlight all the things you need to focus on. I didn't do that, but i made marks to all the pages i found interesting. As you can see below, they are not few...

At each chapter ending, you can find the main ideas structured in maximum one page.

I find this useful not only for people that are preparing to become trainers but also for the ones that hold top management and sales positions.

Even if we remove the presentation parts, i would still consider this book awesome, because using the information given, you can train yourself to talk better, act better and look more professional and reliable in the eyes of your coworkers, partners, boss and so on..

You can see the structure of the book below:

Chapter 1: Trust that you can do it

Chapter 2: Getting over your five biggest fears

Chapter 3: Setting a clear purpose

Chapter 4: Preparing and structuring the content

Chapter 5:Repeating, the missing ingredient

Chapter 6: Visual impact: YOU!

Chapter 7: Visual impact: Data design

Chapter 8: The power of the voice

Chapter 9: Setting the connection with the audience

Chapter 10: How to use the questioning session in your advantage

Chapter 11: Logistic issues

Chapter 12: Final adjustments

So, as you can see, the author analyses each and every step of the presentation.

I will leave you with three paragraphs from the book, as i always do:

" One of the best methods to prove that you can talk to a large audience without getting nervous is to prepare a short speech about your favorite hobby. You see, when given the opportunity to talk about our passions, we do it with enthusiasm and our real abilities become obvious. The final result is authenticity.

If you can have a credible speech when you are spirited by your passion for your favorite subject, it means that you have the potential to transfer this authenticity in any speech or presentation. "

" I was once present when a life insurance sales agent was given an award as " man of the year" out of 900 candidates.

He went up the stage at the company's yearly convention to receive his award. Holding the trophy in his hand, he amazed the audience announcing that in reality, he felt that he failed. ' In reality, he continued, i am the failure of the evening. You see, this year, i have knocked to many more doors that each and every one of you did. And i do not think that you had more doors slammed in your face, more than i did or that you were refused as much as i was. But, this is the reason of my success, me holding this trophy and not you. Because i was ready to face rejection. A long time ago, i learned that, every no, takes me closer to the next yes."

" You have around seven seconds to make a first impression. If they are actually five or thirteen seconds, it doesn't make any difference. The idea is that anyone can hold his/her breath during this very short time.

It is very possible that the first impression will have, in the minds of others, a higher impact that anything you will do later. It will attract the audience on your side and this way, it will be easier for you to maintain their attention during the presentation.

This has nothing to do with what you are saying. Even if the first words you say have a very important role in the presentation opening, the audience will first see you and only after that, hear you. Your visual appearance creates expectations from the audience and has the purpose to support the message you are giving."

I really hope you will use this book and try on the many exercises that are given.

Have a lovely weekend!

Cris