Book Review - Solving The PowerPoint Predicament by Tom Bunzel
Category Book Reviews
I do just enough presentations to know that I need to concentrate on improving my delivery and contents. I was excited to get a copy of Solving the PowerPoint Predicament: Using Digital Media for Effective Communication by Tom Bunzel. This is more than the typical "here's how PowerPoint works" book...
Contents: Planning an Effective Presentation; Implementing Professional Design Principles; Creating Dynamic Visuals; Secrets of Animation and Navigation; Using Video and Audio Effectively; Powerful Presentation Tools; The Latest Technologies - Beyond PowerPoint to the Future; Delivering a Killer Presentation; Index
Most books that talk about PowerPoint are tutorials on how to create one for your presentation. But realistically, nearly anyone can create a PowerPoint presentation with little effort. Whether it's effective or not is a vastly different story. Bunzel approaches the subject from the point of view of the presentation itself... what keeps an audience interested, what types of displays work to reinforce the message, etc. Once you understand what makes for a good presentation, it's much easier to decide what you should and shouldn't do in PowerPoint. Bunzel draws upon the experience of professional presenters, many who make their living using tools like PowerPoint to communicate to others. There are also a number of additional resources and recommendations for software you can add on to your presentation to make it stand out from others (photos, videos, software add-ons, etc).
For me, I was surprised to see how much animation can add to a presentation. I've always avoided the cheesy fade-ins and animations that come with PowerPoint, as I was under the impression that they were more distracting than helpful. But after reading this book, I realize that I've been limiting the possibilities. This is one of those books that could make the difference between boring your audience or firing them up, between being a one-time speaker to being a repeat invitee...
If you liked this review and found it helpful, please click on the Amazon book link in the review and click the Yes (Was This Review Helpful To You?) button at the bottom of my review. Thanks!
I do just enough presentations to know that I need to concentrate on improving my delivery and contents. I was excited to get a copy of Solving the PowerPoint Predicament: Using Digital Media for Effective Communication by Tom Bunzel. This is more than the typical "here's how PowerPoint works" book...
Contents: Planning an Effective Presentation; Implementing Professional Design Principles; Creating Dynamic Visuals; Secrets of Animation and Navigation; Using Video and Audio Effectively; Powerful Presentation Tools; The Latest Technologies - Beyond PowerPoint to the Future; Delivering a Killer Presentation; Index
Most books that talk about PowerPoint are tutorials on how to create one for your presentation. But realistically, nearly anyone can create a PowerPoint presentation with little effort. Whether it's effective or not is a vastly different story. Bunzel approaches the subject from the point of view of the presentation itself... what keeps an audience interested, what types of displays work to reinforce the message, etc. Once you understand what makes for a good presentation, it's much easier to decide what you should and shouldn't do in PowerPoint. Bunzel draws upon the experience of professional presenters, many who make their living using tools like PowerPoint to communicate to others. There are also a number of additional resources and recommendations for software you can add on to your presentation to make it stand out from others (photos, videos, software add-ons, etc).
For me, I was surprised to see how much animation can add to a presentation. I've always avoided the cheesy fade-ins and animations that come with PowerPoint, as I was under the impression that they were more distracting than helpful. But after reading this book, I realize that I've been limiting the possibilities. This is one of those books that could make the difference between boring your audience or firing them up, between being a one-time speaker to being a repeat invitee...
If you liked this review and found it helpful, please click on the Amazon book link in the review and click the Yes (Was This Review Helpful To You?) button at the bottom of my review. Thanks!
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