Show and Tell: How Everybody Can Make Remarkable Presentations

by Dan Roam

“If I tell you the truth, if I tell it with a story, and if I tell that story with pictures, I can keep you glued to your seat. Let me show you how.”

For the vast majority of us, giving a presentation is an extremely difficult and nerve-wracking process, whether we’re in a one-on-one meeting, a conference room with a dozen strangers, or a lecture hall in front of thousands.
But according to Dan Roam, the visual communications expert and acclaimed author of The Back of the Napkin, it doesn’t have to be so hard. We struggle when we forget the basic steps we learned in kindergarten: show and tell.

In this short but powerful book, Roam introduces a new set of tools for making extraordinary presentations in any setting. He also draws on ideas he’s been honing for more than two decades, as an award-winning presenter who has brought his whiteboard everywhere from Fortune 500 companies to tiny startups to the White House.
Even if you’re already a good speaker, you’ll learn more about understanding your audience, organizing your content, building a clear storyline, creating effective visuals, and channeling your fear into fun. And you’ll master three fundamental rules:
• When we tell the truth, we connect with our audience, we become passionate, and we find self-confidence. • When we tell a story, we make complex concepts clear, we make ideas unforgettable, and we include everyone. • When we use pictures, people see exactly what we mean, we captivate our audience’s mind, and we banish boredom.
From nailing the opening to leaving a lasting impression, you’ll soon be able to give the performance of a lifetime . . . time after time.

Genres: Business, Nonfiction, Communication, Design, Management, Professional Development, Leadership

272 pages, Hardcover

First published April 10, 2014

About the author

http://www.danroam.com

Reviews

[Nero · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely a must-read if one is looking to improve on their presentations. Stories captivate the audience and the author gave a structure on how to perfect story-telling - applying the 6-Mode Thinking to the 4 Storylines. I also learned that whenever I'm planning for a presentation, I will start asking myself: How do I want my audience to be different after my presentation?

[Oleksandr Golovatyi · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the shortest books I have ever seen about creating presentations. It's just that interesting. Very interesting story about "cheetah" :)
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Одна з найкрщих книг, що мені зустрічались про створення презентацій. Просто та цікаво. Дуже цікава історія про "гепарда" :)

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book covers all the basics of giving presentations -- creating a 'story' to communicate your ideas, effective use of Av (the focus is on Powerpoint type slidesows) and general tips on combating nerves and preparing for public speaking.

I am a curmudgeon about PowerPoint presentations -- I've seen (and given) enough bad presentations and lectures to know that the Powerpoints can be a distraction to the audience and a crutch for the speaker. However Roam gives a lot of really good advice about how to use -- and not to use -- them effectively. His remarks about using photos (don't, if you can avoid it), graphics (better), and drawings (best -- but beware getting to cute with them) are insightful, and he gives a lot of examples to clarify his advice. In fact the book itself strongly resembles a powerpoint slideshow with the notes and narration exposed. This made it a very quick read, but a good one to refer back to for reference.

*Full disclosure: I got a free copy of this book in exchange for reading and reading reviewing it through the Goodreads "first-reads" program.*

[Jay French · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you've read Roam's early books on presentation drawing skills, you'll see in this one that he is becoming less strict in his advice on only using drawings. He repeats a lot of the earlier work here, although in a greatly shortened format - everything on drawing is covered on a few pages. And he also is becoming more open to using words and numbers, and even mentions using photos in presentations here, saying photos are worse than graphics or drawings, but they do have a place. He even provides some basic rules in using all these graphical presentation types. I really didn't learn anything major new here, although I have read Roam's earlier books so I know what he's offering. There were a few suggestions that I liked that I hadn't noticed him mentioning before. One involves drawing illustrations for your presentation and taking pictures to use in your software. Another is to use hand drawings that are around 75% completed and finishing them live during your presentation. He notes that the audience usually remembers that you've done the whole drawing live. Overall, a very simple book on the basics of presentation tied to presentation software and/or flip charts, specifically focused on the types of stories all presentations follow and how to construct these stories.

[Terri Lynn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Imagine a book without much text that is like a 260 page PowerPoint presentation and you'll instantly understand what I am talking about here. Yes, it is good to reach your audience with stories/anecdotes and with visuals when doing a presentation and having a PowerPoint visual available as you speak to your audience can be helpful but frankly, having a book that is nothing but a 260-page PowerPoint is more annoying than anything. It is like trying to communicate with a non-verbal child who can only reach out to you through childish stick figures. There were some downright bizarre "PowerPoint slides" here too. The book is almost insulting in the sense that it presumes the audience is too stupid to read and comprehend and thus speaks to us in sign language all the way through. He includes lessons in how to draw blob figures/stick figures (no, I am not kidding ) and some "signs" he thinks you need to use in your presentations. He is communicating with readers as if we are rather stupid slow-witted kids and there is nothing here that you don't already know. It is lightweight on information. This all might be fun if you are 5 but if you can read, be aware this is not for literate people but just those who like to pretend to do sign language. He talks about bringing back elementary school show and tell but I didn't think he meant for adults making adult presentations to pretend they are in kindergarten and show childish presentations. Not advisable.

I received this recently in a Goodreads giveaway and had higher expectations.

[James · Rating 2 out of 5]

I bought this book because I teach presentation skills professionally, and I thought I could find some useful tips that I might not be aware of yet. Dan Roam has written a book that is a lot like a presentation. Each page looks like a slide, and I suspect much of it has been part of his own presentation skills training. It is clear, easy to read, and uses a little humour. He has his own way to express some of the ideas that go together to make up a presentation, and what he says about structure and slides comes across effectively. That's a good start, but presentations are much more than that. He says nothing about key concepts like body language, how to use your voice, how to deal with difficult situations, and how to adjust your presentation for different cultures. He addresses the issue of performance anxiety (stage fright), but his comments are rather glib, and don't really explain how to manage the visceral fear that takes hold of somebody who really is scared of presenting. This book might be a good support for novices, but it's missing a lot of important details. I didn't really get anything useful out of it.

[CT Lin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Turns out there are several types of stories to tell in presentations. Dan speaks to the idea of understanding your audience, understanding your purpose for a presentation, understanding what goal you wish to achieve: informative report, imparting a skill, overcoming an obstacle, etc.

Dan writes (and I love this):
"*When we tell the truth, we connect with our audience, we become passionate, and we find self-confidence. When we tell a story, we make complex concepts clear, we make ideas unforgettable, and we include everyone. When we use pictures, people see exactly what we mean, we captivate our audience’s mind, and we banish boredom."

CMIO's take? There are a number of good books on presentations, like Presentation Zen, Death by Powerpoint, and anything by Ed Tufte. This book is a quick read. Powerpoint is DEATH unless we use it with skill. Most have no skill. Get skills here.

[Steve Slaunwhite · Rating 4 out of 5]

We writers need to think more visually these days, which is why I read this book. It's brilliant. It not only got me thinking more visually -- in a strategic way -- but also boosted my confidence when it comes to sketching out my visual ideas. I'll never be an artist, that's for sure. But using Dan's techniques, I'm already getting better at basic drawing. My goal is to draw well enough to clearly communicate my ideas for visuals to graphic designers.

[Cici suciati · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant book! Buat pejuang Google Slides, Power Point dan Keynote di mana pun anda berada...please please baca buku ini! Dan Roam mengajak kita untuk bisa menampilkan ide dengan teknik yang kelihatannya ‘Ah itu mah gw juga tau!’ tapi eksekusinya luar biasa. Bukan luar biasa bagus ya, tapi luar biasa gak kepikiran a.k.a. brilliant karena sangat sederhana sekali.

Baca deh buat bekel pitching tahun ini. Atau tahun depan. Atau tahun depannya lagi. Asli ini wajib baca.

[Dante · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd probably rate this a 3.5 if half-stars were possible. A lot of Roam's advice seemed familiar to me, though I picked up a few good tips. In any case, this book is a fast, engaging read -- light on text, a great emphasis on drawings/graphics. Anyone looking for some guidance on how to improve their presentation skills would do well to breeze through this book.

[Nataly Romaniv · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is definitely worth reading, since it helps in a simple form and format to structure the already available knowledge and presents some interesting ideas. The point where I completely agree with the author is that the more we know about the topic, our audience and ourselves, the better we present our ideas.

[Taras Petrytsyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Доказом того, що дана книга допоможе вам створювати кращі презентації є сама ця книга, зроблена у вигляді цікавої і захопливої презентації :)

[Iryna Paprotska · Rating 4 out of 5]

Дуже гарна книжка, для людей, які працюють з презентаціями та подачею матеріалів - настільна. Спробувано на практиці - працює.

Структурована і написана, гарно. Пропонує кілька варіантів оформлення презентацій через історію таким чином, щоби досягнути поставленої мети.

Тут є приклади чотирьох варіантів презентацій: звіту, пояснення, пропозиції і драми (себто ідейної розмови). Показана динаміка презентації на прикладі одного варіанту.

Дуже зручна річ. Рекомендую.

[Indah Threez Lestari · Rating 3 out of 5]

287 - 2020

[Louis Prosperi · Rating 4 out of 5]

An inspiring and insightful guide to creating effective and engaging presentations.

This book explores the art and craft of creating "extraordinary" presentations, that, in the author's words "help others see what we see." To do this, we need to:

1. Tell the Truth
2. Tell it with a Story
3. Tell the Story with Pictures

Using this as a framework, the book explores how to use Truth, Story, and Pictures in presentations so they we can change our audience in some way (either their information, their abilities, their actions, or their beliefs).

Part one focuses on Truth, noting the best way to establish trust with an audience is to be honest with them. It also identifies three types of truth that can be used in presentations: intellectual, emotional, and factual. Part two focuses on storylines, and introduces 4 specific types of storylines used in effective and extraordinary presentations: the Report, the Explanation, the Pitch, and the Drama. The author presents a structural breakdown of each these types of storylines and provides a detailed example of each. Part three focuses on pictures, and how we can use them in presentations to help deliver our message. This section describes six types of pictures and how we use them to illustrate our storylines:

Portrait: Shows who and what
Chart: Shows how much
Map: Shows where
Timeline: Shows when events happen
Flowchart: Shows how events happen
Equation: Shows the moral of the story

This last part covers topics that are also addressed in the author's previous books ("THE BACK OF THE NAPKIN" and "BLAH, BLAH, BLAH" both of which I recommend), but focuses the discussion to the specific goal of how to use pictures in presentations. If you've read his other books, some of these ideas will be familiar, but this book expands on them and presents them in a different perspective.

In my current job of managing technical writers and instructional designers, the art and craft of how to explain things to an audience is one of my main focuses, and I'm always looking for new insights into the process of explanation and presentation. This book is a welcome addition to my library.

This book provides a great framework for building presentations of all types, and does so by laying out a set of basic and fairly simple tools that anyone can use effectively. And though these tools may seem simple on the surface, they offer tremendous flexibility and power in crafting presentations that effectively influence their audiences.

The book makes extensive use of illustrations, and simple and somewhat sparse use of text. Don't let this fool you into thinking that this book doesn't contain lots of valuable information. This book offers insightful ideas on every page.

I strongly recommend this to anyone who has to create and deliver presentations, including business people, teachers, and trainers.

[Isaac Butterworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

If it is important to you to communicate effectively with others, then get this book, read it, and digest it. When it comes to knowing how to say what you want to say, Dan Roam, the author, has provided THE MOST PRACTICAL guide on the matter that I have ever seen.

The book's goal is to help its readers make extraordinary presentations. So, whether you're giving a report, explaining how to do something, seeking action on the part of your listeners, or trying to inspire them, this book is for you. According to Roam, you start with three ingredients--your idea, yourself, and your audience.

Then you determine what kind of change you want to create in your audience. That's right! You want to be clear on what change you want your listeners to make. Do you want to change the level or kind of information they have? their abilities? their actions? or their beliefs? There's a storyline for each of these goals. A report conveys the facts. An explanation teaches new insights or abilities. The pitch recommends a solution to a problem. and the drama inspires a new way of looking at the world.

Roam says there are three rules to follow in any meaningful presentation: tell the truth, tell it with a story, and tell the story with pictures. And he shows you how to incorporate each of these rules into any presentation you want to make.

I became interested in reading this book because Matthew Hoskinson, the pastor of the historic First Baptist Church of the City of New York, recommended it as one of the most important books he had read in 2017. I speak in public a lot, and I am always looking for ways to get better at it. Roam's book has clarified for me the essentials I need to consider every time I plan to present my ideas to an audience. I am truly grateful that this book has come to my attention. I hope you will give it yours.

[Stef Garvin · Rating 4 out of 5]

We've all sat through presentations that brought on an epidemic of sleepwalking. In this book, Dan Roam breaks down presentations to their simplest form in order to improve them. I love the visual thinking method he uses to illustrate his ideas.

One of the primary causes of poor presentations is the disconnect between verbal and visual communication. To create an engaging presentation, you've got to use verbal and visual skills in concert.

Show and Tell makes it easier for presenters to integrate effective visuals in their presentations. Dan excels at coming up with formulas for illustrating ideas. Just as in Back of the Napkin, Roam provides a one-to-one formula for matching a visual with the presentation points.

As an illustrator and visual storyteller, I'm both thrilled and concerned by this idea. I also believe everyone can draw and communicate visually. I'm thrilled Dan makes it so accessible. I'm concerned that he makes it so formulaic.

One of the great benefits of visual thinking is its ability to help you think outside the box. By making it a formula, I'm concerned there will be presentations everywhere that now include stick figures and visual cues but no deeper thought or personal style. Boring!

Presentations are meant to make you think differently. I suggest taking Roam's ideas and principles and adding your creativity and personal style. If this book had included how to do that, I would give it 5 stars.

[Eugenia · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Siapa pun bisa membuat presentasi luar biasa!"
Sungguh tagline buku yang menggoda, bukan?
Ditambah endorse dari penulis nonfiksi favorit saya, Austin Kleon,
"Saya banyak mencuri ilmu darinya, dan kini kamu juga bisa mencuri hal-hal baik yang sama."

Buat yang demam panggung-cenderung-ingin-pingsan karena harus memberikan presentasi (*tunjuk diri sendiri), kamu harus punya dan baca buku ini! Serius... penjelasannya singkat, padat, sederhana. Sistematis dan menarik karena penuh gambar.
Dan ketika kita bingung mau memulai presentasi dari mana, diantara bahan-bahan yang bejibun, sebenarnya sederhana saja :
1. katakan yang sebenarnya
2. sampaikan dengan cerita
3. ceritakan dengan gambar

Sesederhana itu.
Buku ini seriusan saya beli ketika saya harus presentasi sebagai salah satu narasumber di acara Bincang Edukasi Bandung.
Setelah membaca dan menerapkan tips trik-nya, saya mendapati presentasi itu hal yang mengasyikkan dan audience pun menikmatinya.
Ternyata ya, presentasi tak sesulit yang saya kira :)

Selamat membaca, ya!

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

An insightful and wonderful exploration of presentations and storytelling. Anyone who makes presentations or gives reports, makes pitches, or otherwise seeks to communicate effectively in group settings should read this book. He lays out in simple and concrete terms what is needed to make a high impact presentation. He leads you step by step through thinking about why certain presentations make an impact, the structures of the different kind of presentations, the ingredients of effective communication, the importance of images, and how to build your own presentation. Everything you need to know to get started.

What is even better is that Roam uses the same Show and Tell format and style in the book. Which makes it a quick and engaging read and gives you no excuse not to read it. Highly recommend it.

[Thomas Maerke · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a phenomenal book. I enjoyed reading this book so much, because of how much I learned in the process. I read lots of nonfiction, because I enjoy the reading--the subject or content. When reading this, it wasn't so much that I enjoyed the subject or content, I actually enjoyed the reading. This book is so organized that I found the organization fun. It's systematic and somehow beautiful at the same time. After finishing the book, I found myself tooling around on Dan Roam's website for a while, seeing else I could pick up. Right now, I'm on a high, and I'm sure I'll come back down when it comes to this one, but the focused approach is so refreshing and wonderful, and as a teacher and audience member, I really liked this. I totally recommend it.

[Tracey · Rating 3 out of 5]

nonfiction; career development - great presentations boiled down to a handful of simple principles (but don't forget that you'll still need to practice). Abbreviated notes (to jog my own memory) - 1. tell the truth (talk about something you believe in with your heart & mind); 2. use a story to convey your message (make sure your presentation progresses in a way that people can easily follow, and points to a destination where you want them to go); 3. use pictures and charts (one per slide; stay away from stock photos with people in them though).

[Alonda Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this was a fantastic book. I loved the simplicity of the presentation and the way the book is laid out. I think The author provided a new approach to an old boring topic . The real nugget in the book is the approach to structuring presentations. Not everyone will find the stick figures or basic drawings appropriate but the major takeaways are golden reminders: use one picture/concept per slide and to make sure that each presentation has an appropriate structure . So many don't do this.

[Alistair · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good scheme for putting together and delivering better presentations. Having read a fair bit and presenting for nearly a decade to large audiences, the messages in this book are not new but are nicely packaged. I'd strongly recomend this to anyone heading to their first scientific conference (with a grain of salt).

Use stories, simple pictures are better, audience are good at smelling truth, first 2 min are critical for engaging the audience (and how to)... all good stuff.

[Keeko · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I've read on presentations and writing. It's fresh and inspiring for old pros, it's a new approach for people in business who strive to be extraordinary, and it's easy to understand so students can benefit and understand the ideas as well.

The book offer something for everyone who has an idea to communicate. Thanks Dan Roam and all the people who worked on this. A great and useful read.

[Viktor Malieichyk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the book. It gives simple and clear steps to build a presentation and communicate your ideas to the audience. Explains how to incorporate story into the presentation and bring a little bit of drama :)
All of that makes you want to try it right away, which might be difficult to do all at once. So I am definitely will be coming back to this book to refresh in memory all the steps required to make a great presentation.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

A simple and simply fantastic book on communicating information. Full of pictures/diagrams the book itself is a great illustration of how messages are best conveyed. Gives really practical and usable advice. Great information for anyone who wants to be a better teacher or presenter. Also a very quick read.

[K · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simple and easy to read, well-written and organized. Focus on an aspect which is little ignored by presnting books. They mostly focus on the presenting step, not how to build a compelling contet that reaches your idea to the audience.

I liked "blah blah blah" more, despite I read it more faster than this.

Recommended!

[Chaze Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fairly decent book. Dan provides unconventional ways to make more engaging stories or presentations. I may glance in this book from time to time. I would recommend this book to someone who is having trouble in structuring their speech and present it. It is all about how you "tell the story" and he accomplishes this mission.

[Manuel Frias · Rating 4 out of 5]

If there is a minus to this book is that it's too short.

I really enjoy Dan's way of communicating with pictures. There are good ideas in this book to put into practice when preparing presentations and it can be a nice complement to Duarte's and Reynold's work.

[Matthew Batten · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely fantastic! Roam has taken the dreaded presentation and boiled it down into a few key points and explains how to tell a compelling story in an incredibly engaging way. I loved this book! I can't wait to do my next presentation!