The Orderly Conversation: Business Presentations Redefined - Softcover

Greg Owen-Boger; Dale Ludwig

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0983870322 ISBN 13: 9780983870326

Publisher: Granville Circle Press, 2014

Synopsis

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.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

The Orderly Conversation® is a groundbreaking resource for business presenters. For too long, business people have been taught to approach their presentations in the same way a speechmaker approaches a speech. But, business presentations are not a type of speech. They are a type of conversation.

This book explores what this distinction means for you. It simplifies theprocess, eases your discomfort, and gives you a fresh way to think about thepresentations you deliver.

This book is for you if:

• what you've been taught about presenting doesn't work for you.
• the strategies you use to overcome nervousness aren't working.
• you find yourself breaking the "rules" of visual aids you've been taught.
• you feel that preparing and delivering presentations ought to be a lot easier (and less time-consuming) than it is.

"Where was this book when I was starting out?!? The Orderly Conversationprovides a refreshing approach to speaking for the business professional--onethat provides a pathway to tap our individual strengths and bring our authenticselves to every presentation. This could change the way people do business!"Pamela Meyer, Ph.D., Author, From Workplace to Playspace: Innovating, Learning and Changing for Dynamic Engagement"Dale and Greg's book resonates with a deep need I'm noticing among presenterstoday, a desperate desire to stop 'performing' and be real with audiencesinstead. Spread the word, gentlemen. If I had my way, your text would berequired reading in every business school in the land."Robert Lane, Director, Aspire Communications

From the Inside Flap:

“Where was this book when I was starting out?!? The Orderly Conversation provides a refreshing approach to speaking for the business professional— one that provides a pathway to tap our individual strengths and bring?our authentic selves to every presentation. This could change the way people do business!” —Pamela Meyer, Ph.D. Author, From Workplace to Playspace: Innovating, Learning and Changing for Dynamic Engagement “The Orderly Conversation recognizes that the best presentations, like the best conversations, are dialogues rather than monologues that often take unexpected paths but produce invaluable insights. This book offers a way to stay true to your presentation's plan while still capitalizing on what's happening in the moment. By doing so it helps redefine the modern business presentation.” — Dave Zielinski Editor, PresentationXpert newsletter, presentationxpert.com “I sometimes wonder if there's any hope for professional communication in this modern era of presentation software, where we hide behind rigid outlines of bullets rather than truly converse with real people. It's exciting to finally see a work that challenges this persistent insanity. Dale and Greg's book resonates with a deep need I'm noticing among presenters today, a desperate desire to stop 'performing' and be real with audiences instead. Spread the word, gentlemen. If I had my way, your text would be required reading in every business school in the land.” —Robert Lane Director, Aspire Communications

About this edition

• Publisher: Granville Circle Press
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 0983870322
• ISBN 13: 9780983870326
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 234