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THE POLISHED PRESENTATION

THE COMPLETE SPEAKER'S GUIDE

A meticulous, no-nonsense collection of strategies to ensure successful presentations.

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Fensholt Perera (The Francis Effect, 2006) offers a detailed guide on improving one’s public speaking performance.

Public speaking, while a necessary skill for many, can be a nerve-wracking experience. The author, a presentation consultant and coach, begins her book with evolutionary explanations of glossophobia (fear of public speaking). She then offers strategies to lessen the impact of nervousness, such as rehearsing, mingling, practicing diaphragmatic breathing, assuming a confident pose, and using affirmations such as “Anxiety is normal. I will do well even if I am uncomfortable.” In a section on presentation design, Fensholt Perera encourages readers to analyze what the speaker and the audience truly want. Presentations, she says, may be impromptu (without notes), scripted, or, most commonly, extemporaneous (with an outline, but not memorized), which she says “allows you to combine the benefits of preparation with those of a more natural, conversational, and flexible delivery.” She describes different presentation structures from the simple (compare and contrast) to the intricate (sales-related presentations); she also urges readers to choose their words wisely, reduce redundancies, and eliminate clichés, and she shares stylistic tips to make visual aids more effective. The third section advises readers on presentation delivery, pointing out that eye contact, posture, facial expressions, and gestures all factor into the audience’s perceptions, while lighting, lecterns, microphones, and teleprompters should facilitate, not distract. Overall, this detailed book is not for those looking for a quick fix for presentation problems, and it may overwhelm those who are already skittish about the idea of public speaking. However, it does provide practical, helpful pointers on such subjects as how to craft effective opening and closing statements, how to keep audiences engaged, and how to handle trick questions. At times, the instruction veers into highly specific scenarios, such as English-as-a-second-language presentations, that won’t apply to everyone, but it only goes to show how the author manages to cover all aspects of public speaking in this comprehensive book.

A meticulous, no-nonsense collection of strategies to ensure successful presentations.

Pub Date: April 27, 2017

ISBN: 978-0-578-18667-2

Page Count: 226

Publisher: Oakmont Press

Review Posted Online: June 22, 2017

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NUTCRACKER

This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

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THE ELEMENTS OF STYLE

50TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION

Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis...

Privately published by Strunk of Cornell in 1918 and revised by his student E. B. White in 1959, that "little book" is back again with more White updatings.

Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis (whoops — "A bankrupt expression") a unique guide (which means "without like or equal").

Pub Date: May 15, 1972

ISBN: 0205632645

Page Count: 105

Publisher: Macmillan

Review Posted Online: Oct. 28, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1972

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