Presentation Zen: Simple Ideas on Presentation Design and Delivery

Book description

FOREWORD BY GUY KAWASAKI

Presentation designer and internationally acclaimed communications expert Garr Reynolds, creator of the most popular Web site on presentation design and delivery on the Net — presentationzen.com — shares his experience in a provocative mix of illumination, inspiration, education, and guidance that will change the way you think about making presentations with PowerPoint or Keynote. Presentation Zen challenges the conventional wisdom of making "slide presentations" in today’s world and encourages you to think differently and more creatively about the preparation, design, and delivery of your presentations. Garr shares lessons and perspectives that draw upon practical advice from the fields of communication and business. Combining solid principles of design with the tenets of Zen simplicity, this book will help you along the path to simpler, more effective presentations.


Table of contents

  1. Copyright
    1. Dedication
  2. Acknowledgments
  3. Foreword by Guy Kawasaki
  4. Introduction
    1. 1. Presenting in Today’s World
      1. The Presentation Zen Approach
        1. An Approach, Not a Method
        2. Each Case Is Different
      2. Where We Are Today: Really Bad PowerPoint
        1. The Scourge of the Deck
        2. Is It Finally Time to Ditch PowerPoint?
        3. The Times They Are a-Changing
      3. Presentations in “The Conceptual Age”
        1. Design
        2. Story
        3. Symphony
        4. Empathy
        5. Play
        6. Meaning
        7. A New Era Requires New Thinking
        8. Letting Go
      4. In Sum
  5. Preparation
    1. 2. Creativity, Limitations, and Constraints
      1. Start With the Beginner’s Mind
      2. You Are Creative
        1. The Big Lie
        2. Be a Pirate!
        3. Do Not Force It
        4. Enthusiasm
      3. The Art of Working With Restrictions
      4. In Sum
    2. 3. Planning Analog
      1. A Bike or a Car?
      2. Paper, Whiteboards, or a Stick in the Sand
        1. Pen and Paper
        2. Whiteboards
        3. Post-its
      3. Slowing Down to See
      4. Asking the Right Questions
        1. The Wrong Questions
        2. Questions We Should Be Asking
      5. Two Questions: What’s Your Point? Why Does It Matter?
        1. Dakara Nani? (So What?)
        2. Can You Pass the “Elevator Test?”
      6. Handouts Can Set You Free
        1. Three Parts of a Presentation
      7. The Benefit of Planning Well
      8. In Sum
    3. 4. Crafting the Story
      1. What Makes Messages Stick?
      2. Story and Storytelling
        1. Stories and Authenticity
        2. It’s Not Just About Information
        3. Finding Your Voice
      3. The Process
        1. Step 1
        2. Step 2
        3. Step 3
        4. Step 4
      4. Editing and Restraint
      5. In Sum
  6. Design
    1. 5. Simplicity: Why It Matters
      1. Steve Jobs and the Zen Aesthetic
      2. Kanso, Shizen, Shibumi
        1. Kanso (Simplicity)
        2. Shizen (Naturalness)
        3. Shibumi (Elegance)
        4. Wabi-Sabi Simplicity
      3. Amplification Through Simplification
        1. Learning From the Art of Comics
        2. Redux: Simplicity Is Not Easy
      4. In Sum
    2. 6. Presentation Design: Principles and Techniques
      1. Presentation Design
      2. General Design Principles
      3. Signal vs Noise Ratio
        1. But Is the Nonessential Always “Noise”?
        2. 2-D or Not 2-D? (That Is the Question)
        3. Who Says Your Logo Should Be on Every Slide?
      4. Picture Superiority Effect
        1. Going Visual
        2. Quote This
        3. Text within Images
      5. Empty Space
        1. Using Empty Space
        2. Balance
        3. Grids and the Rule of Thirds
      6. The Big Four: Contrast, Repetition, Alignment, Proximity
        1. Contrast
        2. Repetition
        3. Alignment
        4. Proximity
      7. In Sum
    3. 7. Sample Slides: Images & Text
      1. Differentiation
      2. Shift Happens
      3. The Sustainable Food Lab
      4. Truemors
      5. My Declaration of Independence
      6. Aromatic Chemistry
      7. Presenting on Animal-Based Issues
      8. Inbox Zero
      9. In Sum
  7. Delivery
    1. 8. The Art of Being Completely Present
      1. Steve Jobs and the Art of the Swordsman
        1. The Mind That Is No Mind
        2. Lost in the Moment
      2. Learning from the Art of Judo
        1. Presenting Under Fire
      3. Contribution and Being in the Moment
        1. Passion, Risk, and “Playing on One Buttock”
        2. Don’t Take Yourself So Seriously!
      4. In Sum
    2. 9. Connecting with an Audience
      1. Hara Hachi Bu: Why Length Matters
        1. One Secret to a Healthy Life (and a Great Presentation)
        2. Leave Them Just a Little Hungry (for More)
      2. Removing Barriers to Communication
        1. Keep the Lights On
        2. Remote Simplicity: Use a Small Remote to Advance Slides
      3. In Sum
  8. Next Step
    1. 10. The Journey Begins
      1. How to Improve
        1. Read and Study
        2. Just Do It
        3. Exercise Your “Right Brain”
        4. Get Out
        5. Lessons Are All Around You
        6. It’s Within You Already
      2. Conclusion
  9. Photo Credits
  10. Colophon

Product information

  • Title: Presentation Zen: Simple Ideas on Presentation Design and Delivery
  • Author(s):
  • Release date: December 2007
  • Publisher(s): New Riders
  • ISBN: 9780321550163