The Exceptional Presenter

If you're the type who'd love to learn how to do all these things better, then "The Exceptional Presenter" is for you. As the subtitle of "A Proven Formula to Open Up! And Own the Room" suggests, the book provides a tried-and-tested method for presenting with greatness. You can open up to any page and find a useful tip, but if you want to digest the step-by-step formula, you should read the book from beginning to end.

The author is a presentation and media consultant, who's worked with countless political leaders, CEOs, and business professionals worldwide. He's helped thousands improve their communication styles and presentation skills. According to him, anyone can become an exceptional presenter. It all has to do with just how badly you want to improve.

So, keep listening and find out what you should NEVER do when conducting a question and answer session; how to easily work practice time into your daily routine, and what you should not do with your hands when you're speaking.

The book is divided into 13 chapters, all of which follow a logical progression, as they teach us how to open up and communicate better.

The book begins by laying out the six characteristics that every exceptional presenter has in common. The author has created an acronym for these points, and that acronym is: OPEN UP. OPEN stands for what the exceptional presenter is: Organized, Passionate, Engaging, and Natural.

Meanwhile, UP stands for what you must do to become an exceptional presenter: Understand your audience, and Practice.

It includes a quick quiz that prompts you to pick two people who you think are exceptional presenters, and why you think they're so effective. The quiz helps you understand just what makes people stand out when they're speaking. Once you know what you admire in others, you can begin to work on those characteristics within yourself.

The second chapter goes into why we should care about our presentation skills.

Here, the author stresses that every time we open our mouths to speak in public, we're public speaking. When you think about it that way, it's easy to see why having excellent communication skills is so important. Whether you're trying to win over a new client, or navigating your way through a teleconference, it's vital that you know how to effectively lay out your ideas.

By the end of this chapter, you begin to understand just how often you present and communicate every day – and the benefits of improving these skills. As a result, the rest of the book becomes all the more relevant.

With chapter four, we begin to get into the real meat of how to become a better presenter. This chapter is about being organized. If you don't look organized to your audience, they're not going to trust that you know what you're talking about.

The author brings up an excellent point here about the use of technological aids. He says that programs like PowerPoint have smartened up the face of presentations. But too many people depend on these programs to carry them through their presentations. They look at the screen too much, read the slides directly, and don't engage with the audience. The author's point is that technological aids should be used to enhance the presentation. They shouldn't be the presentation.

He then offers some excellent ideas on ways to prepare beforehand for technical failure. One of his tips is to practice the presentation both with your aids, and without. That way, you'll feel comfortable improvising if things don't go as planned.

The next chapter goes into the importance of passion, and how we communicate our passion to the audience.

Surprisingly enough, it's not what we say that convinces our audience that we feel strongly about our topic. It's how we say it. Things like our posture, our gestures, and our tone of voice are key indicators of how we really feel about what we're saying.

Imagine a woman getting up to speak in front of a large group. She smiles easily at everyone, and shakes a few hands as she purposefully walks to the podium. When she gets there, she stands tall with her head held high. She makes eye contact, pauses, and then begins to speak slowly and clearly.

It's easy to tell from the get-go that she's excited and comfortable about her opportunity to speak. How do we know? Her smile, her posture, and her eye contact are major clues.

If we can't communicate how passionate we are, how can we expect our audience to care or take action? The answer is: We can't. So, this is where we learn how to pass along these important non-verbal clues that will make such a big difference.

This is also where we learn what to do with our hands while presenting. There's a humorous list of hand gestures we often use unconsciously when we're nervous. One of these is called "the spider in the mirror," which is a great name for when we touch all our fingertips together. Another is "the fire starter," when we rub our hands together in a furious attempt to think.

This entire section might make you laugh out loud, as you recognize your own idiosyncrasies. But, rather than just pointing out our bad habits, the author gives us plenty of tips for overcoming them. We learn how to do the opposite, and convince our audience that we're comfortable and passionate about what we're talking about.

For example, when you're speaking behind a lectern, it's important not to lean on it in any way. Your hands should rest on the surface, but should not grab the outside edges. If you're using notes, they should be at the top of the lectern, not the bottom. This means when you glance down at your next point, only your eyes move, and your face can stay pointed towards the audience.

There are also many ways you can start practicing these good presentation skills in your daily routine. You can gesture while you're on the phone or in regular conversation, or read the paper out loud in the mornings. These little things can make a big difference in how effective you are in front of a group.

This chapter is full of fascinating clues as to what your body language and voice are really telling people. There are plenty of bulleted tips and graphics that clearly show you what the author is talking about.

Most readers will find Chapter Six particularly interesting as it reveals how to tell if your audience is bored – or fascinated by what you're saying.

For example, if they're maintaining eye contact and taking notes, then you know you've still got them. If they're rubbing their eyes and picking lint off their clothes, then you've got to start reeling them back in.

There are several sections in this chapter that detail how you can regain your audience's attention if you've lost it, and some are quite unusual. There's no doubt that many readers will find these suggestions useful in their next presentation.

We also learn about handouts here. Should we give them out at the beginning of the presentation, or wait until the end? Although the author leaves it up to us to make the final decision, the statistics for each option are fascinating. After reading this section, you might think twice before you hand out information at your next talk.

Chapter 10 is one of the most valuable chapters in the book. It goes into the ins and outs of conducting a successful question and answer session.

The author stresses that the question and answer session is probably the most important part of your entire presentation. It's here that you can reiterate points, defend a position, and build a rapport with your audience. This is where you can end on a bang, and yet most people never spend any time practicing this part of their performance. As a result, most people's question and answer sections are mild disasters. Do you really want a bad Q and A session to be your last impression? Probably not. So stay on top of your game during this part of your presentation, especially when it comes to your non-verbal skills.

One reason why things often go horribly wrong at this point is because a question and answer session can often feel like an attack. Your natural tendency is to retreat away from this pressure. You'll show your retreat by doing things like casting your eyes down, allowing your hands to migrate to your pockets, or using verbal graffiti, such as "um" or "uh" in your answers. These things do nothing but make your credibility sink in the eyes of your audience.

You can combat these instinctive tendencies by maintaining strong body language. The author says that, no matter what happens, it's vital that you maintain your composure at all times. When you consciously control your reaction to unexpected questions, you can think clearly and respond appropriately.

The author gives an outstanding list of ways to improve your question and answer sessions. You learn how to neutralize negative questions, why it's important to involve everyone in a question, how to buy time in order to think, and how to make sure you understand exactly what the person is asking of you.

The next chapter focuses on negative energy, and how you can use it to make your presentation a smash hit. The author gives some good advice, although you've probably heard much of it before. Tips like visualizing success, breathing deeply, and maintaining a positive outlook are all well and good, but they're not exactly original.

What stood out in this chapter were the suggestions about what you should eat and drink before your presentation. Some tips, like avoiding heavy meals, are fairly obvious. But a few, like skipping the cranberry juice, were quite surprising. The author also touches briefly on why we should avoid certain foods, and the reasons were pretty interesting.

At the very end of the book the author gives several worksheets that are helpful for mapping your progress. There are assessment forms, observation sheets, and practice logs for you to chart your growth.

There's also an outline worksheet that will help you plan out your next presentation. The two-part form will help you identify your mission, what points you want to bring up, and how you're going to structure your speech.

So, after reading "The Exceptional Presenter," will you really be an exceptional presenter? Well, it all depends on how much work you put into it. The book definitely has some fabulous insights about public speaking. And thanks to the many graphics and worksheets, it's certainly easy to dive in and start learning. You'll find yourself breezing from one section to the next. Even if you just skim, you'll still come across plenty of useful tips.

"The Exceptional Presenter" by Timothy Koegel is published in hardback by Greenleaf Book Group Press.

That's the end of this episode of Book Insights.