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Usually ships in 1 business days | | | | | | Learn the successful presentation techniques used in over 500 IPO road shows and featured in The Wall Street Journal and Fast Company.Jerry Weissman is the presentations coach to Microsoft, Cisco Systems, and many of America's top executives, including founding Yahoo CEO Tim Koogle, Intuit founder Scott Cook, Netflix founder and CEO Reed Hastings, and many others. The San Jose Mercury News says that Weissman's IPO presentation coaching "is worth 10% on a company stock." Learn why your body language and voice are more important than your words, how to present with poise and confidence naturally, and how to connect with any audience emotionally. Filled with illustrative case studies of Barack Obama, Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush, John F. Kennedy, and many others, The Power Presenter will bring out the best in anyone who has to stand and deliver. Readers of The Power Presenter will have access to video clips referenced in the book. | | | |
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| | Product Details | | Author: | Jerry Weissman | | Hardcover: | 272 pages | | Publisher: | Wiley | | Publication Date: | February 03, 2009 | | Language: | English | | ISBN: | 0470376481 | | Product Length: | 9.0 inches | | Product Width: | 6.4 inches | | Product Height: | 1.0 inches | | Product Weight: | 1.0 pounds | | Package Length: | 9.1 inches | | Package Width: | 6.1 inches | | Package Height: | 1.0 inches | | Package Weight: | 1.05 pounds | | Average Customer Rating: |  based on 50 reviews |
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| | Customer Reviews | Average Customer Review: ( 50 customer reviews )
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22 of 23 found the following review helpful:
 Refreshing Common Sense for Businesspeople Who Speak Feb 05, 2009
By David Garfinkel
"Author, Advertising Headlines That Make You Rich"
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.
31 of 35 found the following review helpful:
 The Art of the Sizzle Mar 09, 2009
By QuinnCreative
"-Q"
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.
9 of 10 found the following review helpful:
Winning Technique, Style and Strategy in an Outstanding New Book Feb 01, 2009
By Larry Mullins
"Larry Mullins"
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.
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
Knowledgeable guide to making presentations Mar 23, 2009
By Rolf Dobelli
"getAbstract"
Many people would rather try to flush a snarling bobcat down the toilet than give a speech. Indeed, individuals often rate public speaking as a primary fear. Delivering a speech summons the same jacked-up "fight or flight" response that animals depend upon to survive predator attacks. Your breathing rate shoots through the roof. You cannot think clearly. You are suddenly in severe physical crisis. Unfortunately, when you give a speech, you cannot fight your way out of trouble or run away from it. Instead, you must somehow stand there calmly, and speak in a coherent, compelling fashion. Premier speaking coach Jerry Weissman shows how to quell those stressful feelings. In this clearly written book - which features an attractive design that makes his examples particularly easy to follow - he provides a comprehensive set of public speaking techniques to help you win over any audience. getAbstract is glad to speak up for this book and its fascinating case histories about famous speakers, including an insightful analysis of the fateful 1960 U.S. presidential debate between John F. Kennedy and Richard M. Nixon. History might have been different if Nixon had read Weissman's book before he went on TV. If you hope to rise in sales or business, not to mention politics, you must be able to give a great presentation - this book will show you how.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
 Very Good Book on Public Speaking, With Some Reservations Jul 31, 2009
By Tax Accountant
"Tax Accountant"
This book is a good read, and it accomplishes it's main goal: to educate the reader on how to become a better, less fearful speaker. The author has a theory: that the WORDS of a speech are not as important as the speaker himself. In Weissman's opinion, a speaker's charisma counts for a great deal more than even the message he/she is trying to convey. I agree with the author to some extent, and he paints a very good argument for his belief.
This book would be useful to anyone who is trying to cultivate a speaking job-- as an author, I find that marketing is becoming more and more my responsibility, and part of that includes speaking in person, at book fairs, in seminars, etc.
The only drawback I saw in this book was the repeated back-patting and self-promotion. Authors must learn how to self-promote in order to be successful, but there's a fine line where this becomes excessive.
But if you can get past the political jargon and the self-serving aspects, it's a very useful book.
See all 50 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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