Chapter 3

Presentation 101

“Speak clearly, if you speak at all; carve every word before you let it fall.”

Oliver Wendell Holmes

What is a great presentation?

You know it when you see it, don’t you? But it can be very hard to pinpoint what you’re seeing. Usually we attribute a great presentation to the presenter’s personality, charisma or style. It seems that great presenters have some intangible quality that is just out of reach.

This good news is once you examine what a great presenter is actually doing you realise charisma and personality are not at the heart of great presenting.

Let’s examine exactly what happens in a great presentation.

A great presentation grabs the mind of the audience at the beginning, navigates them through all ...

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