Real Leaders DON'T DO Powerpoint

How to sell yourself and your ideas 

by Christopher Witt with Dale Fetherling
Reviewed by Brian Beirl

We have all sat through some PowerPoint presentations that were totally forgettable because there was no point to the PowerPoint. Drawing on his considerable experience as a speech consultant and coach, Christopher Witt has written a very tightly constructed, engaging and to the point book on how leaders need to realize that they are the message, not the messenger.

PowerPoint and Keynote are now pervasive in business presentations. The bells and whistles now available have led to a type of “Corporate Karaoke” with the presenter safely standing off to the side in the dark playing music and videos or, worse yet, reading the slides. People can read 3 times faster than a presenter can talk; therefore, the presenter becomes useless. The slides can also be unintelligible with too many graphs and charts with the presenter saying, “You probably can’t read this but…Next Slide.”

Contrary to the title, this book is more about how we present our message than about the misuse of PowerPoint. As leaders and salespeople we are in the position to inspire and motivate. Presentation software was designed for the visualization of information; therefore, it can become a distraction and come between us and our audience. Witt’s message is that the audience wants to see and hear you. It is the leader’s opportunity and responsibility to build trust with the audience, to keep the message understandable and not confuse it with distracting or unnecessary slides.

Whether you are in sales, the CEO, CFO or group leader, we all are in the presentation business. There is power in personal presentation. Do you get the point?

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Dr. Brian Beirl enjoys an active general dentistry practice and is also an author, educator, presenter, consultant and business coach. He has published, the bookbinder, a popular business fable regarding the personal challenges of running a business, and the soon to be released, the bookbinder,Janis’ Story, a story of a woman’s struggle to balance her professional and personal life.

www.mybookbinder.com / BrianBeirlDDS@BBeirl.com / BrianBeirlDDS.com