The Compelling Communicator: Mastering the Art and Science of Exceptional Presentation Design

by Tim Pollard

You attend numerous presentations and meetings a year—filled with the typical dense and disorganized PowerPoint decks—and leave most of them thinking, “Well, that’s an hour of my life I’ll never get back.” But out of this sea of mediocrity, a rare few rise up, captivating you and driving you to action. What makes these few so special? Despite what most people think, it’s not because they were delivered well. It’s because they were crafted in a way that deeply aligned with how your brain wants to consume information. The presentations that failed did so precisely because they violated the largely unknown “natural laws” that govern how people actually learn. In The Compelling Communicator, you will learn a proven process for designing presentations that touch your audience in a highly impactful way, motivating them to take your desired action • Building around a small number of powerful ideas • Keeping content within the audience’s “brain bandwidth” • Developing logical narrative structure • Anchoring communication in the listener’s priorities • Creating “mind-sticky” storytelling and visuals • Crafting handouts that allow your presentation to live on after the handshakes Filled with examples of exceptional—and not so exceptional—presentations, along with clear explanations of why they do and don’t work, this comprehensive guidebook provides every tool you need to become a standout presenter whose message is certain to leave a powerful, lasting impression.

Genres: Business, Communication, Nonfiction, Self Help

318 pages, Paperback

Published December 9, 2016

Reviews

[George Herndon]

Why say lot word when few word do trick

[Peyton Gunter]

Very helpful. I think this book would have been fire if I was in business, but the general tips of presenting were insightful and applicable for my context!

[Richard Hannay]

An excellent read. Unlike most business books it is well written and does exactly what it promises in the title. It equips the reader with a process and all the tools needed to design effective presentations. No fill up, no unnecessary anecdotes, no hobnobbing with the clintons or Jack Welch.

[Grant Carter]

Fantastic book for anyone looking for practical advice on preaching or presenting

[Parker]

Clear, practical, memorable. Only downside was I got the distinct feeling in a few places that he was trying to sell me something.

[DoGG]

OVERVIEW: We present to get action (audience to do something). The key is to POWERFULLY LAND A SMALL NUMBER OF BIG IDEAS.

PRESENTATION SEQUENCE: Start with a problem that is far reaching and cannot be ignored, and then allude to the solution. Then present a 2-3 few key ideas (insights) in a logical sequence using context that enables the audience to develop the insights needed to drive them to take action. Use a vision of the future to motivate action in the present (this is the current problem; this is what things could look like if we take the action I am suggesting)

PROCESS FOR DEVELOPING PRESENTATIONS: “Start with your important architectural questions, using the pyramid to get to high-level design that you then storyboard into a logical sequence. You then build out the detail of the argument combining the best of your facts and data with the right stories and visuals.”
1. What is the desired outcome? (what ACTION should the audience take?)
2. What argument will achieve that outcome? INSIGHTS – 2-3 Big ideas
a. Define the few, key ideas you want to stick in the audience’s mind.
b. What is the action I want from the presentation? What argument will most likely get me to that outcome? What is the right flow of that argument? What are my big ideas and how will I land them in the most compelling way?
3. How do I support that argument (data/illustration needed) BELIEFS
4. Develop content and simplify
a. Present in a logical sequence that flows elegantly from A to B to C (use transitions to explain why you are moving to the next point and write them down). Save the most important point for last.
b. Critical content only, eliminate repetition
c. Develop an opening that will engage the audience by explaining the problem and how it is so far reaching. Explain why the status quo is unacceptable. Create a sense of urgency. Allude to the solution.
d. Engage the right brain through proper use of stories and visuals. Visuals should be about one idea only. Avoid bulleted slides.
5. Provide a handout that is uncoupled from the slides – a crisp, clear documentary summary of the discussion
6. Practice out loud a few times to test and refine the design

- “why am I telling you this?” – signals you are going from data to insight
- “you’re probably wondering”

[Nick]

There's very little that's new in the book, but what is here is sound, clear, and well-expressed. Pollard starts with the audience, and proceeds to build an intelligent model for moving them to action.

[Lora Ueland]

Read this book in Kindle. Liked it so much I've ordered a hard copy so I can re-read and mark it up. Practical and simple, will apply techniques this very week.

[Mitch Jones]

I've been a raving fan of Tim Pollard's process since being introduced to it several years ago via his firm, Oratium.
Tim and team have developed a messaging methodology that blows away any I've encountered and I've encountered many.
There's no manipulation, looking for "pain", asking leading questions, or employing other useless, overused, silly, immature, & deceitful tactics that anyone with one-quarter of a brain can smell from three miles away.
This book is for you REGARDLESS of your occupation. Why? Tim lays out, in a "fireside chat" manner, how the human brain receives, processes, and reacts to information. He then explains how to succinctly deliver information so your audience (coworkers, family, friends, boss, customers) takes action. It's not just for people who formally present for a living.
Want to get your message across? Do yourself a favor and read this book. You'll find yourself thinking "This makes so much sense. Why didn't I think of it?"

[Adam]

4/5 – I would recommend

This is one of those cases where "writing how you talk" is beneficial. The whole point of the book is to help readers improve their presentation skills. That said, I found the book very repetitive in making its points. While repetition is effective in oration, it doesn’t always translate well to writing.

Furthermore, I thought some of the author's examples were too crass. This may be a matter of personal preference, but I found it odd that he openly expresses his Christian convictions throughout the book while also using crass language.

That said, I believe anyone who does public speaking should seriously consider reading this book. The author highlights the "cardinal sins" of public speaking and offers great advice on how to correct them—not just through examples but also through preparation and practice.

[Stephen Griffiths]

Exceptionally clear, very compelling "How-to" book which does not only get its message across very effectively but enables the reader to pass on that message. The book is linked to an online platform enabling the reader to prepare their own presentations following the method described in the book.

Following the reading of this book, I was able to prepare four presentations for a conference. I went into the presentations with simple well-thought-through insights that I was able to pass on with good supporting evidence and without drowning people in unecessary information/asides/slides/ excursi! This approach requires work but was well worth it - confidence-inducing!

[Allen Sproul]

Easy read. Practical wisdom in changing how we view and use presentations. I saw Tim present at a conference a while back and he definitely practices what he peaches. I used these principles, including the tool in the book, MAST, for the first time recently. Completely changed the game for our team. Immediate improvements where dramatic and everyone took note. This has had a surprisingly deep impact on me.

[Aaron]

The material is presented in an extremely clear manner. The author even demonstrates his presentation building approach in the writing of his book. Clear illustrations are given to reenforce the major points he makes. This is a great, easy to read, very applicable book. A must read if you do presentations of any kind.

[Katie]

I read this as part of a book club at my company and found it to be helpful! I couldn’t find connection to some of the stories and it was redundant at times. Overall, I think the framework will be helpful and effective when I’m building presentations. The author made a lot of great key points that I’ll hang on to. Great book for someone looking to enhance their presentation skills!

[Erik Reagan]

One of the most helpful books I've read on creating a presentation (content-wise). The process and tools taught in this book helped me build a conference presentation better and faster than I have in the past. And I already felt pretty competent in writing talks. I'll definitely be referencing this book again down the road.

[Michelle]

I highly, highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to improve their public speaking skills and ensure that they can capture the attention of any audience. It's especially helpful for salespeople, but can be almost universally applied.

[Ben Durand]

Well designed!

I enjoyed this book. I found it a compelling case of sound communication philosophy and wise experience. I have benefited from The Message Architect platform as well. Thanks Tim!

[Christine F. Perry]

It was very helpful to see how to present and how presentations are received by the human brain. Tim breaks down how to powerfully land a small number of big ideas so that your audience walks away and can retell what you shared.

[Donald Fletcher]

Excellent book based on the brain science of how we really learn and retain knowledge. A must read for any professional.

[Justin Schafer]

Practical, original advice on how to change an audience’s mind through presentation.

[Jonathan Roberts]

Game changer!!! Really liked this book! Changed the key ways I speak in public! Recommended

[Kyle Haack]

Helpful advice on how to design a presentation.

[Jing Liu]

It is an okay book. The author is certainly a very good write, easy to follow. But the point, is not that appealing and helpful to me.

[Elizabeth LaForce]

(Presentation) Rules to Live By

This book contains many incredible insights. I can't wait to put it into practice! It was definitely worth the read.

[Lindsay John Kennedy]

Incredibly helpful and an enjoyable read. I think 1/3 could have been trimmed, though…

[Eric]

The Compelling Communicator is an excellent read. I highly recommend it. The guidance is practical, clearly explained, and easy to put into action.

[Julia]

Great knowledge shared in this book! It’s very beneficial to readers.

I like it because it gave me sense in how to organise messages in beat and efficient way. Thank you Tim.

[Matt Keen]

Good but....

Given this is a book on concise communication, it does go on a bit... could be more to the point.

[Frederick Quinney]

Good book, solid manual for creating presentations which still holds up in 2024. Could be shorter.