Make Your Point!

All of us need to sell our talents at some point in life. Maybe we're riding in an elevator with a boss and need to make a good impression. Maybe we have a home business and need more sales. Make Your Point! is all about communicating in a clear, effective manner - even in voice mail and email. The key is to be simple. YOU are the brand manager for yourself. Make sure you consider your audience and what THEY need. Don't focus on your own needs. Think about what they want to learn. There are great examples in the book to help you get a sense of what they're talking about. Know your purpose. Keep it logical. Go through a series - get their attention, tell them the purpose, preview your content, provide the content, summarize it, and give an action step for them. Try to keep your topics down to 3 main ones. This is what the human brain focuses on best. Think up a 15 second promo for your main goals. If you were stuck in an elevator with your boss for 15 seconds, could you present yourself in a way that gave the best impression? Don't data dump. Focus on the important items. People react to your emotions. Be upbeat, friendly positive, enthusiastic. Most first impressions are made in only 2 minutes! there is advice in here on how to project a positive image well. It can really make or break you. Use natural hand gestures. Vary your tone of voice, and have a moderate volume. Use pauses. Speak clearly. Avoid jargon. Practice, practice, practice! Well recommended for anyone who interacts with other humans! :)

What I found most valuable about this book: the techniques for answering questions from the audience. No matter how polished the speech, poor handling of questions can make you seem like an amateur.

99% of the reviews that I write is to help readers find books and items that I think that would or would not enjoy. I am recommending "Make Your Point" for a more selfish goal. I have sat through way too many terrible presentations that would have greatly benefited from "Make Your Point". If everyone read "Make your Point" I would no longer be exposed to those long winded, rambling, and boring talks that seem to be the norm. "Make Your Point" is both an excellent reference and teaching guide. I think that college students would appreciate the concise approach to public speaking. Business profession will benefit with a refreshing course and the introduction of "The Diamond". "The Diamond" is an approach to clearly and concisely present your ideas wile being confident that your audience is hearing your main points and internalizes the message that you are trying to sned. Final Verdict - I have read many books on effective communication and I can say that "Make Your Point' is at the top of the list. It concisely blends an effective approach with readability to make it a great reference. 5 Stars ----Please note that I reviewed a free promotional copy provided by the author/publisher---------

Just like "Wheel of Fortune's" before and after, Make Your Point is filled with "common sense of humor." But there is nothing common about it. A quick, easy read, these real tales about real people help clarify the Diamond technique introduced in the book. I always considered myself a good communicator, I know I am now a better one for having read the book. I loved the book the first time I read it, and the next 6 times I referenced it for help. In fact, I'm putting it on my gift list to give to my clients.

A great collection of advice and experience on public speaking and presentation. A lot of common sense, but well organised in a logical framework.