Excellence in Business Communication, 11th Edition
Chapter 14. Designing and Delivering Oral and Online Presentations
"When the pressure is on, why do we sometimes fail to live up to our potential?
"No matter how much we try to work with others and get along, the time comes when we can’t agree.
"Many of us have had to battle the specter of arrogance at one time or another.
"Here are the top 9 visual communication mistakes that make you look stupid in your presentation .
"Author Vanessa Edwards and her team watched thousands of hours of TED Talks and noticed something surprising: The least popular TED Talkers used an average of 272 hand gestures during their 18-minute presentations, while the most popular used an average of 465 hand gestures in the same amount of time.
"Speak from the heart (and not a script) in order to engage your audience.
"If you're planning to wrap up your presentation with a half-hearted call for "any questions?
"No matter how topical, relevant or pressing your content is, you're often fighting an uphill battle for the audience's attention.
Dave Mac gives his advice at PresentationBlogger.
"If you're looking to improve your small-talk skills, here's an expert take on the best tips for making conversation.
"Many people think persuasion is essentially “debating lite.
"In this clip Mark Powell provides best practice tips for opening and closing presentations.
"Preparation for a killer presentation is counterintuitive because it runs against everything business people naturally do when it comes to preparing their talks.
"It’s not about sleek graphics or the presentation software you use.
"Let’s talk about what we know about how rate of speech impacts credibility and persuasiveness.
According to Jeffrey Sharlach (photo, left), "People tend to worry about all the wrong things when they have to do a presentation.
"If you're tired of standing in front of your audience and shuffling through slides, you're definitely not alone.
"There's no single formula for a great talk, but there is a secret ingredient that all the best ones have in common.
"In short, there’s a lot of variables that can affect what makes for a good presentation.
Curtis Newbold presents an infographic on the topic.
According to Todd Smith (photo, left), "There are literally hundreds if not thousands of little things we can do to raise the bar in our professional and personal lives.
"Consider these three ways to show gratitude to co-workers who make your life easier.
"If you’ve got a presentation to give at work or school — or are perhaps getting ready to speak at a TEDx event?
"From the "I have a dream" speech to Steve Jobs' iPhone launch, many great talks have a common structure that helps their message resonate with listeners.