Presenting to Win

About the Author

Jerry Weissman, the world's foremost corporate presentations coach, has a distinguished career that includes working with some of the most recognized names in the corporate world. Companies like Yahoo!, Intel, and Microsoft are just a few among his elite clientele. Weissman is renowned for transforming dry, fact-laden presentations into compelling stories that capture and retain audience attention. His expertise has made him a sought-after figure in the world of business communications, helping executives and professionals convey their messages with clarity and impact.

Main Idea

"Presenting to Win: The Art of Selling Your Story" by Jerry Weissman is a comprehensive guide designed to help individuals create powerful presentations that inform, persuade, and inspire even the most skeptical audiences. The book focuses on transforming presentations from mundane recitals of facts into engaging narratives with a laser-sharp focus on the audience's needs and benefits. By adopting techniques like Audience Advocacy and the WIIFY (What's In It For You) principle, Weissman provides a roadmap for crafting presentations that avoid common pitfalls and achieve the ultimate goal of moving the audience from Point A (uninformed and skeptical) to Point B (informed, convinced, and ready to act).

Table of Contents

1. You and Your Audience
2. Avoid the Data Dump: Too Much Information, Not Enough Focus
3. Finding Your Flow
4. Capturing Your Audience Immediately
5. The Proper Role of Graphics
6. Making Graphics Help Your Story Flow
7. Bringing Your Story to Life
8. Customizing Your Presentation

You and Your Audience

Weissman opens the book by addressing the frequent mistakes made in presentations. According to him, few human activities are done as often and as poorly as presentations. He identifies the Five Cardinal Sins of Presentations: no clear point, no audience benefit, no clear flow, too detailed, and too long. Each of these sins can derail a presentation, leaving the audience confused or bored. The key to avoiding these pitfalls is to build what Weissman calls a "Power Presentation" – a focused, engaging, and audience-centered narrative.

The Power Presentation is all about focus. Presenters often get lost in the minutiae of their stories, losing sight of the overall message. Weissman emphasizes the importance of starting with the end goal in mind. This dynamic shift from Point A (where the audience is initially) to Point B (the desired outcome) is essential for effective persuasion. To achieve this, presenters must adopt a strategy of Audience Advocacy – viewing the presentation through the eyes of the audience and focusing on their needs and benefits.