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Presenting with Credibility
Credibility is the most important aspect of presenting. If you don't have credibility as a presenter, people will not believe your message and they will not buy your product, support your project or adopt your idea. Whether you are an executive, manager or teacher, this book will give you all the techniques you need to present with credibility. In a concise, easy to follow format, you will learn how to have presence and dynamism as a speaker and how to speak with authenticity. From knowing how to capture an audience in the first 2 minutes of your presentation, to speaking before an audience of senior executives or delivering a keynote, Presenting with Credibility is packed with hundreds of practical tips as well as inspiration.
In today's fast-paced, competitive economy, those who can present an idea with clarity and persuade others, stand out from the crowd. Mastering the wealth of techniques outlined in this book will give you that extra edge.
In today's fast-paced, competitive economy, those who can present an idea with clarity and persuade others, stand out from the crowd. Mastering the wealth of techniques outlined in this book will give you that extra edge.
346 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2012
1 person is currently reading
109 people want to read
About the author
Bruna Martinuzzi
4 books11 followersAuthor, speaker and educator specializing in leadership, emotional intelligence and presentation skills.
Authored two books: Presenting with Credibility: Practical Tools and Techniques for Effective Presentation (2012) and The Leader as a Mensch: Become the Kind of Person Others Want to Follow (2009).
Speaks 6 languages (including French, Italian, Greek, Arabic and German). Graduate of the University of British Columbia (BA 1981 and MA 1986). Izaak Killam Pre-Doctoral Fellowship Award (for 3 years in a row); Canadian Social Sciences and Humanities Research Award; Unusual Innovation in the Workplace Award (1992).
Authored two books: Presenting with Credibility: Practical Tools and Techniques for Effective Presentation (2012) and The Leader as a Mensch: Become the Kind of Person Others Want to Follow (2009).
Speaks 6 languages (including French, Italian, Greek, Arabic and German). Graduate of the University of British Columbia (BA 1981 and MA 1986). Izaak Killam Pre-Doctoral Fellowship Award (for 3 years in a row); Canadian Social Sciences and Humanities Research Award; Unusual Innovation in the Workplace Award (1992).
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
November 7, 2012
Presenting with Credibility
or
Mind Control
Summary Review
This book is an excellent resource if you have a big presentation or public speaking session coming up, containing lots of practical advice on presenting in general and in specific situations. It would also serve well anyone wishing to improve their presenting style, whether you be a seasoned orator or a nervous newbie.
How I would use this book
- Read it once all the way through. It is well written, not overly long, and never struck me as pedantic or condescending.
- Re-read and absorb any passages that struck me as especially germane, for instance advice in Chapter 22 on what to do when your mind goes blank in a presentation. (This happened to me once long ago and I wish it to never never happen again.)
- Keep it on the shelf.
- When my next presentation rolls around, review especially the chapters on how to start and end the presentation before beginning to write the presentation.
- When my next high-profile presentation crops up, review the chapter on editing and the section on Dynamism while writing to really help craft the presentation into a something I am proud of.
- If ever I have a presentation to executives, a keynote, a workshop, or a webinar coming up, then I would review the relevant chapter (7-9 and 11) for ideas and tips to get me started.
Chapter-by-chapter reviews
Section 1: Expertise and Competence
All about the content of your presentation: how you should prepare it, what to include and what to leave out. Some good general guidance as well as advice focused on specific situations.
Chapter 1
This chapter struck me in its insistence that anecdotal evidence is more powerful than factual evidence. The point I took away is that you should know your audience and how to appeal to them. For scientists and engineers, facts and statistics can be very powerful, especially when reinforced with a personal experience. For all other audiences, keep the boring numbers to a minimum and just make your points with confidence and with emotional appeal.
Chapter 2: Make it well organized.
Good advice.
Chapter 3: Starting.
Very practical, lots of ideas here for what to say at the beginning of a presentation. Highly recommend this chapter as a standalone even.
Chapter 4: Ending. Practical but short chapter
Chapter 5: Editing. Some good but abstract tips.
Chapter 6: Handling questions. Very practical advice.
Chapter 7: Presenting to execs. Very practical
Chapter 8: Giving a keynote. Very practical advice I would definitely review if I were preparing a keynote address or maybe any talk I considered important for my career.
Chapter 9: Teaching a workshop. Good advice, mostly more abstract than practical.
Chapter 10: Using Powerpoint for good. Short chapter. Some practical advice, none very novel. Main ideas were: one idea per slide, minimize text per slide, and don't don't don't read your slides aloud. Also liked the assertion/evidence technique if appropriate for the presentation.
Chapter 11: Conducting a Webinar. Practical advice to hold in mind when preparing for one.
Section 2: Authenticity
A short section that is an overall reminder not to be fake or a jerk when presenting; people can tell and they will respond negatively.
Chapter 12. "Presenting becomes, subtly, a thespian activity where the presenter is almost portraying a person giving a speech rather than being a person giving a speech." This is the opposite of authenticity. This chapter introduces authenticity and gives some general advice about getting there, short and practical.
Chapter 13: Trustworthiness. Kind of fluffy but overall message is to be true to yourself.
Section 3: Personal Presence
Advice and techniques for for preparing yourself for your presentation, ranging from your outward appearance and what you bring with you to how to practice your presentation.
Chapter 14: Physical attributes of your personal presence. Good all purpose reminders for any presentation situation.
Chapter 15: Adaptability. I didn't personally find much practical advice in this chapter.
Chapter 16: Stage Fright. Lots of practical tools and techniques to help you manage fear and anxiety.
Chapter 17: Be prepared. If a presentation is really important, good advice for covering all your bases of worst-case scenarios.
Chapter 18: Difficult audiences. Another chapter covering how to be prepared for bad scenarios, specifically audiences that are small, preoccupied, or combative. Practical preparation advice.
Section 4: Dynamism
How to craft your material and your public speaking style to be polished and excellent.
Chapter 19: Dynamism. Good things to practice when you want to take your presenting skills up a notch.
Chapter 20: Using metaphors and analogies. Interesting and good to keep in mind.
Chapter 21: Using stories. Good tips with a great example story.
or
Mind Control
Summary Review
This book is an excellent resource if you have a big presentation or public speaking session coming up, containing lots of practical advice on presenting in general and in specific situations. It would also serve well anyone wishing to improve their presenting style, whether you be a seasoned orator or a nervous newbie.
How I would use this book
- Read it once all the way through. It is well written, not overly long, and never struck me as pedantic or condescending.
- Re-read and absorb any passages that struck me as especially germane, for instance advice in Chapter 22 on what to do when your mind goes blank in a presentation. (This happened to me once long ago and I wish it to never never happen again.)
- Keep it on the shelf.
- When my next presentation rolls around, review especially the chapters on how to start and end the presentation before beginning to write the presentation.
- When my next high-profile presentation crops up, review the chapter on editing and the section on Dynamism while writing to really help craft the presentation into a something I am proud of.
- If ever I have a presentation to executives, a keynote, a workshop, or a webinar coming up, then I would review the relevant chapter (7-9 and 11) for ideas and tips to get me started.
Chapter-by-chapter reviews
Section 1: Expertise and Competence
All about the content of your presentation: how you should prepare it, what to include and what to leave out. Some good general guidance as well as advice focused on specific situations.
Chapter 1
This chapter struck me in its insistence that anecdotal evidence is more powerful than factual evidence. The point I took away is that you should know your audience and how to appeal to them. For scientists and engineers, facts and statistics can be very powerful, especially when reinforced with a personal experience. For all other audiences, keep the boring numbers to a minimum and just make your points with confidence and with emotional appeal.
Chapter 2: Make it well organized.
Good advice.
Chapter 3: Starting.
Very practical, lots of ideas here for what to say at the beginning of a presentation. Highly recommend this chapter as a standalone even.
Chapter 4: Ending. Practical but short chapter
Chapter 5: Editing. Some good but abstract tips.
Chapter 6: Handling questions. Very practical advice.
Chapter 7: Presenting to execs. Very practical
Chapter 8: Giving a keynote. Very practical advice I would definitely review if I were preparing a keynote address or maybe any talk I considered important for my career.
Chapter 9: Teaching a workshop. Good advice, mostly more abstract than practical.
Chapter 10: Using Powerpoint for good. Short chapter. Some practical advice, none very novel. Main ideas were: one idea per slide, minimize text per slide, and don't don't don't read your slides aloud. Also liked the assertion/evidence technique if appropriate for the presentation.
Chapter 11: Conducting a Webinar. Practical advice to hold in mind when preparing for one.
Section 2: Authenticity
A short section that is an overall reminder not to be fake or a jerk when presenting; people can tell and they will respond negatively.
Chapter 12. "Presenting becomes, subtly, a thespian activity where the presenter is almost portraying a person giving a speech rather than being a person giving a speech." This is the opposite of authenticity. This chapter introduces authenticity and gives some general advice about getting there, short and practical.
Chapter 13: Trustworthiness. Kind of fluffy but overall message is to be true to yourself.
Section 3: Personal Presence
Advice and techniques for for preparing yourself for your presentation, ranging from your outward appearance and what you bring with you to how to practice your presentation.
Chapter 14: Physical attributes of your personal presence. Good all purpose reminders for any presentation situation.
Chapter 15: Adaptability. I didn't personally find much practical advice in this chapter.
Chapter 16: Stage Fright. Lots of practical tools and techniques to help you manage fear and anxiety.
Chapter 17: Be prepared. If a presentation is really important, good advice for covering all your bases of worst-case scenarios.
Chapter 18: Difficult audiences. Another chapter covering how to be prepared for bad scenarios, specifically audiences that are small, preoccupied, or combative. Practical preparation advice.
Section 4: Dynamism
How to craft your material and your public speaking style to be polished and excellent.
Chapter 19: Dynamism. Good things to practice when you want to take your presenting skills up a notch.
Chapter 20: Using metaphors and analogies. Interesting and good to keep in mind.
Chapter 21: Using stories. Good tips with a great example story.
February 24, 2013
Excellently written, easy to follow, and great examples that will help anyone from a novice to an expert improve their presenting skills.
I enjoyed the easy to follow examples. The quotes at the start of each new section are clever and motivational. I've read a few presenting books over the years and many are full of fluff and self anecdotes, but this book stands above the rest with it's easy to follow pointers for leading presentations which will engage the audience and get the point across.
This book can be read cover to cover, or in sections based on where the readers strengths and challenges are. As a management professional who speaks at several national conferences a year, I found the information applicable and on target for presenting. I highly recommend this book.
Disclosure: I received this book from goodreads, but the opinion presented is my own honest opinion of the book.
I enjoyed the easy to follow examples. The quotes at the start of each new section are clever and motivational. I've read a few presenting books over the years and many are full of fluff and self anecdotes, but this book stands above the rest with it's easy to follow pointers for leading presentations which will engage the audience and get the point across.
This book can be read cover to cover, or in sections based on where the readers strengths and challenges are. As a management professional who speaks at several national conferences a year, I found the information applicable and on target for presenting. I highly recommend this book.
Disclosure: I received this book from goodreads, but the opinion presented is my own honest opinion of the book.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews