20 Minute Manager: Presentations

By: EBSCO
 
June 20, 2014 - PRLog -- Business Book Summary of 20 Minute Manager: Presentations

EBSCO Publishing has just released a new book summary. The art of the great presentation is an elusive pursuit. Harvard Business Review wants to change this reality. In Presentations, an installment of their 20-Minute Manager series, the editors offer a short, succinct crash course in crafting terrific speeches, pitches, and talks. Created for the “ambitious professional” looking to sharpen a message, persuade an audience, and gauge the impact, Presentations is a bite-sized bit of literature packed to the brim with helpful tips on how to master the art of the great presentation.

Harvard Business Review Editors offers readers the following advice:

·         The Key to Presenting. To present effectively, presenters must know their goals, the audience, and themselves. Every good presentation starts with this reality and builds outward.

·         Define Your Goal. Design a broad objective and come up with a series of desired outcomes that link to the objective. It is often helpful to state the main objective as a short phrase for optimal clarity and comprehension.

·         Know Your Audience. The audience is the center of every presentation. Understanding an audience beforehand will allow a presenter to cater a message toward specific needs and attributes for maximum effectiveness.

·         Craft Your Message. Crafting a message involves defining an objective, selecting supporting data to highlight, and organizing content. Most presentations have a clear opening, a statement of need, a solution, and a call to action.

·         Identify Your Resources. Take note of the venue, the time limit, and the tools available when crafting a presentation. Keep the message well within the time given and make sure all needed equipment is ready, working, and available when the presentation begins.

·         Plan the Visuals. People remember images. However, choosing the appropriate media can be a tricky task. Use images to codify key points, simplify concepts, and transition to new ideas.

·         Practice Your Delivery. Rehearsal is important to any presentation. Solicit input, watch video recordings, and creatively analyze every aspect to correct for weaknesses and optimize the presentation’s impact.

·         Deliver Your Presentation. Proper delivery should involve an engaging tone of voice, a moderate pace, and extensive eye contact with attendees. Use humor, anecdotes, and requests for participation to keep the audience engaged and be sure to remain as flexible as possible.

·         Manage the Response. Most presentations involve something resembling a question-and-answer session. It is important to manage the Q&A by keeping track of time, addressing the whole room, and remaining open to input. Additionally, tangible next steps should be outlined and communicated.

·         Debrief Your Presentation. Be sure to critique content extensively to refine points and correct for mistakes. Solicit in-depth feedback and reconstruct parts of a presentation where necessary.

·         Follow Up With the Audience. Presentations may introduce ideas, but it takes further engagement to translate those ideas into action. Schedule follow up meetings, lay out plans of action, and connect extensively with an audience to ensure execution of any strategies recommended.

In addition to a 7-10 page summary of the book, each Business Book Summary includes a Key Concepts section that outlines the main points of the book, an About the Author section that informs readers of the author’s background as well as their additional written works, and a Features of the Book Section that explains the special features found within the book.

For busy professionals, Business Book Summaries from EBSCO provide an easy, quick way to stay on top of the best business books in the market. With many titles available in audio format, it becomes even easier to obtain the helpful information available in these top business titles.

For more information and to get free samples of Business Book Summaries, please visit www.bizsum.com.
End
Source:EBSCO
Email:***@ebsco.com Email Verified
Tags:Presentations, Business, Business Book Summaries, Harvard Business Review
Industry:Books, Business
Account Email Address Verified     Account Phone Number Verified     Disclaimer     Report Abuse
Business Book Summaries News
Trending
Most Viewed
Daily News



Like PRLog?
9K2K1K
Click to Share