Presentations for Dummies

Whether you’re dealing with one person or one thousand, the ability to transmit ideas in a coherent and compelling fashion is one of the most important skills you can ever develop. Want to impress your colleagues? Convince your clients? Prove your point? The key to success is what you say. To get what you want in life, you have to present yourself forcefully, credibly, and convincingly.

If you need to land that big consulting job or launch a new initiative at the office, knowing how to present your case is half the battle. Luckily, Presentations For Dummies shows you the way. It gives you all the tools and tips you need to make your presentations flawless and effective, including proven advice on:

• Relating to your audience
• Overcoming stage fright
• Adding flare with personal stories
• Using humor to loosen up the crowd
• Making your point with visual aids

From getting prepared to dealing with unexpected problems while you’re the focus of attention, this handy guide covers everything you need to make all your presentations flawless. You’ll learn how to create fantastic, effective visual aids that make your point with passion, and a whole lot more:

• Gathering sources and compiling data
• Organizing your ideas
• Improving your timing for maximum impact
• Using your pre-presentation nerves as an asset
• Choosing the perfect word in every instance
• Crafting an introduction, conclusion, and transitions
• Using PowerPoint to make your point
• Understanding what body language says about you
• Simple tricks for every situation

Written by consultant, humorist, and professional speaker Malcolm Kushner, Presentations For Dummies tells you everything you need to know — and do — to get it right from the start. But be careful, this powerful resource could make your presentations so good that you might have to give more of them.

Malcolm Kushner, “America’s favorite humor consultant,” is an internationally acclaimed expert on humor and communication and a professional speaker. Since 1982, he has trained thousands of managers, executives, and professionals how to gain a competitive edge with humor. His clients include IBM, Hewlett-Packard, AT&T, Chevron, Aetna, Motorola, and Bank of America.
A popular speaker, his Leading With Laughter® presentation features rare video clips of U.S. presidents using humor intentionally and successfully. He has performed the speech at many corporate and association meetings, as well as at the Smithsonian Institution.
Kushner has also written presentations for some of the nation’s leading corporate executives. His work has included everything from remarks at annual shareholder meetings to commencement addresses and Congressional testimony.
A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Buffalo, Kushner holds a B.A. in Speech-Communication. His M.A. in Speech-Communication is from the University of Southern California, where he taught freshman speech. He also has a J.D. from the University of California Hastings College of the Law. Prior to becoming a humor consultant, he practiced law with a major San Francisco law firm.
Kushner is the author of The Light Touch: How to Use Humor for Business Success (Simon & Schuster) and Vintage Humor for Wine Lovers (Malcolm Kushner & Associates). He is also a cocreator of the humor exhibit at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.
Frequently interviewed by the media, Kushner has been profiled in Time Magazine, USA Today, The New York Times, and numerous other publications. His television and radio appearances include CNN, National Public Radio, CNBC, Voice of America, and The Larry King Show. His annual “Cost of Laughing Index” has been featured on The Tonight Show and the front page of The Wall Street Journal.
Need a great speaker for your next meeting or event? Contact Malcolm at P.O. Box 7509, Santa Cruz, CA 95061, call 831-425-4839, or e-mail him at mk@kushnergroup.com. Visit his Web site at www.kushnergroup.com.