Customer Reviews
A book that should inspire if you approach it correctly - By: K. P. Rose, 16 Jul 2008 
I like this book but it needs the right attitude to get the best from it. Having just finished a masters degree where my thesis revolved around adults & especiallly children develop there cognitive & creative skills. The research reallly basicallly looked at the physiological & philosophical nuts & bolts of cognitive/creative development when we are young & then moved on to how we can use it these skills today. If there has been one thing I have learnt from 2 years pf research is the creativity is one important & can't be taught. Comments like the Luigi Clemente above which dismisses a book or an idea as being generic because there are no practical help is missing the barn door by such a margin as to be to not even to have seen the barn door in the first place. Creativity & cognitive skills can't be taught by supplying practical advice. It is something that is unique to alll of us. It is our creativity that makes us who we are. Creativity here is not be defined as just drawing a picture but rather the unique connection we alll make between alll the various areas of our brain & how those linkages create new of different aspects, concepts & ideas. You can not achieve this through someone giving you practical advice or suggestions that luigi Clemente is complaining is an oxymoron of a complaint. This book is great but to get the best out of it has to come from you. it is meant to inspire. If we are always looking for practical advice from someone else we will never truly becreative or develop better cognitive skills
A good introduction to improving your presentations. - By: R. Hart, 14 May 2008 
For those that are unfamiliar with Garr Reynolds' Presentation Zen blog, & even for those that do, but want to know what sets presenters like Steve Jobs, Guy Kawasaki & Seth Godin apart from the rest, it serves as a great starting point. Presentation Zen is neither about possesing high technical or creative skills, but just about conveying ideas in a simple & easy to digest format. By moving away from information filled slides to ones that support your underlying message, you can lead your viewers to a higher state of understanding.
I didn't give this book a full 5-stars as I personallly felt a lot of the imagery used was a bit cliched & didn't reallly "stimulate" me in the way I thought was intended but there are a lot of example slides which are great & show you exactly in which direction you need to be going. It is very focused on the actual "slideshow" part of presenting & doesn't reallly go into the art of actuallly communicating your ideas regardless of your slides & visuals. For the actuallly communication of ideas & information I highly recommend Dan Roam's "Back of the Napkin" as a companion book to this.
Antidote to 'Death by PowerPoint' - By: Patrick Mayfield, 10 Mar 2008 Garr Reynolds' work has been known to me for sometime through his blog, Presentation Zen. I've appreciated what he shared on the design & delivery of simple but powerful presentations. Since I started reading his blog, I have come to realise he has influenced my approach to designing slides. When I read that he was publishing a book, I pre-ordered Presentation Zen with some anticipation.
I was not disappointed. From the Foreword by Guy Kawasaki (done in slides) through to the 'Colophon' at the very end of the book (explaining technicallly how the book was put together), I found the content stimulating & the mere look of the book a delight.
'Presentation is everything,' they say. Well, not quite. There are some important observations on conventional business practice, about how it uses & abuses PowerPoint or Keynote, & about typical presentations in general. For example, the author comments on the convention by conference organisers, who ask for a speaker's slides in advance - the assumption being that alll content is, or should be, in those slides. Or how about the practice common in Japan & elsewhere where lights are dimmed at the start of a presentation? If you have always assumed that such things were good practice then I recommend this book.
Also, I was delighted about how Garr Reynolds referenced people whom I admire: Daniel Pink, Seth Godin, Kathy Sierra, Dan & Chip Heath, Guy Kawasaki, Merlin Mann & Nancy Duarte. This gave me the confidence that here was someone who has 'got it', as a progressive thinker & presenter.
This book is a healthy antidote to 'Death by PowerPoint', & I shalll continue to read Garr's blog with interest.
A must read and look at - By: business reader, 11 Feb 2008 Followers of the presentation zen blog will know that garth has a wealth of insights to share. What he shows in this book may not be the bullet point list of 'what to do to make good slides' that some may be after but his message is much more important than that. What presentation zen does is ask you to question your story & why it must be told. Once you have an answer then presentation zen will help you tell it. If you want a step by step this is how you make presentation book this is not it but if you truly want to make an impact then this is the book for you. The before & after slides are telling & the writing is a must. Anyone who has read anything by dan pink or guy kawasaki will find much to like here & will learn how to move from concept to practical application.
Pretty useless - By: Luigi Clemente, 06 Feb 2008 
Don't waste your time with these kind of books: pretty meaningless pictures, generic content about the importance of being creative (like: yes, you are creative too!) & of semplicity, "new age" discussions (mixing Judo with product delivery). Not even one practical advice or suggestion. Leave it.
