Writing and Presenting

Brilliant Business Writing:  How to Inspire, Engage and Persuade through words

By Neil Taylor

220 pages in 5 parts

What is Brilliant Business Writing? Ever read something where you know all the words are English but you're still none the wiser?  If you, or someone you know, wants to really get results when you write, then pick up this book.

We can all recognise "good" and "bad" writing - this book lays out clearly and quickly what it takes to write brilliantly.  Too many people writing today (especially in corporate life) appear to think the more syllables in a word, the better.

There are lots of books about style and “good” writing on the market.  I just wish it was compulsory for every person in corporate life to read at least one!  If you want to know where to start, start with this book.

It’s in very small font, so a longer read than it might appear – but you CAN dip in and dip out of it.  This book demolishes most of the standard business pomposity and love for “vagueness and jargon”.  The book is written just as the author wants others to write – directly, clearly and with personality.  It’s the book I give my trainers to read, so that we all approach writing in the same way.

The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs:  How to be insanely great in front of any audience

By Carmine Gallo

230 pages in 3 Acts (mirroring all great story telling from Shakespeare to Jobs!)

Are there secrets to good presentations?  Clearly, otherwise we wouldn't all struggle to stay awake in so many dull presentations.  The secret appears to be....wait for it... Preparation...Clarity of Thought...Thinking about your audience.  Yes, I know, hardly secrets.  But presentation secrets are different - people know about them and then ignore them!  So if you have a "Presentation Deck"  ( I love that word "deck"!) that could rival the deck on the Titanic, avoid that great ship's fate and get this book.  A reasonable sized deck?  Ten slides.  A reasonable amount of words?  The fewer the better.  Try 10 ....or fewer.

Anyway, we digress.  Death by Powerpoint is one topic guaranteed to get us going!  And that is certainly something that Carmine Gallo, the author cares passionately about too.

OK, Carmine Gallo has a titanic-sized ego that comes through on every page!  OK, this book is quite “ra-ra” in its enthusiasm, but it is still the easiest, clearest and best book out there for improving the planning, structuring and delivery of a presentation.  Especially for anyone in IT!  Read it now!