Cambridge Business Association
The Power Presenter
Book

The Power Presenter

Techniques, Style, and Strategy to Be Suasive

Jerry Weissman
FT Press, 2009
First Edition: 2009
Buy book or audiobook

Read or listen offline

Amazon Kindle
  • 0.5×
  • 0.75×
  • 1×
  • 1.25×
  • 1.5×
  • 1.75×
1×

Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Applicable
  • Concrete Examples
  • For Beginners

Recommendation

For many individuals, public speaking is a primal fear. Delivering a speech summons the same jacked-up fight-or-flight response that animals depend upon to survive predator attacks. Alas, when you give a speech, you can’t fight your way out of trouble or run away from it. Instead, you must summon the courage to speak. Premier speaking coach Jerry Weissman provides a comprehensive set of public speaking techniques to help you win over any audience. If you hope to rise in sales, business or politics, you must be able to deliver a great presentation. Weissman’s book will show you how.

Summary

Anyone can learn to become a powerful presenter.

A fear of public speaking ranks among people’s top phobias. Even public figures such as singer Katy Perry, investor Warren Buffett and actor Lawrence Olivier have admitted to a fear of speaking to a crowd. Public speaking situations trigger a fight-or-flight response in humans. In the moment, the brain perceives danger, and adrenaline surges through the body. 

Happily, you can overcome your fear if you learn to tweak your perception of public speaking from a performance to an interaction. 

Your words matter less than how you deliver them. In fact, your body language counts most of all.

When it comes to public speaking, your vocal delivery and your body language are as important as the words you speak. Great presenters rely on nonverbal communication, body language, and other physical cues. Consider Ronald Reagan, who was known as the “Great Communicator” because of his powerful speaking style. Reagan exuded personality and charisma. Here’s how Howard Rosenberg, a Los Angeles Times TV critic, described Reagan’s podium style: “There is a critical ...

About the Author

Jerry Weissman is a corporate presentations coach and author. His company, Suasive, helps clients make an impact, get results and persuade audiences. He has worked as a consultant for Cisco, Microsoft, Netflix, Twilio, Sonos, Lyft, Freshworks, and Ebay, among others.

Comment on this summary