TLDR: A book on presentation. Not on slides, but on how to give a presentation in person, and how to engage the audience to the topic

Chapter 2: Preparation

  • Identify your audience before your talk
  • The why: What’s my point and why does it matter
    • many presenter focus on what, some focus on how, but seldom on why
    • why = big picture
  • rehearse, tell a story
    • story = identify a problem, identify the causes, how and why you solved the problem
  • Aristotle on good public speaking
    1. Appeals to reason
    2. Appeals to emotions
    3. Appeals based on the character and personality of the speaker
  • Deep or wide? One-hour lecture is too short to go both direction
  • Preparation process
    1. Quiet time and place
    2. Remove distractions
    3. Go analog: Grab a book, sticky notes, index cards
    4. Identify core point
      • topic is a noun phase, core point is a full sentence to take home
    5. Brainstorm
    6. Consolidate, edit, and group your ideas into three sections
    7. Sketch your visuals
    8. Build visuals on software

Chapter 3: Connect with Punch, Presence, and Projection

  • Opening punch to hook the audiences
  • Personal, Unexpected, Novel, Challenging, Humorous
  • Never start with an apology
  • Do not show the structure, but hint or articulate
  • Presence = Focus on here and now
    • do not concern for failure or success
    • honest conversation creates stronger connections with the audience
      • remove worries about the outcomes, you are able to be your natural self and audiences will know the difference
      • you are not reading a speech
  • Projection = Lasting connection (impression about you)
    • the way you look, move, and sound
    • eye contact

Chapter 4: Engage with Passion, Proximity, and Play

  • Show passion: put your heart and soul into it
    • show you are interested rather than to make it interesting
    • our brains are activated by the movements and feelings of others
  • Presenter is an artist on stage, performance with great content, powerful visuals, and emotional touch to make a lasting connection with the audience
  • Story of the 1984 commercial of Apple
    • exhibits solid conflicts and contrasts
    • emotions: use stories and examples
    • sell experience, not the features of the thing itself
  • Interact using proximity
    • stay closer to the audiences
    • come out from the barriers, use a remote
  • Sir Ken Robinson on public speaking
    • speaking to individuals not an abstract group
    • relax
    • be conversational and make connection
    • know your material
    • prepare but not rehearse (so don’t lose the natural connection with the audiences)
    • leave room for improvisation
    • humor is for engagement: if they are laughing then they are listening
  • Spirit of play improves learning and stimulates creative thinking
    • humor leans to joyfulness, leads to productivity
    • play: exploration and discovery

Chapter 5: Sustain with Pace and Participation

  • Attention span: 18 minutes, or shorter
    • the 10-minute rule, then do something to change things up to keep people engaged
    • give the brain a break every 10 minutes
  • Slow down the rate of speaking
    • natural to speak too fast, as a result of increased adrenaline
  • Make use of variation in rate, volume, pitch
    • read the situation and make adjustments on the spot
  • Never go overtime (80% full)
  • Participation
    • “Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn” (Benjamin Franklin)
    • Have your audience do something, give them an experience
    • e.g., ask questions
  • Steve Jobs presentations
    • Walks on stage, confident but humble: Establish connection with audiences
    • No agenda slide, but give people an idea where you’re going (“I’ve got four things I’d like to talk about”)
      • SJ often structures his talks around 3-4 parts with one theme
    • Show your enthusiasm: Believe what he says, sincere, authentic
    • Be positive, upbeat, humorous
    • Not about numbers, but what the numbers mean
      • break down numbers, compares it
    • Make it visual
    • Introduce something unexpected
    • Include only what is necessary
    • Vary the pace and change techniques: Mixes in video clips, images, stories, data, etc.
    • Save the best for last
    • Go the appropriate length

Chapter 6: End with a Powerful Finish

  • Sticky ending: Simple, concrete, unexpected, credible
  • Take it back to the beginning
  • Summarize the main points
  • Tell a story
  • Make them laugh
  • End on a positive note that give people hope and encouragement to keep learning and investigating on their own

Chapter 7: Continuous Improvement Through Persistence

  • Three C’s of presenting with impact
    • Contribution
    • Connection
    • Change

Bibliographic data

@book{
   title = "The Naked Presenter: Delivering Powerful Presentations With or Without Slides",
   author = "Garr Reynolds",
   year = "2011",
   publisher = "New Riders",
   address = "Berkeley CA",
   isbn = "978-0-321-70445-0",
}