11 Deadly Presentation Sins - Rob Biesenbach: Book 30 of 52 in 52

Back to reading a bit of material about what I do in life - speaking, and helping others speak...and deliver.

I've had this book for a LONG time - Rob actually sent it to me in hopes I'd review in time for his launch, which I was unable to do. Since I missed that date, I admittedly put it on the back burner. Since I only have it in .pdf form, it was going to take some focused time in front of my computer to get through, despite its brief 125 page format (apparently it's only 90 pages on Kindle). Finally, last night, as I sat outside the church while my daughter went to youth group, I dove in.

11 Deadly Presentation Sins was a lot of fun to read. Conversational, relatable, and occasionally irreverent. Reading the Introduction, 'Stuck in Power Point Hell', it's easy to believe this is a book solely about avoiding Death by Power Point - and slide decks do get their share of attention in the book. But ultimately it just seems to be a bit of a tool to link Hell and Sins and create a cohesive theme.

He also build his own credibility as an actor and a speechwriter, and boldly declares that 'every communication is a performance', which I very much disagree with, and yet totally understand his point, all at the same time.

I'm going to briefly review each chapter, so hang on tight.

Sin #1: Failure to Understand Your Audience - a fairly standard chapter about 'knowing your audience' culminating in an Apple example that he admits doesn't exactly fit (would this be comparing Apples to oranges).

Sin #2: A Flat Opening - includes a nice list of opening options, what to do and what NOT to do. My favorite is the 'Fish Out of Water', ie 'Stranger in a Strange Land' opening. He also gives some good advice on creating an introduction, though he doesn't mention my favorite device in an intro: HUMOR. Only other caveat: when he suggests opening with a startling statistic, his example is that 'studies show that people's number one fear is public speaking'. No, no it's not. Sigh...

Sin #3: Lack of Focus - while chapter one focuses on knowing the audience, this one centers around the audience knowing you. That is, connecting with what you say, how you say it, what you want them to do. He discusses shorter formats, finding a way to stand apart from others, and even provides a basic outline of a keynote, along with some examples of how it can be used.

Sin #4: Bad Storytelling - filled with suggestions for both telling stories and FINDING stories, as well as rationale behind why we should use them. The story he includes about Estela and the Candy Factory is worth buying the book all by itself.

Sin #5: No Emotional Pull - well, he certainly got my emotional attention in this chapter, using a Star Trek episode as a primary example throughout. 'Audiences will forgive a multitude of presentation sins for speaker who open themselves up and show their humanity' - a great line which gives the reader a reason to take everything in this chapter to heart. He even takes a bit of a risk and speaks to how emotional may be TOO emotional for women speakers. That takes bravery - hope you aren't wearing a red shirt, Rob.

Sin #6: Dull, Ugly Visuals - here we go - Death by Power Point, clearly a passion. If you don't have time to read Presentation Zen, this chapter hits the high point of that and most other books on the subjects, and includes some great resources for finding usable pictures for your presentations while still adhering to copyright law.

Sin #7: Low-Energy Delivery - oh so important - I was coaching a client on this just yesterday. His acting background shines through in this section, as he provides a few preparation suggestions, and discusses both the strategy and the rationale of 'being present' in your presentation.

Sin #8: No Audience Interaction - covers all types of audience interaction, including some I'm not always open to as an audience member. Still, his tips on Q&A are strong, especially his concept of 'prompting', and make a good quick reference.

Sin #9: Buying into Body Language Myths - ahhhhh, debunking Mehrabian Myth. Good stuff, but hey, where's the link to the interview with the man himself telling us how 93% of communication coming via body language is total malarkey?

Author Rob Biesenbach

Sin #10: Inadequate Rehearsal - 30 hours of rehearsal for a single hours speech? Holy cow. But yeah, if you want to be good, he's right. He offers some practice tips - nothing outlandish - but all sound ideas.

Sin #11: A Weak Finish - just as he offered valuable suggestions for opening your speech, he offers even MORE valuable ideas and architectures for your close. A technique he delves into that I personally use is 'finish an earlier story' - basically bookend the speech with a story you can come back to in your conclusion.

In his closing chapter, he quickly hits a few extra sins, I'm not sure if they're worse or 'not-so-bad' sins - after all, all sins are equal. Or so I'm told in church.

11 Deadly Presentation Sins was a joy to finally read, and a great reminder of many of the best strategies I've learned over the years. It would make a great airplane read, and makes a good primer for the newbie, and refresher for the crusty old expert who doesn't want to read through 10 different books, but wants more of a 'sampler' approach.

4 stars out of 5 - give it a read, and keep it top of mind the next time you need a little speaking strategy reinforcement!

Book 7 of 52 in 52: Presentation Zen - by Garr Reynolds

I may be the one speaking coach in the world who hadn't read Presentation Zen yet. At least until the last couple of weeks.

I have an excuse, though. I HATE PowerPoint. I rarely use it. So why read a book about it.

Funny thing...about half my clients DO use PowerPoint in front of audiences they're training, and can't imagine life without it. So into my list of 52 Books in 52 Weeks it went.

Before my clients freak out, wondering whether what I was telling them before I read the book was right or not, don't worry. I've read enough articles, most of which reference Garr Reynolds book, and put together enough presentations, and, oh yeah, have that degree in Graphic Design - so most of what I read was simply confirming what I already had gleaned over the years.

I am very glad, however, that I did read the book itself. (Not that I could have listened to it on Audible, as I often do - I think it would lose something...) It takes simplification of slides to a degree I've been promoting, but rarely convincing people to buy into. It shows off how effective simple slides can be, and puts the emphasis back where it should be - squarely on the speaker.

His approach is radical to many - a slide-deck that seen alone would likely make no sense at all, but is still supportive, in fact, integral to the message. He doesn't set hard and fast rules, but makes wonderful arguments for clean, image heavy slides, vs. the 'Slideument' as he calls it, a document in slide form that may as well replace the speaker entirely

It's a quick read, not terribly copy-heavy, as you might expect a book promoting copy-light slides to be. It shows more than it ever tells, even though Reynolds ideas and experiences fill the book up with energy, creativity and insight. The design of the book itself is more of a coffee table tome than a how-to guide. All the more Zen, I suppose.

He's a bit too in love with Steve Job, perhaps, but he also offers views from Nancy Duarte, Made to Stick, and numerous other sources which are either summarized, or, as articles, wholly included in the book. He also references Jazz, Japanese art forms, and of course, Zen itself as guiding principles not only in slides, but in presentations as a whole.

While he mentions Keynote (Mac version of PowerPoint, essentially) and Prezi - he doesn't go into the art of using Prezi, which is a bit different in nature to the old-fashioned slide programs. Perhaps another book in the making?

Apparently, there are updates in the version I purchased, so if it's been awhile, it may be worth buying the more recent edition.

Bottom line: if you want to learn the right way to do slides - read the book. Often. Or find a coach that has.

5 Stars out of 5. Makes me want to go right out and build a slide-deck. Maybe.

Ignite Win Anyway

Have you heard of TEDtalks? Yeah, I thought so.

But, have you heard of Ignite? Not as many of you, I'm sure. Ignite is also a worldwide speaking platform, organized by local groups, which grew out of the first event in Seattle - apparently to give the 12th Man something to do when they aren't cheering on their Seahawks during the NFL season.

Five minutes, twenty slides is their schtick - short speeches tied to a slide show that advances every 15 seconds whether you're ready or not. When you're out of time - you're done. Sell from the stage and you're likely booed by the typically Generation Z audience. If you're boring, expect heckling.

Here's an example of a typical speech:



A real challenge, to be sure, especially for my pretty positive topic of 'Win Anyway'.

When I went to the Ignite preparation meeting to find out what I might be in for, I realized the audience wouldn't be my typical group of conservative professionals and Toastmasters - though many would be similar to actual members of my club. They encourage a contrarian approach, and even recommend swearing in an appropriate manner.

As seasoned a speaker as I am, working in this format is pretty foreign to me - which is exactly why I want to participate. So I've submitted my proposal, and all I have to do now finish in the top 15 or so vote-getters and I'll end up on stage at the Oriental Theatre in Denver in late February, and leaving with a pretty professional video of me in front of a large audience giving my core message. Not a bad deal, right?

So I'm asking you for your vote. I have no campaign promises, no special prizes - but I do promise to post the video here when it's ready! 'Win Anyway' is the second option in the voting list - but you have to vote for all of them - yes, no, and 'meh', essentially, for the vote to register. By the way, feel free to vote for the first one as well - it's a submission by my fellow club member, who accepted my challenge for our club to submit as many proposals to Ignite as we could.

To vote, head here: http://ignitedenver.org/spark-voting/

Thank you, in advance, for helping give me yet another venue to Speak...& Deliver!

Bonus Video - an Ignite presentation from fellow TM Danielle Edmonds!