Finished the book Presentation Zen (see below) some time ago but still I was puzzled by one thing. That is, even we can create the most eye-catching slides with today’s advance graphic software, but how can we make the message we send across stick in the audiences’ minds ? It’s the reason we do the presentation, isn’t it ?
That’s why I bought the book Made To Stick (again, see below) and I am glad to tell you all that it’s a very good read. This book outlines a very practical approach to increase a message’s “stickiness”, and it’s called SUCCESs:
- Simple — find the core of any idea
- Unexpected — grab people’s attention by surprising them
- Concrete — make sure an idea can be grasped and remembered later
- Credibility — give an idea believability
- Emotion — help people see the importance of an idea
- Stories — empower people to use an idea through narrative
Except some minor irrelevant sections in the last chapter, the book is very well written and included many good references and case studies. So if you want to improve your presentation, don’t miss these two books !!