The Power Presenter: Technique, Style, and Strategy from America's Top Speaking Coach [Hardcover]

Jerry Weissman breaks through a powerful myth about public speaking and offers an appealing alternative right at the start of this book. I'll rephrase it for you: Public speaking should not be required to mimic what a Broadway actor does on his or her day off!

This is really important for the many businesspeople who speak and have been browbeaten by well-meaning but ill-informed coaches to think that they need to summon up their Inner Thespian just to make an acceptable speech. They don't. I was once a speech coach and I was on the side of Weissman's philosophy. Namely, that a speech is not necessarily a Tony-Award-winning performance; but it _is_ a _conversation_ with your audience.

Drama ain't for everyone. But clear, connected, and ideally compelling communication is.

There's lots more in this book besides that stress-relieving idea, but it alone will make it worth your reading, especially if you are a man or woman in business. Here is why: Many people successful in business have already learned how to listen and how to speak persuasively, long before they needed to get in front of an audience. (Not all, but many.) That everyday persuasion skill is relatively easy to extend and expand on the platform, compared to the much more demanding (and often awkward) skill set that needs to be mastered from the dramatic arts.

I know a number of people in the professional speaking community and a number of coaches. One other good thing Weissman does that I haven't seen anyone else in his field do nearly as well or as thoroughly is, he meticulously researches and presents examples from famous people familiar to the reader (one chapter: Winston Churchill, JFK, Martin Luther King, Billy Graham, Ronald Reagan, Barack Obama) and shows someone who has no mastery of oratorical skills, and no desire to have it, how to apply some lessons from the greats in their own presentations.

I've been speaking in front of groups professionally since 1987. I know from experience (not just as a coach, but as a speaker) that it makes a huge difference to have a model and approach that lets you be yourself in front of a group while still being interesting and worthwhile for your audience. This book gives you many tips and techniques to get you there.

Jerry Wiseman's latest book (he also wrote "In The Line of Fire" and "Presenting to Win")is subtitled "Technique, Style, and Strategy from America's Top Speaking Coach." While the book certainly is packed with practical and useful ideas, I had some difficulties getting through it. Rather than let my subjective opinion color my entire review, here's what worked and what didn't work (in my opinion.)

What works:
1. You'll find a lot of specific examples of good and bad speeches, along with the urls so you can view them online.

2. Weissman stresses the importance of knowing and working with the audience. He brings it up early and keeps coming back to it. It's the key to good presentations and he wraps much of the book around it.

3. He gives specific examples of improving vocal and visual components of presenting.

4. He addresses how to handle nerves and non-verbal fillers (e.g., "ummm) in clear, useful ways.

5. Chapters 11 through 13 give specific, useful, attainable instructions on how to deliver a PowerPoint presentation that creates a bond of clarity between the speaker and audience. No more Death By PowerPoint.

What doesn't work:

1. Weissman spends 230 pages on the sizzle and 8.5 on the steak. Chapter 4 is "How to Prepare Your Content, The Seven Steps of Story Development," but points 6 and 7 are not really about story development. Without meaningful content, there is no presentation, no matter how powerful the presenter. From frequent mentions, I surmise content was the topic of a previous book. But no book on presentation should gloss over the importance of content. Skip it entirely and say why, or include more material on how to write a good presentation.

2. The subtitle of the book includes the words "from America's Top Speaking Coach." Who decides that? In case you wonder, the book's introduction assures the reader that Weissman's speech coaching has raised the value of an IPO (initial public offering of stock) for none less than Cisco Systems. You also are reminded that Weissman has an MA from Stanford University, and that his client list includes the CEOs of well-known companies, which are named. He makes reference to his other books often. In our culture, self promotion is a virtue, intended to explain expertise. It made me feel browbeaten instead.

3. The majority of speech quotes are political. There is a good reason for that--they are recognizable and easily accessible. The disadvantage is that most people feel strongly supportive of their political choice, and that lessens the reader's ability to be impartial in how these speeches are described.

4. Their are design and editorial flaws. The book's photos and clips are in black and white, even after TV programs ran in color. Some of the photos are blurry. The pie chart on pages 2 and 4 is presented incorrectly: a pie chart's biggest segment begins at the top of the circle and moves clockwise, followed by the next biggest segment. The political quotes are too busy--they appear in italics, separated from the text by indents and keylines. One of those would have been enough. The urls for each political clip (conveniently, the url is an ad for the author) is given in a large shaded box marked "Note" and a reminder to use the passcode in the introduction. This material could have been handled in a less obtrusive way. Important notes, such as how to black out a PowerPoint screen are presented in the same way, making it easy for a reader to skip them. Elizabeth Dole's nickname is "Liddy" not "Libby." There is mention of a Pulitzer Prize winning television critic, but he or she is not named. On p. 207 is a chart that "summarizes. . .all that you've learned in the last two chapters," but the chart shows 6 identical storyboard segments. All these stumbles make me doubt some of the veracity of the book.

The book is certainly worth reading and even worth owning. It's not a textbook, but it will help you improve your presentation skills.

Like most professional presenters I have a couple of shelves of books on public speaking and presenting. We always look for a new wrinkle. Jerry Weissman's book seemed especially promising. He had trained some heavy hitters, including the CEO's of Yahoo, Intuit, and Netflix. I was not disappointed. One moment we all fear is when we stand up to speak ... what Jerry calls the "Moment of Truth," the critical first few seconds when you begin to speak, when appearance, body language and the way you sound account for 93% of the impression you make. (WHAT you say accounts for only 7%!) Jerry's techniques for handling the adrenaline rush and moving with confidence and grace are excellent. His most important quality is writing with clarity and precision and walking you through each step in the preparation process. In my judgment, every battle is won or lost before it is set into motion, and Jerry handles this concept as the "Mental Method of Presenting." Assuming you have a precious payload, preparation and multiple rehearsals will launch it into orbit successfully.

There is a great deal more, including learning to tell the right story in a compelling way, using graphics to wow and not confuse, using body language to deliver with poise and power, and orchestrating proper cadence. The book abounds with great examples, and Weissman provides web access to view the video clips of many of the examples he refers to. These clips are worth the price of the book and include outstanding presentations of Ronald Reagan, contrasting examples of passionless a Bob Dole and fiery Barack Obama, Generals Neal and Schwarzkopf, Kennedy/Nixon in debate; George Bush's dramatic improvements before and after being coached, Libby Dole's dramatic invasion of the audience,the monumental errors by a cranky and negative Ross Perot and much more. If you give talks or presentations you will not regret this investment.

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