The Orderly Conversation: Business Presentations Redefined

The Orderly Conversation® is a groundbreaking presentation skills training resource for business communicators. The practical recommendations found in its pages focus on the type of everyday, getting-business-done presentations that take place in corporate conference rooms across the globe. In other words, it focuses on the types of presentations business people actually deliver.

As business people know, these presentations are not formal speeches. They are structured conversations that help you move business forward. The problem is that traditional resources available to business presenters -- books, blogs, academic courses and the corporate training they have inspired -- focus on speechmaking. The Orderly Conversation draws a clear distinction between the two.

In doing so, it simplifies the process, eases your discomfort, and gives you a fresh way to think about your presentations.

Readers of this book follow the progress of eight fictional, but very typical, business people as they go through a presentation skills training workshop. You will see how they shift their approach away from speechmaking and toward initiating and managing an Orderly Conversation.

This book is for you if:

-- what you've been taught about public speaking doesn't work for you.
-- the strategies you use to overcome nervousness aren't working.
-- you have a hard time thinking on your feet.
-- you find yourself breaking ''rules'' you've heard about PowerPoint, bullets and slide design.
-- you practice to be perfect only to find that you've made matters worse.
-- you feel that preparing and delivering presentations ought to be a lot easier (and less time-consuming) than it is.
-- people derail you during your presentations.

If you are a leader or manager, this book is for you and your team members if:

-- your team leads ineffective and inefficient meetings.
-- you wish your team had better communication skills.
-- you wish they could close the sale, reach agreement or make the decision on their first try.
-- you are tired of your time being wasted by poorly prepared presenters.
-- you leave your team's presentations frustrated and confused.

This book is unique for a few important reasons; first, because it focuses on the type of presentations you actually deliver, it simplifies your improvement. Throughout the book, speechmaking skills and assumptions are replaced. This includes, for example, the notion that a perfect presentation is possible, that practice will guarantee success, that graphic images on slides are always better than words, and that there are rules about where to stand and how to gesture. The authors argue that these assumptions hamper your success, offering in their place fresh ideas for managing the give and take of typical business meetings and presentations.

Second, the authors respect your individuality. The challenges you face as a business communicator are unique, and you will not improve in exactly the same way as anyone else. The book helps you understand your own individual approach and offers insight into how to make minor adjustments that lead to major improvements.

Third, you will hear from both authors individually. Ludwig lays out the big picture for each major concept. Owen-Boger coaches the eight workshop participants as they apply those concepts to their own business presentations. As you observe, you'll see how a wide variety of individuals -- some with skills and concerns much like your own -- succeed.

Dale Ludwig and Greg Owen-Boger of Turpin Communication have been delivering presentation and facilitation skills training for a total of 41 years--that's 22 years for Dale and 19 for Greg.

Dale Ludwig has a Ph.D. in Communication and, prior to founding Turpin in 1992, taught at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Since then he has worked to keep Turpin focused on providing the best presentation and facilitation skills training available. In addition to his work in live, instructor-led workshops, Dale also appears in Turpin's eLearning courses.

Greg Owen-Boger has been with Turpin Communication since 1995, first as a cameraman, then instructor, and now vice president. Schooled in management and the performing arts, Greg brings a diverse set of skills and experience to the organization. He is a frequent blogger and his work has appeared in Master Presenter: Lessons from the World's Experts on Becoming a More Influential Speaker.