Friday 15 June 2012

Review by Steve Hall of Staffordshire University



This book is an essential read for anyone wishing to make their presentations more meaningful, accessible and engaging to their audience. It models what it promotes having been written in an engaging style which tells the reader in advance what key messages they will experience and then it delivers exactly ‘what it says on the tin’.

The layout aids accessibility with a clear contents page, a well-chosen and thought-provoking quote at the start of each section and a valuable summary paragraph to end the section. As such it is a resource which can be picked up for specific help as and when it is needed as an aide memoire. That said it is also written so well that once started, putting it down is a challenge as the reader is constantly reminded of what further nuggets of quality guidance and advice are coming next.

Each chapter draws the reader into a conversational relationship with the book which, as you are reading it, suggests the coaching conversations you might be having with the authors, a supportive critical friend or even yourself as you think more deeply about the what?, where?, how?, why? and who to? aspects of giving presentations. The concept of self in terms of you as the designer and creator of a presentation; you as the reviewer and editor and finally you as the presenter and evaluator, learning from each experience and challenging yourself to make your presentations ‘better each time’, is key to the success of the book.

Of special note are the sections which connect skills and techniques of presenting with the psychology of knowing and managing both yourself and your audience as you develop your potential as a Power Presenter. The importance of an audience’s emotional engagement with the material used within a presentation is a valuable reminder of the significance of the social and emotional dimensions of learning and this is an indication of the depth of thinking which the authors have employed in making this book such a valuable tool and resource.

This raising of self-awareness as the authors skilfully take you through each stage of giving a presentation keeps you thinking all the time of the impact of your presentation on others, using a balance of practical tips with insights into how  the psychology of presentations can be used to work with rather than against you. The result is a delightful read which challenges your thinking and gets you reflecting on how effective your presentations might really be.

There are many highlights in the book and anyone reading this as a structured training programme or just using it as a self-review tool when reflecting on how to develop and improve presentation skills, will identify a personalised list of key learning points. This is a further strength of the publication as the reader can use the book to ‘challenge the robots’ of previous practice such as the use of bullet points, sounds and animation, reflect on how effective their existing style might be and consider trying a different approach. The references to the importance of coaching, co-coaching, reflecting and practising remind us that this is not rocket science and yet how refreshing to be reminded that there is the potential to be an effective or even a powerful presenter in all of us.

I strongly recommend that anyone involved in designing, developing and delivering presentations whether as individuals or teams of teachers, trainers and facilitators get hold of this book and use it as a tool for reviewing and revising their practise. Whether it is used in a structured or targeted manner to look afresh at the effectiveness of the use of PowerPoint in particular, it will promote a new level of self-talk and self-review but also renewed professional dialogue between colleagues wanting to make sure their presentations ‘hit the spot’ and are memorable for all the right reasons!

Steve Hall                                                                                                                                  
Lead for Professional Learning
Staffordshire University, School of Education 
May 2012


Wednesday 6 June 2012

WAYS TO AVOID THE SUPERMARKET TRAP

Co-author of The Presenter's Handbook, Phillip Adcock, recently gave an interview to Linda Harrison of the Daily Express, in relation to his first book Supermarket Shoppology.

Linda starts by outlining that the weekly shop is a ritual familiar to us all. There’s the challenge of buying staples such as milk, tinned goods, a bag of pasta and a bottle of plonk without going over budget. Some of us buy in bulk, others pick up items as we go but we all face the bright lights and endless aisles laden with goodies at our local supermarket.
In an effort to cut costs, who hasn’t snapped up an item labelled “best value”, “three for two” or the bewildering acronym BOGOF (buy one get one free)? I often feel my brain is about to explode by the time I get to the till, never sure I’ve actually reduced my weekly spend. 


Now consumer behaviour expert Phillip Adcock has written a book exposing the real workings of the average supermarket, the tricks they employ, the confusing offers slapped on packaging and the store layouts that mean we sometimes spend more than we want to. 

Supermarket Shoppology: The Science Of Supermarket Shopping And A Strategy To Spend Less And Get More (Shopping Behaviour Xplained, £9.79) promises to spill the beans on all the stores’ secrets. 

“The average householder spends £150,000 in supermarkets in their lifetime,” says Phillip. “They’re spending more in there than on anything except the mortgage.”

Phillip, who for 20 years taught leading retailers how to induce consumers to spend more, agreed to accompany Linda on her weekly shop. 

Find out what happens by reading the full article.