Bullet Point, Bullet Points, Bullet Points – Or How To Present Like A Pro
// Januar 19th, 2010 // 1 Comment » // Design, Reviews
Part 1 – Introducing Book #1
The following article is a (short) teaser. It is like giving a product recommendation, where really is no need to. Why? Because we are talking about the book to create powerful, engaging, and beautiful presentations; really beautiful presentations.
That excludes all PowerPoint users. No, it does not, of course. But I, for my part, cannot use PowerPoint productively anymore since I am using Keynote. In my opinion, the latter is simply the better tool. But that is a totally different story…
- Presentation Zen:
Simple Ideas on Presentation Design and Delivery
Copyright lies with the respective owner
Writing this book Garr Reynolds, the author, has since become an icon in this field.
I have created a good deal of presentations myself. And the ideas represented in this book are somewhat guidelines I, too, apply. Although, I mainly learned from Apple. I got hold of the book only in the fourth and final year of my studies.
It is a reference pupils and teachers, students and lecturers, professionals and clients should not miss out on. It summarizes the main points to be considered in order to create great slides. Just have a look at the examples shown inside. Seriously.
“Please don’t buy this book! Once people start making better presentations, mine won’t look so good. (But if you truly want to learn what works and how to do it right, Garr is the man to learn from.)”
—Seth Godin, Speaker and Blogger, Author of Meatball Sundae (Review on Amazon)
Part 2 – Introducing Book #2
Book #1 just got company.
- Presentation Zen Design:
Simple Design Principles and Techniques to Enhance Your Presentations
Copyright lies with the respective owner
The new book, which has been published just recently, adds to the ideas presented in book #1. While doing so, Presentation Zen Design focuses…. wait for it…. on design!
I have not received my personal copy, yet. But I am definitively looking forward to it.
“To change the world, you need to pitch. To pitch, you need to design. To design, you need this book.”
—Guy Kawasaki, Co-founder, Alltop.com, and former chief evangelist of Apple (Review on Amazon)
Part 3 – Giving An Overview
The books outline techniques and methods to not only create slides but to present with the help of slides. Getting your message across. Reaching your audience. That is what you should be looking for.
In this way, your presentations can become useful communication tools. You should not make a presentation because you feel you have to. It is a tool. It is an addition. It should support your message (and not distract from it (via terrible visuals)).
I am aware of the fact that there a many different sources out there to improve your skills. But if you want to get the best out of Keynote and your personal presentations, these books are basically a must-buy.
I am not trying to use this website for cheap product placement or advertising purposes. It is just that my eyes hurt when I see a poorly designed and poorly delivered presentation. Garr Reynolds began the journey to free the world from this. A task worth fighting for.
Part 4 – Outro
To add some different books to your shelf, I recommend to have a look at the following link. Garr Reynolds lists a bunch of design and communication books on his associated and widely known online blog (www.presentationzen.com). (In fact, I think the blog came first.)
External link
If you would like to see tons and tons of (good and bad) presentations from around the world, be sure to check out www.slideshare.net. (I would also like to see your recommendations similar to this one in the comments.)
PS, bullet points are not a way to improve slides.
