Synopses & Reviews
No Sweat Presentations offers a simple road map to the world of professional presentations. Lenny Lakowski’s 35 years of expertise from delivering over 2,700 programs world-wide to clients in over 178 countries is provided in this simple-to-read book. His No Sweat guide is for speakers who are beginning their journey into the world of professional speaking.
Lenny teaches the “Dozen Deadly Dangers” to avoid and shows that the speech is a means to giving great, helpful material to the audience and the speaker is the vehicle to achieve that goal. His key No Sweat topics include:
- Gathering Information and Materials
- The Structure of a Presentation
- Use of Visual Aids and Vocal variety
- Nonverbal Messages
- How to Handle Questions
Synopsis
A simple road map to the world of professional presentationsWhat happens when you're asked to give a speech, professionally or personally? If you get nervous, start sweating, and hope it's all just a bad dream then you aren't alone, but you need help. Painless Presentations proves that speaking doesn't have to be painful, or even stressful. A speech is a means to giving great, helpful material to an audience and the speaker is the vehicle to achieve that goal. This simple-to-read book guides those just beginning their journey into the world of speaking. Painless Presentations teaches the "Dozen Deadly Dangers" to avoid and much more.
- Explains how to gather information and materials
- Details the structure of a presentation
- Describes uses of visual aids and vocal variety
- Demonstrates how to handle questions
Painless Presentations offers wisdom derived from Lenny Laskowski's thirty-five-year speaking career, delivering more than 2,700 programs to clients in over 178 countries. It will give you no-sweat tips for delivering speeches that win over your audiences every time and teaches you that giving speeches doesn't have to be painful.
Synopsis
Praise for
Painless Presentations"A master class in public speaking."
Alan Weiss, PhD, author of Million Dollar Speaking and The Consulting Bible
"The equivalent of enrolling in a speaking course in the privacy of your home. Most people who make presentations need a good road map Lenny Laskowski has prepared one in this comprehensive book."
Dr. Tony Alessandra, author of The Platinum Rule and Charisma
"Timeless tools and techniques for successful public speaking. It converts your presentation anxiety into energy. Acquire, apply, and excel as a great speaker!"
Professor M. S. Rao, international leadership consultant; author of thirteen books, including Soft Leadership: Make Others Feel More Important
"A very practical book to elevate the quality of the reader's public presentations. This book has provided me with techniques that my 25 years of professional speaking experience has not."
Dr. Donald E. Wetmore, professional speaker, Productivity Institute; author of Organizing Your Life and The Productivity Handbook
What happens when you're asked to give a speech, professionally or personally? If you get nervous, start sweating, and hope it's all just a bad dream, you're not alone. Business professionals, students, politicians, and teachers alike all have encountered the anxiety that comes with public speaking. But Painless Presentations proves that speaking doesn't have to be painful, or even stressful. Derived from Lenny Laskowski's 35-year speaking career, this book details the tools and techniques you need to prepare and deliver an effective, dynamic, and engaging presentation, such as:
- Learn the seven qualities of any effective speaker
- Gather necessary information and materials in advance
- Master the use of visual aids and vocal variety
- Build self-confidence by being yourself
- Handle difficult questions and tough crowds
About the Author
Lenny Laskowski is an internationally known professional speaker and the President of LJL Seminars. He specializes in helping people make better presentations by delivering workshops, seminars, keynotes, and private coaching to provide practical techniques. Lenny combines his popular coaching style with step-by-step instruction to guarantee improvements in the way people motivate and appeal to their audiences. For more information, visit www.LJLSeminars.com.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1 The Seven Aspects of Speaking 1Aspect 1—The Speaker 4
Aspect 2—The Message 5
Aspect 3—The Audience 9
Aspect 4—The Channel 16
Aspect 5—The Feedback 18
Aspect 6—The Noise 20
Aspect 7—The Setting 37
Chapter 2 Gathering Information and Materials 51
Librarians 54
Catalogs 54
Periodicals 55
Newspapers 55
Reference Works 56
The Internet 56
What Visual Aids Will You Use during Your Presentation?
Will You Use Any Visual Aids? 59
Where Will You Stand during Your Presentation? 59
Presentation Preparation as a Process 60
Information Overload 61
Using Videos and Music during Your Presentation 63
Chapter 3 The Structure of a Presentation 65
The Introduction 67
The Body 69
The Conclusion 71
Monroe’s Motivated Sequence—Special Format for Sales Presentations 72
The Dozen Deadly Dangers—Reasons for Poor Presentations 75
Chapter 4 Use of Visual Aids 79
Validity of the Data 82
Use of Visual Aids 83
Types of Visual Aids 87
More about Using Visual Aids 102
The Most Important Visual Aid 103
Chapter 5 Learning Styles 107
Visual or Spatial 110
Auditory or Aural 111
Verbal or Linguistic 113
Physical or Kinesthetic 114
Logical or Mathematical 115
Social or Interpersonal 116
Solitary or Intrapersonal 117
Mixed Learning Styles 118
Presentation Environment 118
Myers-Briggs 121
Chapter 6 Nonverbal Messages 123
Gestures—Let Your Body Speak 125
Performance Orientation versus Conversational Mode 130
Types of Gestures 136
Locations of Gestures 138
How to Gesture Effectively 142
Body Movement 147
Chapter 7 How to Handle Questions 161
Question-and-Answer Period 163
The Five-Step Process for Answering Regular (Nondifficult) Questions 163
Dealing with Difficult or Hostile Questions 166
Chapter 8 The Effective Speech 173
More on Preparation and Presentation 176
Your Call to Action 184
Index 187