Donna Massam

How to make an effective presentation by Elizabeth P. Tierney

Although this isn't a book of the reading list from our VLP's (I couldn't find a book that i know be as useful as a presentation book as its one of the things i struggle with most in this area)the one that i originally wanted which was on the reading list had all of the books taken out so i settled on a book similar.

I can see that this book is going to become a very big help to me as i know we are going to have to do a number of presentations (we have to do a short presentation on the book synopsis)

I like the quote written in the introduction section of the book because i know that this would be something that i would do.

"I often tell the story of the first time i gave a speech. I was so nervous that i kept my eyes closed through most of the monologue. I kept hoping that if i didn't look at them they would quietly go away. When i had finished, I opened my eyes and discovered that unfortunately, my wish had been granted. There was only one person left in the audience. He was a bookish-looking fellow wearing a sour expression. Hoping to find some solace in the catastrophe, i asked him why he had stayed. Still frowning, he replied,"I'm the next speaker."
(Victor Kiam, American Businessman)

The book consists of 13 different sections which each help you with different sections to presenting an effective presentation. The first section of the book 'Introduction' gives you an introduction to presentations, explaining to the reader what they will get out of reading the book, this is of course that you will become a better presenter, being able to give better talks, run meetings better, talk at seminars better and to speak more coherent and clear in conferences too. The book has been written on the experience of Tierney from her education years and also from her education teachers and tutor, based on the mistakes Tierney mad and on lessons they taught her.
The second section to the book is called 'How to Communicate' this section explains the process of communication, expressing to the reader how to have a clear message and how to get that message across to the audience, helping you chose your choice of words carefully. The section i thought was most helpful in this section was the Common Problems heading, as this explains problems that you might come across and gives you more confidence on how to avoid them.
The third section of the book looks at Nonverbal, This section of the book expresses to the reader the body language the hold, including the ways they move their eyes aroun, the way they hold their body posture the way you hold your head as to look more at ease with thae audience rather than looking scared of them the last thing that she talks about is appropriate clothing to wear, making sure that you dress for the type of presentation you are to give.

The remainder of the book talks about the voice, how and when to speak with the right pace, when to pause, the type of pitch you use and how loud you talk. it helps you to prepare yourself for the presentation, how to structure it together. How to answer questions in an appropriate manner and how to respond to the audience with your voice. The book also helps you to handle your nerves, what to consider doing to help you complete the presentation in an effective way. The last section helps you with how to engage with the audience, how to handle any kind of disruptions in an appropriate way. It then tells you to reflect on your performance thinking about what you could have done better, what you would have done differently and also to ask for feedback on what others thought of your presentation so that they provide constructive criticism which will then help you with any upcoming or future presentations.