JT Pedersen » Reading List

4 Ways iBooks is One of iPad’s Best Apps

JT — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:23:54 +0000

Really, I think it is. Normally you hear people talk about ‘best apps’ in the vein of ‘other than those that came with the device.’ It’s as if, because Apple created them the apps are automatically disqualified from consideration.

For those of you having followed me a while, you know I do a fair number of book reviews. In the interest of continual self-improvement I am constantly reading new books. Shortly after I finish each (business) book I generally post a review. After all, why not share?

Some have commented that my reviews are almost always on the plus-side of neutral. That’s my parents’ fault. I don’t always succeed, but in general, if I have nothing good to say, I try not to say it. And so it is with my book reviews. I think I’ve only done one, practically speaking, negative review of a book.

My technique for doing book reviews looks something like this:

Read the book through, cover to cover.
Take notes, underline key text, jot down key segments (in the book or on separate paper)
After first (occasionally second) reading:
- Review Table of Contents
- Review notes
- Flip pages to capture key ideas highlighted.
Write the review
Find some cover art or suitable imagery

Generally I’m doing this every 3-4 weeks. You’ll note a lag sometimes; I do enjoy a good novel from time-to-time…

iBooks on the Apple iPad makes the entire process paperless!

Consider it a necessary evil, collating my notes is the least productive part of writing a review. Not to overblow the issue, but making sure you’ve got all your notes, flipping pages, and putting it together could be easier. Even with my first ereader, the process wasn’t that much different. It didn’t let me do anything more than create generic bookmarks.

Bookmarks

Bookmarks are easily created while reading. Just touch the upper corner to toggle placement of your bookmarks. Think of this working very much like folding the corner of your book. As you create your bookmarks, the TOC|Bookmarks section is populated with your bookmarks. Not only is the page section annotated (the current Header section), but the date the bookmark was created is also displayed.

I like the bookmark creation date being captured. There are times where knowing the date can help you recall other events that day that set the context for why you might have created a given bookmark. In some cases, its because the spot in the book dovetailed with a current event.

As with the traditional TOC page, click the bookmark, jump to the section. Still, seems trivial, but if you’ve been writing down page notes and thumbing to the pages in the book again, this little self-organized time saver is really appreciated.

Now, here is my favorite part.

Highlighting

Used to be, I treated books as pristine things never to be abused. I prided myself on reading paperbacks without ever creasing the binding. (Don’t ask why, I just did) This also meant never writing in a book.

Well, somewhere along the way that went by the wayside. Now, I feel free to use my mechanical pencil (preferably) to underline, call out, or otherwise annotate key passages as I go along.

While useful, it still requires you keep a separate index of notes on paper and go back to them. Or, thumb through the book, hoping not to miss any of significance.

With iBooks, as you read, you can directly highlight passages of interest. Simply select the passage of interest (as you would for cut/copy/paste in iPad/iPhone). You are then given the option (among other things) to highlight the text.

When highlighting, you can also choose from 5 different colors. Or, you can choose to underline. I like to use the different colors to color code my highlights: General note, Important, Action Item. Action items are often things like calling out other books I’d like to read that the author mentioned.

As I read, my collection of highlighted passages grows quickly. As each is created, they too, just like Bookmarks, are added to the Notes TOC automatically. One unexpected feature, even though I may highlight a sentence fragment, only that fragment is highlighted in the TOC, but the entire sentence is still displayed for context. Cool!

Notes – The 4th Dimension

If you weren’t already pleased with the preceding, you’ll really like Notes. When you go to highlight a passage, the same popup menu also gives you the chance to create a note.

Exactly like a Post-It™ or say a Sticky Note in Windows, you can go ahead and add your textual annotations.

When you’re done creating the note, the note window closes, and a simply Post-It™ like icon is placed in the margin. Tap it to open the note again.

The notes are then associated with the highlighted text in the Notes TOC.

Here, rather than an icon, you get the actual note text displayed immediately under the highlighted passage.

Tip: Don’t want a highlight/note any more, just do a Swipe|Delete in the TOC and it’s gone.

For me, iBooks really streamlines the process of collating notes, highlights, and bookmarks for later reference. If you have an iPad and haven’t tried using it to read books yet, or, you haven’t experimented with highlighting and notes, you really should.

Bonus Items

What I’ve described above, on the iPad, works on the iPhone as well. Here are three bonus items:

When your iOS devices sync, they update your place in the current book you’re reading, as well as all TOC entries (notes, bookmarks, highlights).

On iPhone, you only get one color (yellow) for creating highlights. The multi-color notes from your iPad efforts are preserved.

Finally, on both devices, there is a Night theme. If you like to read in bed, your partner will appreciate the fact you can dim the 40 watt light bulb in your hands.

Elegantly implemented, simple to use, iBooks is more than ‘just a reader’ application. In the right hands, it is a tool you can leverage to really make life easier.

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What I’ve Read Lately: Why People Fail

JT — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 14:53:10 +0000

“Why People Fail: The 16 Obstacles to Success and How You Can Overcome Them”
by: Siimon Reynolds
ISBN: 978-1-118-10617-4

Why People Fail is actually a twist on words. It could just as easily been titled along the lines of How to Be Successful. Siimon provides an easily read book that highlights 16 key points underlying how people set themselves up to fail.

Step by step, Siimon discusses ways readers can incrementally work to improve themselves, from self-image, through proper health and exercise, to rituals and persistence…to name a few.

The notion of kaizen came to mind shortly after starting into the book. So it was with a smile, about a quarter of the way in, that I saw this excerpt:

You may be familiar with the Japanese concept of kaizen. it’s a philosophy that has been central to Japanese manufacturing for over fifty years… The English translation for kaizen is “small and continuous improvements.” The Japanese believe that if the spirit of kaizen is applied to any area with regularity, that area is sure to get better.

Lest you be concerned, this isn’t some gushy, wishy-washy, make you feel-good book. Siimon describes how he has spent years studying the topic of success; how he has applied it to himself (personally, not in some abstract fashion); and offers what I feel are fairly pragmatic tools for the reader’s own use.

Many of the suggestions made are also tied to research, surveys, and other scientific studies. One of my favorites has to do with the 350 year-old music genre, Baroque. Listening to baroque music while you work has been scientifically proven to increase your concentration, lift your creativity, and make you perform better. Siimon points out that baroque music’s 4/4 time beat has been proven to relax the mind and improve synaptic connections in the brain.

Normally, I like listening to solo pianists. Not having my own collection of baroque music, I decided to see what Pandora had available. (Side note, I love using Pandora.) Now, I routinely am including some time for baroque music. For me, it works quite well. And, this is one of the many suggestions the book holds for the reader.

Here are the 16 areas discussed:

Unclear Purpose
Destructive Thinking
Low Productivity
Fixed Mindset
Weak Energy
Not Asking the Right Questions
Poor Presentation Skills
Mistaking IQ for EQ
Poor Self-image
Not Enough Thinking
No Daily Rituals
Stress
Few Relationships
Lack of Persistence
Money obsession
Not Focusing On Strengths

If you struggle, or seek to improve in any of these key areas, this is a book worth reading. I really enjoyed how Siimon approaches the topics. He’s not condescending. He doesn’t look down his nose at you. And, he shares how he uses his suggestions personally—conceding that some people find him strange for doing so. I appreciate his courage in sharing with all of us.

Do I recommend the book? Yes, I do. Even though his publisher sent me a copy for free, to review, I thought enough of it to buy a copy for myself, for use on my ereader, so I could more easily mark up key areas of interest.

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Unraveling B2B and B2C Marketing to Crank up ROI and Drive Profitable Growth

JT — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 18:53:49 +0000

This is the second, and likely last, guest post from Sean Geehan. His book, The B2B Executive Playbook, is one every B2B business leader should get. I found it reflected well on many of my own experiences in the B2B world, put a face to many of the seemingly chronic problems that, in hindsight, you should be able to readily overcome.

Unraveling B2B and B2C Marketing to Crank up ROI and Drive Profitable Growth

One of the biggest differences between B2B and B2C worlds is marketing. Many marketing leaders have a difficult time making the much-needed adjustments to be successful when they move from the B2C to the B2B world. Understanding the differences is essential to yielding predictable results and maximizing ROI.

For instance, I’m a living case-in-point. I drink more Diet Coke than I do anything else. I have it stocked in my home fridge, in my work fridge, and I order it every day at lunch. The image of the Coke brand, for me as the customer, is defined entirely by the advertising, package design, and my experience with the taste. I have no personal relationship or connection with the organization itself, and yet I am entirely loyal to that brand. If the package is damaged I assume my local grocer dropped it while putting it out on the shelf. If it doesn’t taste right at restaurant, I assume the restaurant messed it up.

B2C companies invest millions to understand the various personas, segments, demographics, and geographical nuances to help them determine how to position and manage their brands to appeal to these masses. In the retail category (e.g., Starbucks, Disney, Target), the brand is also impacted by elements such as the store (look, experience) and the people (knowledge, culture, and interactions). B2B companies invest to understand their customers as well, but the path they take is very different.

While the fundamentals of marketing are universal, there are three key factors that require different applications of these fundamentals in the B2B arena to maximize ROI.

They are:

· Number of customers — B2C firms usually have 100 to 1,000 times as many customers for a similar amount of revenue. Williams Sonoma has 33 million customers with $3 Billion in revenue, while HCL has the same revenue, but less than 500 customers.

· Multiple buying levels within a B2B customer — As my coke example above, I am the sole person in the buying process, In the B2B world there are three typical levels: user, influencer, decision maker and each level may have 1 to 1,000s of people involved which impact the purchasing process.

· Domain knowledge — The B2B buyer has the expertise and experience in the offering being considered. Think about the Boeing Engineer evaluating a GE jet engine for a new airplane…a CIO evaluating a new IT provider…or a CFO reviewing audit firms. They have a level of expertise that most consumers rarely have. Let’s face it, how many people can distinguish a $10 vs. $100 bottle of wine?

Understanding the key differences between the B2B and B2C worlds and applying the appropriate approaches will boost the overall ROI on marketing efforts and ultimately propel an organization towards Sustainable, Predictable, and Profitable Growth.

Sean Geehan is the President and Founder of Geehan Group, the premier thought leader in and provider of Customer Advisory Board research, services, and methodology. He is also the author of the groundbreaking new book, The B2B Executive Playbook the first book to address the critical differences between B2B and B2C operations and how those differences can cause companies to fail or flourish. Learn more about Sean at www.SeanGeehan.com

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What I've Read Lately: Newsjacking

JT — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 18:37:15 +0000

“Newsjacking”
by: David Meerman Scott
ISBN: 978-1-118-25231-4

Fun book every (semi) serious social media practitioner should read. And, at less than $7, ebook-only, and 64 pages long (123pg on my iPhone), there’s no reason you shouldn’t.

Just released (Nov, ’11), acclaimed social media and marketing pro, and self-proclaimed Viral Marketing Expert David Meerman Scott has released Newsjacking.

So what’s this thing called newsjacking? Well, it’s pretty much exactly as you’d expect. As current events unfold, as new news is being developed, there’s a narrow window of opportunity for you to interject your own message. Think of it as catching a wave. If you catch it just right, it’ll take you for a nice ride.

As current events unfold, there’s a narrow window where journalists are scrambling to deliver story content. Your objective, as Scott characterizes it, is to provide second paragraph content. In short, the who, what, when, where content is typically easy to obtain. That’s paragraph one. What journalists are eager to discover, to differentiate themselves from their competitors, is why?

Why, is where you come in. And the key is when: which is right-bloody-now!

As Scott comments, you need to be, “…clever enough to react to breaking news very quickly…” You do this by providing credible content for that second paragraph. Whether you do it by tweeting; sending out media alerts; or, writing a blog post (and then telling folks about it); you need to get your thoughts out there ASAP.

Throughout the ebook, David Meerman Scott provides current examples (up to and including the past ~6 weeks or so). My favorite:

Sir Richard Branson was hosting actress Kate Winslet and 20 other guests at his private retreat. Lightning set a building ablaze and Winslet helped rescue Branson’s 90 year-old mother. Dovetailing beautifully, the London Fire Brigade newsjacked.

The LFB announced an offer for Winslet to train with LFB firefighters at their training center. She would learn how crews fight fires; understand the day-in-the-life-of a firefighter; as well as how people can reduce risks of fire. The result: LFB received a ton of publicity—helping get their core safety message out—for the cost of the time it took to come up with the idea and publicize it.

Newsjacking is a notion that’s been out there for a while. Only now, David Meerman Scott’s put a name to it, briefly described the process, and put another arrow in social media practitioner’s quiver. Give it a read, give it a try, let me know what you think.

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What I’ve Read Lately: The B2B Executive Playbook

JT — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 13:43:45 +0000

“The B2B Executive Playbook”
by: Sean Geehan
ISBN: 1-57860-446-X
ISBN-13: 978-1-57860-446-3

First and foremost, The B2B Executive Playbook really resonated well with me. With two decades in the software industry, most of that time in customer-facing roles, it validated much of my own experience and thoughts.

Think of B2B as a complement to Jim Collins’ Good to Great. It is similarly easy to read and well-researched, with plenty of examples. In B2B, Geehan focuses on how B2B companies need to engage with their customers, different from B2C companies.

SPPG is the acronym—and the goal—Geehan uses throughout the book—Sustainable, Predictable, and Profitable Growth.

Here’s a classic situation: You work for a large company (e.g. $1B+), your industry marketing efforts are end-user focused; you hold focus groups; develop your products to solve their needs; and, do a good job at it. Then your key customer(s) drop you to go elsewhere. Why? What happened? You delivered everything they wanted!

The crux of the problem is that B2B differs markedly from B2C. In B2C, the consumer is end user, influencer, purchasing, and decision maker, all rolled into one. In B2B, end users have very little control over the decision-making processes of most B2B companies.

So, What Happened? While racing to make products interesting to end users—which are quite often personally focused and extremely tactical in nature—the needs of the decision makers were ignored—if ever specifically considered at all.

We have all heard about the need to become our customers’ ‘go to’ person, their troubleshooter, later their trusted adviser, and perhaps ultimately their ‘partner.’ Here’s a clue:

Success doesn’t come by befriending every end user in a B2B organization.

The B2B Executive Playbook is just that: It is a straight-forward discussion of:

The importance of executive customer involvement;
How to engage executive customers;
How to plan relationship development;
How to get executive customers to truly collaborate with your leadership team; and, ultimately
How to grow both the executive customer relationships driving your own bottom line.

In a business where the software ‘demo’ reigned king, I have been involved in $ Million dollar software deals where software ‘demos’ never even happened. The customer interaction was purely driven based on a relationship and our ability to solve the decision maker’s needs.

Here’s one of the core points Geehan drives home: Executive customers (e.g. that 20% driving 80% of your revenue) need to be directly engaged, on a regular basis, with your senior leadership team. Doing so lets your executive customers feel involved…further cementing your relationship with them; decreasing the chance they’ll leave. At the same time, your senior leadership team gets to hear, from the folks approving expenditures, what it is they need and where the market is going.

This serves to align the leadership team, avoid turf wars, and internal conflict. It also helps ensure your organization delivers the products, the services, that the decision makers need—the proper target for your efforts.

For the CEO, it also has the benefit of increasing your own credibility, since everyone understands the basis for your own decisions (it’s not just ‘you’ coming up with a new idea following a single customer visit).

Who needs to read this book?

B2B CEOs….
and their senior leadership team(s). If you’re trying to evolve your own executive customer relationships, and struggling, B2B provides a constructive path for you to consider following.
B2B Leaders…
struggling with ‘deal size growth.’ This approach can help provide the platform for helping your business go from 6-figure sales to 7-figure. Or from 7- to 8-figure, or…
Junior Sales Team Members…
Who want to quickly gain a broader view of the importance of executive customer engagement. And, why the demo scheduled next week has its place but isn’t the ‘high point’ of the sales process.

(disclaimer: Advance copy provided in consideration for review without remuneration)

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What I’ve Read Lately: The Anywhere Leader

JT — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 16:34:07 +0000

“The Anywhere Leader”
by: Mike Thompson
ISBN: 978-1-118-00234-6

This book is for leaders and managers (aspiring leaders) continuing to look for ways to survive in our never ending, ever faster world. In short: Good book. Enjoyed it. Found it was inline with many of the issues contemporary business leaders increasingly face every day.

In The Anywhere Leader, Mike Thompson’s written a book that suggests, just possibly, he could pick up in the shoes of the late Eliyahu Goldratt. He’s written in from a somewhat vulnerable, self-deprecating perspective. The effect is for readers to relate more readily, to see this isn’t some consultant who takes himself too seriously.

That is actually a recurring reminder: Don’t take yourself too seriously.

Custom would suggest referring to the author by his last name, for this book I prefer Mike. Mike addresses so many issues that I’ve personally struggled with at different times. Such as how to effectively unplug yourself from a 24 hour role? He discusses first hand how he’s come to grips with ‘kind of’ unplugging. Short answer: Be plugged in or be unplugged—no in-between. You can’t ‘kind of’ unplug. When it comes time to recharge your batteries, you can’t do it if you’re still taking calls.

Another favorite of mine is the notion of the balanced life. He straight-forwardly shuns the notion: it can’t be done. It simply isn’t possible to manage your life as though it were eight equally sized pieces, rotating between family, church, work, and so on. The size of the slices change as you move through your days, weeks, months. The key is to pay attention, know when you need to change what you’re focusing on, and then do that: focus on that slice.

What I really liked most, was how Mike openly addressed so many issues many of us would (I have at times) kept hidden. How do others approach their ‘24 hr’ days? How do they balance things? What worked three years ago (let alone 15-20) is barely viable, what does viable even ‘look like’ today? Mike’s addressed these from both his personal perspective, as well as professional (based on surveys, studies, and consulting experience).

If you struggle with how to adjust to keep up with today’s business world, consider grabbing a copy to read. Mike’s work will be worth your time.

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What I’ve Read Lately: Car Guys vs. Bean Counters

JT — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 20:00:35 +0000

“Car Guys vs. Bean Counters – The Battle for the Soul of American Business”
By: Bob Lutz
eISBN: 978-1-101-51602-7

With over almost 5 decades in the automotive industry, Bob narrates the industry’s history using a flair only he has. He not only walks readers through history, but gives us a first-hand perspective at why many things happened the way they did—as one of the key players.

If you have conducted business with a major domestic automotive OEM, like I have, you will find yourself frequently nodding your head. But beyond having shared some of the experiences, Bob explains, from leadership’s perspective, why and how many of these things occurred the way they did.

As intriguing as the history may be, I really enjoyed his assessment of why the industry went (largely from GM’s perspective) from a position of incredible leadership, cranking out amazingly popular cars, to one that suffered ‘de-contenting’, being made increasingly cheap and unappealing, and finally how—with his own significant effort—GM was able to again start producing award winning cars—that people want to buy!

Along the way, Bob discusses electric cars (including the Volt), GM’s bankruptcy and rebirth, and ‘if I had been CEO.’

I’ll admit, I was rather curious what path he might take ‘as CEO.’ To his credit, there are indeed things he felt should have been done differently. Yet he concedes that there were a number of things he’d have done exactly the same way given the cards dealt at the time.

As the old saying used to go, “As goes GM, so goes the Nation…,” Bob’s book serves well as an analogy to the US as a whole, currently. GM has shown us what may happen if we don’t get our collective act together.

While automotive types may enjoy this book the most, it really is simply a great read that you’ll enjoy.

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What I’ve Read Lately: The Elephant in the Room

JT — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 23:03:19 +0000

“The Elephant In The Room”
By: Diana M. Smith
ISBN: 978-1-118-01542-1

Thoughtful business leadership requires skill in a great many areas. As we progress, we practice continually, learning and then succeeding each step along the way. One of the most important areas we need to succeed in, yet seems often ignored or overlooked, is relationships.

The Elephant in the Room is an excellent look at how relationships make or break the success of leaders and organizations.

I personally enjoyed reading this book. It is a good blend of first-hand experience (she’s a studied practitioner); real-world case studies (e.g. Steve Jobs & John Sculley at Apple); and, instructional processes aimed at enabling the reader to assess their own relationships.

My favorite part, the most inspirational and self-reflective are the first two parts: Understanding Relationships and Strengthening Relationships. The third part Transforming Relationships, requires the most effort as Smith takes us through the actual mechanics of the process.

The Elephant… clearly illustrates the need for everyone—especially in the heat of the moment—to take a step back. When things are starting to spin out of control, freeze the moment (capture that ‘frame’ in her terms), and try to engage the other party in understanding why they’re responding the way they are. In example after example, Smith walks actual participants through their way of thinking.

New ways of thinking are important. New ways of thinking about your relationships also important—especially if they might make or break you and/or the business.

More often than not, the participants might not even know why they’re responding a certain way. For instance, one CEO exhibits irritability and anger, adopting a professorial manner, whenever he’s feeling anxiety. Simply knowing it is ‘anxiety’ triggering the demonstrated anger can help others defuse a situation. Defusing a situation can not only let the immediate discussion return to being productive, it can also save or improve relationships in the long term.

It is not uncommon for senior leaders to seek out coaches. The idea of seeking out a coach to—specifically—help me in improving strategically important relationships (e.g. important to my success and/or the business’) was a new idea.

I recommend reading this book. The first half gives more value than most similar books. The second half is gravy (or, icing if you prefer).

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What I’ve Read Lately: You Can’t Not Communicate 2

JT — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 22:15:17 +0000

“YOU CAN’T NOT COMMUNICATE ^2”
By: David Grossman
ISBN: 978-0-615-45175-6

The title is a mouthful. Incredibly true. But a mouthful. So I will refer to “You Can’t Not Communicate ^2” as ‘the book’ or YCNC2. Beyond the clear message conveyed by the title, communication, let me say this is the most beautifully produced book I have seen in years.

By eyeball estimate, perhaps 40% of the book’s pages contain a picture or other graphic illustration. Most of the rest have a picture on the opposing page. Page by page, the reader is regaled with splendid artwork. It truly is a masterpiece of graphic artistry.

Great. The challenge is, with more artwork than I’ve seen since one of my children’s 1st grade reading books, I found it very distracting from the core message. The typical page has 4 different fonts (not counting page #), frequently 5 or 6, and it’s not hard to find pages with as many as 7 different fonts. All laid across pages full of underlying imagery.

It pains me to be critical of such a beautifully crafted piece of art. The team that created it has a right to be proud of their artistry. But this isn’t a coffee table book. Someone should have said, Enough! Those interested in learning more about effective corporate communication; old enough to appreciate its importance; are also able to ‘get the picture’ without (literally) so many pictures, fonts, break-out boxes, sidebars… I’m done. You get the idea.

Communication is about balance, after all.

The person I might suggest read this book, is an up-and-coming manager interested in improving their internal corporate communications. Across it’s 199 pages, David Grossman does an excellent job calling out an incredibly broad range of things to think about.

The range of topics includes:

Return you can expect from effective communication
Meeting employees’ needs
Common myths leaders believe
Deadly sins of leadership
Two-Way communication strategies
Communicating with millennials
Body language

Grossman’s simply introducing the aspiring manager or leader to these topics has significant value in and of itself. One of life’s battles is simply knowing what opportunities are even available to you. If you aren’t aware an opportunity exists you cannot decide whether or not to take advantage of it.

One of life’s battles is simply knowing what opportunities are even available to you.

It took me a bit of thinking, to figure out why it took me weeks to finish this book; reading 3 others along the way. Then, it occurred to me.

None of the topics introduced delve into (what I considered) significant depth. Combined with the layout issues discussed previously, the book had a feeling of being ‘chunked.’ It felt as though I had gone to an event with 100 different hors d’oeuvres. A lavish arrangement of food samplings, perhaps organized by chapter, yet not giving you the satisfaction of a formal meal.

The conclusion I came to, is that this book best serves as a marketing tool for The Grossman Group. It certainly gives you the impression that Grossman knows his stuff. But you’re not going to get any red meat on your plate unless you hire him.

(disclaimer: Book provided for review without remuneration)

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What I’ve Read Lately: The Naked Presenter

JT — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 19:04:51 +0000

“The Naked Presenter: Delivering Powerful Presentations With or Without Slides”
by: Garr Reynolds
ISBN-10: 0-321-70445-2
ISBN-13: 978-0-321-70445-0

Building on his book, Prezentation Zen, Garr Reynolds has cemented himself as one of my favorite authors. Two basic reasons:

First, as an American living in Japan, he has adopted much of their lifestyle, and incorporates Zen concepts throughout his writing. The effect, supported by wonderfully illustrated pages, is to have a wonderfully relaxing, engaging book-reading experience.

Second, the topic is one that more people should pay attention to: How to effectively communicate with your audience, whether in smaller groups or very large. There is an alternative to Death by PowerPoint or Stroke by Keynote.

In The Naked Presenter, Garr opens with talking about just what he means. The underlying essence comes from Japanese culture surrounding bath houses. Here, it is not uncommon for teams (i.e. coworkers) to go to a bath house, much like we might view ‘team building’ exercises. Everyone is naked. Everyone is equal. No one has anything to hide behind.

Seems scary to the uninitiated, doesn’t it?

Applying this context to communicating, whether public speaking or in smaller groups, the naked presenter strives to remove barriers between themselves and everyone else.

Simple examples might include not using a podium, coming around away from it, actively eliminating it as a barrier. Use language well-suited to your audience, not allowing ‘academic’ language to create a barrier. Thinking about how you dress, how you physically present yourself, so as to not create yet another barrier.

The examples I give are simple, they’re some of what Garr discusses, yet he goes so much further, so much deeper. The intent is to give you a feel for just what the naked presenter is: someone who actively works to eliminate barriers to the ‘discussions’ they have with their listeners.

Key sections of the book include:

Preparation
Connecting with Punch, Presence, and Projection
Engaging with Passion, Proximity, and Play
Keeping, Sustaining, Audience Participation
Your Ending
Continuous, Persistent, Improvement

Like many movie sequels, I found the earlier book, Presentation Zen, to be my favorite. On reflection though, I think it is largely because it was just that, my first introduction to Garr and his approach.

The Naked Presenter is another excellent book that I highly recommend to anyone doing presentations, public speaking, or otherwise ‘talking’ with say groups of 10 or more.