Wired Presentations

If you search Amazon.com books using the search term “presentation” you will get somewhere close to 417,207 hits. In your list you will see many of the most popular books. That is a shame because you won’t find the crown jewell of presentation books. Face it, sometimes you have to dig to find diamonds.

Add the word “decker” to you search list, resubmit the query, and you will hit the jackpot. The first book that you will see is:

You've Got to Be Believed to Be Heard

This is THE book on presentation that you have been looking for: If you learn the contents it will literally improve your life. I don’t say that lightly and I am not exaggerating — I mean it!

You may be asking, “Jeff, there are lots of presentation books out there — what makes this one different?” That is easy to answer. Bert Decker knows what he is talking about. He has years of experience in taking scared, ineffective, folks and turning them into confident people who can get their point across. You may have heard of some of them: Charles Schwab and Bonnie Blair.

Before I buy a presentation book I scour the Web to see if I can find videos of the author actually presenting. It is shocking but many of them just aren’t very good presenters. Bert is the real deal — he can actually present. Don’t take my word for it, look on YouTube and watch some of his work.

Plus, Bert’s organization has trained over 100,000 people how to communicate more effectively. That is A LOT of people.

Before we get into what the book is about, let’s discuss what it isn’t about: This book is not about PowerPoint design. It is my opinion that PowerPoint design books are the needed only after you learn how to craft and deliver a message. This book is about crafting delivering your message. That being said, there is a great piece of PowerPoint advice involving black slides.

Are you an “Old Communicator?” Mark McQwire is. Did you believe a word that Mark McQwire said when he testified about his alleged steroid use before the US Senate? If you didn’t then Bert can point out the problem. You see, “Old Communicators” have trouble connecting with an audience and the result is simple: don’t connect and we don’t believe.

“New Communicators” know what it takes to connect with an audience. They are believable. Not only do they hone their message they know how to deliver it in such a way that the audience will believe them. This happens when you combine your message with solid delivery skills. This connection happens in what Bert calls the First Brain.

The First Brain is the nonreasoning, nonrational part of our brain. Bert calls this the Gatekeeper and your message must get past it. The Gatekeeper is constantly asking the question “Friend or foe?” This discussion is worth the price of admission.

I am a huge believer in visualization. This is not simply picturing positive outcomes, although that it part of it. Visualization is mentally rehearsing all aspects of an activity you are preparing for. There is a great story in the book about how Major James Nesmeth used visualization to take 20 strokes off of his golf game in seven years. He didn’t touch a golf club during that time. Oh, he also used visualization in order not to die. You see Major Nesmeth was a Vietnam POW.

The First Brain can’t tell the difference between vivid visualization and an actual event. Fascinating! You can use this to greatly improve your presentations.

Finally, the book describes the Decker Grid and how you can use it to rapidly craft a presentation. It is simple and easy to do. Plus, it organizes your thoughts so that you never read a speech. You simply note the trigger word and continue on speaking from the heart.

I don’t want to spoil it for you; you really should get the book. Read it and internalize it. Use it to make your life better. Don’t just take my word for it hear what others have said…

“this is a breakthrough book, with new important ideas. After reading it you will be a believer…that success and fulfillment are achievable only if you’re an effective communicator. And it shows the way.” –W. Pendleton Tudor, Chairman, AdWeek

“Bert Decker makes communicating come alive…A must read!” –Coauthor, The One Minute Manager

“The sentences are alive and vital. Bert Decker says something and says it powerfully.” –Dr. Normal Vincent Peale

“The Decker Method is a must for anyone who truly wants to succeed.” –Charles Schwab, Chaiman Charles Schwab & Co.

If you have a question for Bert he is very easy to find. Check-out his blog or Tweet him at @BertDecker. In the mean time, buy the book. You won’t be sorry.

This entry was posted on Sunday, April 12th, 2009 at 9:45 pm and is filed under Presentation Skills, Recommended Reading. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.