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Would You Like To Be a
Competent and Confident Presenter?
Presentation Skills for Technical Professionals:
Achieving Excellence
ORDER FROM MY PUBLISHER in a choice of printed or e-reader formats. Just select your preferred format from the Options drop-down menu at these two links.
Also available as a printed book from Amazon,
Amazon UK,
Amazon Canada,
Amazon Japan,
Barnes & Noble,
and numerous other books sites.
And available for Kindles at Amazon.
ABOUT THIS BOOK (See below for glowing reviews)
If you were in an audience listening to a presenter who sounded exactly like you,
how would you rate the person?
This is a key question because the
ability to give a polished presentation will significantly enhance your
credibility, clout, and professional status. Delivering a presentation
at work or at professional events is an opportunity to share your
insights, convey important information, and gain a reputation as a valued employee
and an expert in your field.
Presentation Skills for Technical Professionals is packed with
guidelines and advice to help you become a proficient presenter.
You'll realize what makes your hands sweat and your heart go
thumpety-thump and what to do about it.
You'll learn how to create
engaging content, handle essential preparations, and present with poise.
You'll pick up pointers for presenting to management, customers, your team and foreign audiences.
No matter how skilled you are as a presenter, Presentation Skills for Technical Professionals will help
you improve. If you're panicked at the very thought of presenting,
you'll gain valuable advice for taking the first steps.
If you're an experienced presenter, you'll find a vast number of tips
to help you get even better. Regardless of
your level, you'll learn how to impress
your audience (and finish without falling flat on your face!).
Presentation Skills for Technical Professionals draws from my 25 years as an international speaker. Throughout the book, you'll find examples of
situations from minor blips to near disasters that
presenters have experienced. You'll learn how they coped, what they
learned, and how you can avoid similar situations.
As a former IT professional who remembers what it was like to be terrified of public speaking,
I'm delighted to offer you this book so that you too can present with confidence.
CONTENTS OF THIS BOOK
Foreword by Ellen Gottesdiener (Read Ellen's foreword)
Introduction: Please Join Me in Welcoming…...
I. Becoming a Skilled Presenter
1. Overview of the Basics
2. Finding Your Voice
3. Attributes of Good and Bad Presentations
4. Presentation Anxiety and How to Tame It
II. Developing Engaging Content
5. Key Steps in Shaping Your Presentation
6. Openings and Closings
7. Interaction and the Adult Attention Span
8. The Powerful Impact of Stories
9. Using (Without Misusing) PowerPoint
III. Preparing to Present
10. Logistical Preparations
11. Presenter Survival Kit
12. The Vital Role of Practice
IV. Presenting with Confidence
13. How to Make a Winning Impression
14. How Not to Annoy Your Audience
15. How to Handle Audience Questions
16. How to Manage a Difficult Audience
17. How to Cope with Nervousness
V. Tips for Selected Contexts
18. Presenting to Management
19. Presentations to Customers
20. Presenting to Your Team
21. Presenting to a Foreign Audience
22. Presentations at Conferences
23. Presenting Webinars
24. Presenting with Co-presenters
What Reviewers are Saying
“I have to admit that I was skeptical a book about presenting for technical professionals could be so readable and fun. As a professional speaker and writer myself, I was amazed at the amount of detail Naomi delivers with as much pizazz as necessary to grip this audience. It's easy to write a book from seminar presentations, but, believe me, this is not one of those. If it were I would not be writing this review. It seems Naomi has left nothing out, and anyone who wants be more comfortable and professional (without necessarily being one) will find this book a ready guide for successful presenting. She has given us all the nuances, answers all our questions, provides exceptions to the rules, all manner of presenting scenarios and situations, and does it in an entertaining way. It's the kind of book you will keep going back to just to feel good about a presentation you have coming up, and if you never liked presenting but had to do it anyway, this is one great way to start. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and I know you will, too.”
--Jack Shaw, the Passionate Communicator at Acting Smarts
“If you get up in front of people, real or virtual, buy Presentation Skills for Technical Professionals: Achieving Excellence. Assuming you read at least one part of the book, you will have the tools to raise your game as a presenter.... Presentation Skills for Technical Professionals is a book that knows its audience, with tips and techniques and examples from Naomi's background in information technology. The book deals not only with standard presentation, but includes advice and ideas on team meetings and project presentations, as well as our nearly ubiquitous friend, the webinar.... Naomi's seventh book, while a concise compilation of advice on how to improve your presentations, is rich with examples about applying that advice in the real world and the pitfalls of ignoring that advice.... Presentation Skills for Technical Professionals covers the waterfront in terms of how to improve a presentation, including discussions of how to know yourself better, know your audience better, and know the tricks that different platforms present.... Many if not all the chapters can be converted into checklists for application of the ideas presented.... One of my recent resolutions was to use stories in my presentations as a vehicle to better convey my message. Chapter 8 discusses that exact topic, discussing the impact of using stories to convey the message in a presentation, then walks through how to craft the story and the slides needed to support the story.... Buy it, read it, use it as a reference.”
--Tom Cagley, host of the Software Process and Measurement podcast. Listen to the full review (2:45 minutes into the podcast). Listen to Tom's interview of Naomi about the book.
“Great book! It discusses virtually all aspects and levels of the presentation process. From a beginner's perspective, it describes the basics, discusses finding your voice, provides advice on speaker anxiety, and outlines the attributes of good and bad presentations. From a seasoned speaker's perspective like myself, I found a wonderful combination of quick tips, reminders of important presentation fundamentals, a "Presenter Survival Kit checklist" that I now keep with my presentation bag (extension cord, USB thumb drive, wireless remote to change slides, etc.), and great insights when presenting to management, customers, foreign audiences, and in other similar scenarios.”
--Eric Bloom, President, Manager Mechanics LLC and author of “Manager Mechanics: Tips and Advice for First-Time Managers”
“I was so pleased when my copy of Naomi Karten's Presentation Skills for Technical Professionals arrived the day before I left for Agile Testing Days in Berlin . . . . It's an easy and entertaining read, and I learned a lot . . . . I highly recommend it to everyone who ever has to make a presentation - whether you only rarely have to present to fellow employees or speak frequently at conferences. It has good reminders for experienced speakers, plus some nuggets you might not have thought of. If you're new to presenting or nervous about it, following the instructions in this book will give you much more confidence and let you enjoy the experience instead of dreading it.”
--Lisa Crispin, co-author of “Agile Testing: A Practical Guide for Testers and Agile Teams”
“Presentation Skills for Technical Professionals by Naomi Karten is an expansive guide to honing the skills needed to wow an audience. Much of the book deals with the psychology of presenting and the fear many people encounter when they stand up in front of others. It provides a step-by-step guide on how to prepare your presentation, how to psych yourself up and suggests some dos and don'ts of good presentation style. . . . it's hard to think of any aspect of presenting that the book doesn't cover and all professionals should be able to find something that they can use to improve their own skills, without having to wade through information they already know. . . . No one can afford to believe they know everything about presenting either, and using this book to brush up on their skills will be time well spent for even seasoned CIOs.”
--Julian Goldsmith, CIO magazine, UK.
“Even the most seasoned public speaker can go weak in the knees at the prospect of making a big presentation. Technical professionals, who may be the master of their subject, often particularly struggle with presenting their ideas. However, strong presentation skills are critical for career success. The ability to present articulately to customers, executives, peers and others can significantly enhance credibility, clout, and professional status. Delivering presentations at work or professional events is one of the best ways build a reputation as an expert. In this latest installment of my series of Books24x7 digital books reviews, Presentation Skills for Technical Professionals: Achieving Excellence by Naomi Karten (IT Governance © 2010) offers invaluable tips on how to make presentations clear and accessible. From topics such as concisely outlining the aspects of good and bad presentations to effectively interacting with the audience, the advice is practical and geared specifically to a technical professional. The suggestions for how to start with a strong opening and conclude with a strong ending, and provide context to build a great presentation, are invaluable. The chapter entitled ?How Not to Annoy Your Audience? is particularly useful, offering a list of behaviors to avoid from vocal and physical mannerisms, to overuse of clichés is applicable for presenters of all experience levels. Author Naomi Karten is a professional speaker and seminar leader. Naomi?s psychology background and IT experience has enabled her to work with numerous organizations to help them strengthen communication and presentation skills, and she is known for her ability to put across serious material with a light and appropriately humorous touch.”
-- Skillsoft Book Review
Also check out these books and ebooks:
Managing Expectations
Changing How You Manage and Communicate Change
Communication Gaps and
How to Close Them
How to Establish Service
Level Agreements
40 Frequent
Feedback-Gathering Flaws and How to Fix Them
How to Survive, Excel and Advance as an Introvert
Return to Books page.
Questions? Contact me at +1-781-986-8148 or by
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