Presenting to Win: The Art of Telling Your Story

In Presenting to Win: Persuading Your Audience Every Time, the world's #1 presentation consultant shows how to connect with even the toughest, most high-level audiences--and move them to action. Jerry Weissman shows presenters of all kinds how to dump those PowerPoint templates once and for all--and learn to tell compelling stories that focus on what's in it for their listeners. Drawing on dozens of practical examples and real case studies, Weissman shows presenters how to identify their real goals and messages before they even open PowerPoint; how to stay focused on what their listeners really care about; and how to capture their audiences in the first crucial 90 seconds. From bullets and graphics to the effective, sparing use of special effects, Weissman covers all the practical mechanics of effective presentation--and walks readers through every step of building a Power Presentation, from brainstorming through delivery. Unlike the techniques in other presentation books, this book's easy, step-by-step approach has been proven with billions of dollars on the line, in hundreds of IPO road shows before the world's most jaded investors.

Foreword to the Paperback Edition  xxiii

Preface: What’s Past Is Prologue  xxvii

Introduction: The Wizard of Aaaahs  xxix

Chapter One: You and Your Audience  3

Chapter Two: The Power of the WIIFY  15

Chapter Three: Getting Creative: The Expansive Art of Brainstorming  27

Chapter Four: Finding Your Flow  51

Chapter Five: Capturing Your AudienceImmediately  83

Chapter Six: Communicating Visually  109

Chapter Seven: Making the Text Talk  123

Chapter Eight: Making the Numbers Sing  143

Chapter Nine: Using Graphics to Help Your Story Flow  157

Chapter Ten: Bringing Your Story to Life  189

Chapter Eleven: Customizing Your Presentation  215

Chapter Twelve: Pitching in the Majors  231

Chapter Thirteen: Animating Your Graphics  237

Chapter Fourteen: The Virtual Presentation  257

Appendix A: Tools of the Trade  273

Appendix B: Presentation Checklists  277

Acknowledgments  283

Index  287