Presentation Zen is here!

My copy of Garr Reynold’s book Presentation Zen: Simple Ideas on Presentation Design and Delivery arrived this week.

I reckon if I found myself sitting next to Garr on a plane, we’d have a lot in common. This book brings together some of the thinking of Daniel Pink ‘A Whole New Mind’; Chip and Dan Heath ‘Made to Stick’; traditional Japanese wisdom and great examples of presentations done well. And the underlying message throughout the whole book is that ‘it’s not rocket science!’. By following a few principles – instead of powerpoint templates – we can all produce pretty good presentations. Presentations that support our communication instead of creating more information and ‘noise’; presentations that tell a story and are memorable.

While the book is a ‘how to’ for better, more effective presentations – it could just as easily be a book about inspiration, about how to live. Taking a simpler approach, allowing time, believing that you are creative, letting go, good design, being present and connecting with the audience. All these are integral to the Presentation Zen philosophy.

So with apologies to Patti Digh, here’s my Haiku book review of Presentation Zen:

Bullet points – out!
Be simple, be bold, be seen
Communicate well.