Using Power Point to present thoughts to superiors is commonplace in academia and business. Every Monkey in the Middle, regardless of occupation, has to eventually present ideas and more than likely with Power Point. Even with a great idea, a poor Power Point presentation itself could cause the idea never to get off the ground. Garr Reynolds’ “Presentationzen” helps build a foundation of solid Power Point developing skills to get your ideas sold.

Building an outstanding power point presentation is more than just throwing words onto a slide. “Presentationzen” provides an excellent overview of slide design for both novice, and experts alike. Mr. Reynolds provides information on techniques for type, color, image use, and how to use white space effectively to boost any Power Point presentation. The book is full of photos and countless examples of Power Point slides which give the reader a true sense of what is getting explained.

I frequently build Power Point presentations as one of my tasks. A few things “Presentationzen” calibrated me on:

-Keep it simple.

-It’s not about how hard it is for you to put the presentation together. It’s about how the recipient gets the message.

-Get rid of the noise. Only show things that are valuable to get the message across.

-Don’t fill up slides to capacity. Utilize empty space to sell your message.

This book will be at my desk as a ready reference!

References

Presentationzen Design: Simple Design Principles and Techniques to Enhance your Presentations (2010). Reynolds, Garr. Berkley, CA: New Riders. 252 Pages.