11 Deadly Presentation Sins

A Path to Redemption for Public Speakers, PowerPoint Users and Anyone Who Has to Get Up and Talk in Front of an Audience

“We've all committed the 11 deadly presentation sins on the way up in our careers. This insightful book will help make sure that your way up doesn't become the way down!"
– Dr. Nick Morgan, author of Give Your Speech, Change the World

11 Deadly Presentation Sins is the perfect book for public speakers, business presenters, PowerPoint users and anyone who has to get up and talk in front of an audience.

Few skills are more important in business or in life than the ability to present your ideas in clear and compelling terms. A solid presentation can help you:

• Close a sale with a customer
• Earn a raise
• Get a job
• Boost your reputation in the marketplace
• And much more ...

Escape From PowerPoint Hell

Yet most people are not very good presenters. They put their audiences through a veritable hell on earth with a multitude of sins, from listless delivery to lackluster content, from meandering stories to mundane visuals.

11 Deadly Presentation Sins offers a path to redemption for public speakers, PowerPoint users and anyone who has to get up and speak in front of an audience.

More Than 100 Practical Tips

This fun, practical guide is packed with more than 100 indispensable tips you can use right away in your next presentation to help you:

• Analyze your audience’s needs and concerns in order to better connect with them
• Open with a bang instead of a whimper
• Focus and structure your content
• Find, shape and tell stories that command attention
• Tap into emotion to win hearts and change minds
• Create beautiful, compelling visuals to support your words
• Deliver a truly energetic performance
• Promote interaction and conversation to keep people engaged
• Make the most of body language to reinforce your message
• Plan and prepare for any contingency
• Finish strong

Did We Mention Fun?

11 Deadly Presentation Sins combines lessons from the worlds of business and entertainment to help you give the performance of their life. You'll learn from Seth Godin and Star Trek, Romeo & Juliet and Ricky Gervais, Steve Jobs and Saturday Night Live.

Whether you're talking to colleagues, customers or the community, in a boardroom, ballroom or church basement, you'll come away with the confidence and skills you need when all eyes are on you.

About the Author

Rob Biesenbach is a corporate communications pro actor, and author. He’s written hundreds of speeches for CEOs and other executives and is a professional speaker himself.

Rob is a former VP at Ogilvy PR and press secretary to a state attorney general, among other things. A Second City–trained actor and improviser, he has appeared in more than 150 stage and commercial productions.

Rob brings these two worlds together in his presentations, workshops and books, helping people communicate more successfully in the workplace, the marketplace, and their everyday lives.

The 11 Deadly Presentation Sins

SIN #1: FAILURE TO UNDERSTAND YOUR AUDIENCE
It’s not about you; it's about them. Six questions to ask before you plan your speech.

SIN #2: A FLAT OPENING
Don’t blow your one and only chance to make a good first impression. Eight ways to start strong and six mistakes that will stop you in your tracks.

SIN #3: LACK OF FOCUS
If you try to say everything, you end up communicating nothing. How to avoid rambling and meandering and droning on and on and on...

SIN #4: BAD STORYTELLING
Nothing beats a well-told story. How to find, shape, and tell stories that command attention.

SIN #5: NO EMOTIONAL PULL
If you want to change their minds, you have to win their hearts. Three steps for tapping into the power of emotion.

SIN #6: DULL, UGLY VISUALS
Life is a visual medium. Your presentation should be, too. Eight tips for creating a picture-perfect presentation.

SIN #7: LOW-ENERGY DELIVERY
If you’re checked out, your audience will tune out. Eight ways to amp up the energy.

SIN #8: NO AUDIENCE INTERACTION
What distinguishes a presentation from other communications is having a live, in-person audience to interact with. So make them a partner in the story you’re telling.

SIN #9: BUYING INTO BODY LANGUAGE MYTHS
Forget everything you’ve heard about body language, and focus on the things that matter.

SIN #10: INADEQUATE REHEARSAL
If you’re not going to take this seriously, why should your audience? How to practice for the big day and five tips for making the most of rehearsal time.

SIN #11: A WEAK FINISH
Go out on a high note. Seven ways to finish strong and five more things to do when you’re done.