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BUSINESS PRESENTATIONS
BREAK THE RULES

Corporate communication trainers and former theater, film and TV directors David Booth and Deborah Shames offer a radical approach to creating and delivering impactful, persuasive business presentations using perspective, passion, and values.

August 2009 - We've all sat through enough painfully boring or poorly executed speeches to know that only dynamic presentations stay with us and influence our business decisions. These days, no one can afford to blow an opportunity to leave such a lasting professional impression by relying on the old, traditional speaking paradigm.

In their new book, OWN THE ROOM: Business Presentations that Persuade, Engage and Get Results (McGraw Hill/September 2009), creators of the Eloqui Presentation and Communication Training program David Booth and Deborah Shames, and clinical psychologist Peter Desberg, combine their film, TV and theater background with their experience as corporate consultants to guide readers through a revolutionary approach to delivering memorable presentations. Although it does contain extensive research and guidance on conquering stage fright, OWN THE ROOM goes beyond the run-of-the-mill "face your fear of speaking" tomes that extol the same, tired presentation advice.

Instead, OWN THE ROOM boils presentations down to the key element that other speaking guides have missed: intention. Intention is crucial to a presentation. The majority of presenters neglect to ask themselves, "What am I trying to achieve with this presentation?" "Who is my audience?" and "What is my end goal?" Once a speaker has identified a clear and precise intention, she can create a truly persuasive presentation by employing the book's comprehensive approach, which includes:

•Choose One Role and Perform it Well: Authority is persuasive, and every speaker must first designate his presenting role, or how he wants to be perceived by the audience. He needs to ask himself, "Am I the Coach? The Facilitator? The Liaison? The Trusted Advisor?" Roles are derived from personal expertise, and once a role is selected, the speaker should never stray from it during a presentation.

•Be Memorable: OWN THE ROOM trains speakers the principles of learning, attention, and memory so that they can craft presentations that stay with their audience. By using narrative and "physical grammar" such as effective gestures and justified movement, speakers support the overarching themes and intention of their presentations.

•Start Strong: Our brains are hardwired to respond to novelty and surprise. A persuasive presentation opens fast and strong to grab the listeners' attention from the first second. Contrary to popular belief, setting expectations low by starting with an apology never works - trust is the most important component of successful business relationships, and pointing out anxiety or lack of expertise at the starting gate won't build the audience's confidence in the speaker.

•Close Stronger: "Your close is the bridge to a bright future with your audience or client," say the authors of OWN THE ROOM. Therefore, it's crucial for the speaker to end with conviction by employing a tool such as an effective summarization, inspirational quote, call to action, personal anecdote, or tagline.

OWN THE ROOM supports these guiding presentation principles with instructive case studies gleaned from Booth and Shames' experience training corporate clients ranging from Pfizer to Mattel to Microsoft. Along with chapters focusing on team presentations and using PowerPoint® as a visual aid, and an Appendix featuring a list of useful action verbs and must-know presentation terms, OWN THE ROOM is the all-in-one guide to the new approach to memorable and influential presentations.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS:

David Booth is a professionally trained theater director and classically trained actor who taught Theater Arts at Virginia Commonwealth University and the Pacific Conservatory of Performing Arts. He began working as a spokesman for large corporations such as Bank of America, Chevron, and Cisco Systems, which led to his partnership with Deborah Shames in the mid-1990s to form the Eloqui communications company.

Deborah Shames is an award-winning producer and director who has produced and directed several independent films and more than sixty corporate training and educational videos. She has directed such luminaries as Danny Glover and Angela Lansbury, and coached female executives and authors on presentation techniques.

For more information: http://www.eloqui.biz/

Peter Desberg is a licensed clinical psychologist and university professor who specializes in stage fright. He has authored twenty books and numerous book chapters and is a popular presenter at professional conferences.