Resonating naked

I've mentioned presentation zen before, but I haven't mentioned slide:ology. If you make PowerPoint presentations and you're not familiar with either or both of them, you owe it to yourself to borrow or buy a copy. Their filled with excellent advice.

I mention this because I learned recently that Garr Reynolds, author of presentation zen, and Nancy Duarte, author of slide:ology, have new books coming out this fall. I haven't seen either one of them yet, but if there anything close to as good as presentation zen and slide:ology, they will be exceptionally useful. Both focus on improving presentation, not just the visual aids.

Garr Reynolds new book is the naked presenter.  According to the blurb at Amazon.com

The Naked Presenter teaches readers how they can reach an audience by stripping away all that is unnecessary to get at the essence of the message. The naked presenter approaches the presentation task embracing the ideas of simplicity, clarity, honesty, integrity, and passion. She presents with a certain freshness. The ideas may or may not be radical, earth shattering, or new. But there is a "newness" and freshness to her approach and to her content. And if she uses slideware, her slides fit well with her talk and are harmonious with her message. The slides are in sync, and are simple and beautifully designed, yet never steal the show or rise above serving a strong but simple supportive role.

Nancy Duarte's book is resonate: Present Visual Stories that Transform Audiences. It's blurb at Amazon.com has this to say

Just as the author's first book helped presenters become visual communicators, Resonate helps you make a strong connection with your audience and lead them to purposeful action. The author's approach is simple: building a presentation today is a bit like writing a documentary. Using this approach, you'll convey your content with passion, persuasion, and impact.

I have no connection with either Reynolds or Duarte,¹ except as an admirer of their work. I've ordered copies of both. If you make presentations, I encourage you to take a careful look at them when they come out -- at least watch for the reviews. Or if you're impulsive, like me, click those Amazon.com links and pre-order your copy now.