Universal Principles of Design is a valuable resource for anyone who designs anything, including speeches and presentations
This article is the latest of a series of public speaking book reviews here on Six Minutes.
Articles in category: Visual Aids
Garr Reynolds, Nancy Duarte, and Cliff Atkinson are the authors of three hugely popular books on presentation design in the last five years.
What else do all three have in common? They all point to Richard E Mayer’s Multimedia Learning as recommended reading for presentation design.
And I agree.
This article is the latest of a series of public speaking book reviews here on Six Minutes.
Designing attractive slide visuals does not need to be a painful task. You don’t need to hire a design firm. You don’t need loads of expensive software.
You can design attractive visuals by following simple guidelines. One of these simple guidelines is the Rule of Thirds — a composition technique borrowed from photography and other visual arts that works wonderfully in PowerPoint.
In this article, you will learn:
- What is the Rule of Thirds?
- How do photographers use the Rule of Thirds?
- How can you apply the Rule of Thirds to Your PowerPoint slides?
An open letter to the PowerPoint programming team with public speaking inspired ideas for future PowerPoint features…
Dear PowerPoint Programmers:
Thank you for creating such a wonderful presentation aid. PowerPoint is like a Swiss Army knife in a presenter’s visual aid toolbox. It is a tool with tremendous power.
Unfortunately, the vast majority of people cannot control this power. Hour after hour, dreaded presentation after dreaded presentation, I continue to be amazed at the horrible presentations that speakers are able to create with PowerPoint at the core.
If you want to master visual communication, this book is for you.
If you want to impress your audience with eye-popping slides, this book is for you.
If you want to break free from the Death By PowerPoint pandemic, this book is for you.
Nancy Duarte has written slide:ology: The Art and Science of Creating Great Presentations. (Learn more about Nancy Duarte in a Six Minutes interview!)
Ever since my copy arrived, I can’t put it down. I’ve carried it to and from work every day so that I can read a few pages on breaks. It’s that good.
I highly recommend slide:ology. It is destined to become a classic reference text for presentation skills.
Stephen Kosslyn has written a wonderful book for all presenters: Clear and to The Point: 8 Psychological Principles for Compelling PowerPoint Presentations.
The subtitle for the book promises to illuminate the psychology of PowerPoint. Does it deliver?
In a way, yes. The 8 principles, dozens of examples, and hundreds of tips reveal much that would improve your PowerPoint skills.
However, this book delivers so much more. The 8 psychological principles can be applied to many aspects of public speaking beyond PowerPoint design.
Would you like to win a Macbook Air?
An iPod Touch?
An Amazon Kindle?
A copy of Presentation Zen?
The World’s Best Presentation Contest is returning to SlideShare for 2008.
Get creative, enter the contest, and you can win one of those prizes.
Leave a comment linking to your entry. If a number of Six Minutes subscribers enter, I’ll feature those entries in a future article.
Are you still annoying your audience with boring slide after boring slide?
Break free from PowerPoint bullets!
Learn from photojournalists — tell stories with visuals, and your audience will love you.
Visualizing Information for Advocacy: An Introduction to Information Design teaches you how to visually communicate your ideas.
This free ebook was created by John Emerson as a tool to help advocacy groups:
- Tell their story more effectively;
- Make their message more compelling; and
- Use information design techniques to do it.
You may not speak on behalf of an advocacy group, but every time you speak, you are attempting to deliver a message. Your message will be more compelling if you understand and apply the visualization principles in this guide.
I previously reviewed the fabulous Presention Zen book by Garr Reynolds.
My favorite aspect of the book was the hundreds of sample slides which illustrate design principles, particularly those illustrating before versus after transformations.
I’ve just discovered a great online resource from Garr Reynolds which contains a representative sample of the book contents.
Presentation Zen book reviews, to be more accurate. Lots of them.
In the spirit of Rotten Tomatoes – a site I always check before buying or renting a movie – this article gathers book reviews from public speaking experts and fellow bloggers.
A summary of their opinion is simple: buy this book and the slides in your next presentation will benefit.
Featured Articles
Speech Critiques
- Majora Carter (TED, 2006)
Energy, Passion, Speaking Rate - Hans Rosling (TED, 2006)
6 Techniques to Present Data - J.A. Gamache (Toastmasters, 2007)
Gestures, Prop, Writing - Steve Jobs (Stanford, 2005)
Figures of speech, rule of three - Al Gore (TED, 2006)
Humor, audience interaction - Dick Hardt (OSCON, 2005)
Lessig Method of Presentation
Recommended Books
- Title
- Advanced Presentations by Design: Creating Communication that Drives Action
- Author
- Andrew Abela
- What is it About
- A comprehensive approach to planning and designing presentations focused on selling ideas and persuading your audience.
- Who Should Read It
- All presenters, particularly those who present in a business or scientific context. You will love this book if you like an interactive, workshop-style format.
- Book Review
- Read the Six Minutes Review of this book
- Title
- The Wealthy Speaker: The Proven Formula for Building Your Successful Speaking Business
- Author
- Jane Atkinson
- What is it About
- An insider's view of professional speaking with loads of tips and insights for positioning yourself in the industry.
- Who Should Read It
- Established speakers ready to take the next step professionally and new speakers who are curious about the possibilities.
- Book Review
- Read the Six Minutes Review of this book
- Title
- The Quick and Easy Way to Effective Speaking
- Author
- Dale Carnegie
- What is it About
- Practical and plain public speaking advice. Covers a wide breadth of topics. This book contains the foundation for the Dale Carnegie speaking courses which have been completed by millions of people.
- Who Should Read It
- Novice speakers or anyone whose fear of speaking leads them to believe that they cannot excel as a speaker.
- Book Review
- Read the Six Minutes Review of this book
- Title
- Speak Like Churchill, Stand Like Lincoln: 21 Powerful Secrets of History's Greatest Speakers
- Author
- James Humes
- What is it About
- 21 chapters averaging about 10 pages each. Each chapter introduces one simple speaking technique. Historical and contemporary examples are used throughout.
- Who Should Read It
- Speakers looking to elevate their speechwriting and delivery from good to great.
- Book Review
- Read the Six Minutes Review of this book
- Title
- Clear and to The Point: 8 Psychological Principles for Compelling PowerPoint Presentations
- Author
- Stephen Kosslyn
- What is it About
- Well-written book full of practical tips and techniques that can be applied immediately to design your slides more effectively.
- Who Should Read It
- All speakers who want their visuals to complement and reinforce their message.
- Book Review
- Read the Six Minutes Review of this book
- Title
- The Story Factor
- Author
- Annette Simmons
- What is it About
- Makes a strong case of the power of storytelling to influence and inspire, in both public speaking and business communications.
Discusses the different types of stories that every speaker must be able to tell. Weaves numerous stories through the book. - Who Should Read It
- (1) Anyone who is not yet convinced how powerful storytelling can be.
(2) Speakers looking to enhance their story repertoire. - Book Review
- Read the Six Minutes Review of this book
- Title
- slide:ology
- Author
- Nancy Duarte
- What is it About
- The book on effective visual presentations from the expert whose design firm created the graphics for Al Gore's Oscar-winning film, An Inconvenient Truth.
- Who Should Read It
- Everyone who wants a classic reference text for presentation design. You'll read this again and again.
- Book Review
- Read the Six Minutes Review of this book
- Title
- Confessions of a Public Speaker
- Author
- Scott Berkun
- What is it About
- An irreverent insider's view of public speaking. You'll be both entertained and educated.
- Who Should Read It
- Any aspiring speaker who seeks honest insights about public speaking.
- Book Review
- Read the Six Minutes Review of this book
- Title
- Thank You For Arguing
- Author
- Jay Heinrichs
- What is it About
- Reveals a collection of time-tested tools which will make you a better speechwriter and a better speaker.
- Who Should Read It
- All speakers will benefit from understanding the simple, yet not-so-obvious techniques for persuasion and persuasive speechwriting.
- Book Review
- Read the Six Minutes Review of this book
- Title
- Universal Principles of Design
- Author
- William Lidwell, Kritina Holden, and Jill Butler
- What is it About
- Elegantly written and thought-provoking. Packed with creative ideas for improving your presentations. A classic reference!
- Who Should Read It
- Speakers who want to learn from related disciplines of design, psychology, and usability, and anyone fascinated to understand the world around them.
- Book Review
- Read the Six Minutes Review of this book
- Title
- Presentation Zen
- Author
- Garr Reynolds
- What is it About
- Bestseller which teaches presentation design. Emphasizes designing around the message rather than designing around the slides. Includes numerous full-color examples of slides, both good and bad.
- Who Should Read It
- Every speaker, particularly those who want to break free from the "Death by Powerpoint" mold.
- Book Review
- Read the Six Minutes Review of this book
- Title
- Multimedia Learning
- Author
- Richard E. Mayer
- What is it About
- An academic review of cognitive research which provides guidelines for the design of visual presentation aids.
- Who Should Read It
- Teachers, trainers, instructors, and speaking coaches who want to understand the cognitive theory behind modern slide design.
- Book Review
- Read the Six Minutes Review of this book
- Title
- Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die
- Author
- Chip Heath and Dan Heath
- What is it About
- Best-selling business book delivers on its promise to show how to communicate your ideas so that they will be remembered.
- Who Should Read It
- All speakers with a message that they want the audience to remember. In short, everyone.
- Book Review
- Read the Six Minutes Review of this book
- Title
- Better Beginnings: How to Capture Your Audience in 30 Seconds
- Author
- Carmen Taran
- What is it About
- One-of-a-kind! An engaging and thorough treatment for one of the most essential public speaking skills -- how to open your speech.
- Who Should Read It
- Every speaker will benefit from this book, whether you speak with visuals or off the cuff, to investors or children.
- Book Review
- Read the Six Minutes Review of this book
