Book Review: “11 Deadly Presentation Sins”

11 Deadly Presentation Sins is a book about how to become a better speaker
11 Deadly Presentation Sins is a book about how to become a better speaker
Image Credit

I think that it’s safe to say that we’d all like to become better speakers. The big challenge that we face is just exactly how to go about making this happen. One of the biggest challenges that we face is that there seems to be so many different things that you have to do well if you want to be a good speaker. Where is one to start?

Rob Biesenbach’s Book

I’ve got some good news for you: Rob Biesenbach has written a very good book on how to become a better public speaker. Rob’s got the credentials for writing this book. Rob is an independent corporate communications pro, actor, author and speaker. He is a former VP at Ogilvy PR Worldwide and press secretary to the Ohio Attorney General, and has written hundreds of speeches for CEOs and other executives. He is also a Second City trained actor who has appeared in more than 150 stage, commercial and film productions in the past decade.

Now that’s all good, but can he write a book? It turns out that he can! In his new book, Rob deals with the fact that most people are not very good presenters. They put their audiences through a veritable hell on earth with a multitude of sins, from listless delivery to lackluster content, from meandering stories to mundane visuals.

In his book, “11 Deadly Presentation Sins”, Rob offers a path to redemption for public speakers, PowerPoint users and anyone who has to get up and speak in front of an audience. In the book he’s identified 11 “sins” the we make as presenters and he’s come up with ways for us to solve them.

What Are We Doing Wrong?

You really can’t fix a problem if you don’t know what it is. In Rob’s book, he has identified 11 things that public speakers commonly do incorrectly. These are as follows (see which ones you are guilty of):

  1. Failure to understand your audience
  2. A flat opening
  3. A lack of focus
  4. Bad storytelling
  5. No emotional pull
  6. Dull, ugly visuals
  7. Low energy delivery
  8. No audience interaction
  9. Buying into body language myths
  10. Inadequate rehearsal
  11. A weak finish

It’s never nice to have our failings pointed out, but Rob saves the day by taking the time to explain how each of these presentation failings can be fixed. He’s got an easy going writing style that flows off the page. Once you’ve found where your biggest presentation weakness is, you’ll be provided with multiple steps that you can take to make this problem go away.

Next Steps

I’ve read Rob’s book and I can recommend it. Now the big question is who will benefit from this book the most? I’m pretty sure that we can all probably find one or more “sins” on Robs list that we are currently committing. If you find your sin and if you really want to change, then Rob’s book is a must read for you.

The book provides easy, practical advice on exactly what you need to do in order to become a better speaker. Sorry, there’s no magic here – no silver bullets that will transform you into another Tony Robbins overnight. However, through his book Rob can show you the path to becoming a better speaker. In the end, isn’t this what we are all looking for?

Click here to visit the website that Rob has for his book:

Click here to check out the book at Amazon

Click here to check out the book at Barnes & Nobel

– Dr. Jim Anderson
Blue Elephant Consulting –
Your Source For Real World Public Speaking Skills™

Question For You: Which one of the “sins” that Rob identifies do you think is the most serious?

Click here to get automatic updates when The Accidental Communicator Blog is updated.
P.S.: Free subscriptions to The Accidental Communicator Newsletter are now available. Subscribe now: Click Here!
 
Note: What we talked about are advanced speaking skills. If you are just starting out I highly recommend joining Toastmasters in order to get the benefits of public speaking. Look for a Toastmasters club to join in your home town by visiting the web site www.Toastmasters.org. Toastmasters is dedicated to helping their members to understand the importance of public speaking by developing listening skills and getting presentation tips. Toastmasters is how I got started speaking and it can help you also!

What We’ll Be Talking About Next Time

We’ve all heard and see the very best speakers like Tony Robbins. They know all about the importance of public speaking and they never make mistakes, right? Well, actually they do make mistakes. As speakers who are working to become better all the time, we can listen and learn from the mistakes that they make.