book review

EFFECTIVE PRESENTATION SKILLS

A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO BETTER SPEAKING

By: Steve Mandel

Course Technology

2000

ISBN 1-56052-526-6

            Steve Mandel produced an eBook the title is Effective Presentation Skills: a Practical Guide to Better Speaking. Steve Mandel, President of Frontline Group/Mandel Communications, is a nationally known training consultant and lecturer specializing in presentation skill training. He graduated in Speech Communication. Mr. Mandel was an instructor in the area of business management, finance, computer science engineering and management skills training for University Extension division. Mr. Mandel is the author of two Crisp Series books, Effective Presentation Skill and Technical Presentation Skills, as well as numerous articles. This eBook published by Course Technology, Boston, 2000. And we can find on the web www.courseilt.com

            The type of this book is workbook for self-study as well as classroom learning. It is intended to all people that want to increase and be effective in presentation skills. The purpose of this eBook explain about how to build credibility and confidence as a speaker, to show how to use presentation technology to your advantage, to provide techniques for preparing and delivering a presentation well. I think the cover of this book not interesting because there is no picture and only group of word. That words state the title of the book, Effective Presentation Skills: A Practical Guide to Better Speaking, the name of author, Steve Mandel and some identities of book. However, about the content of the book is interesting and useful which are giving us some technique and some ways while presenting the material. That content is arranged in chapters.

The best contents of this book that make me enjoyable are in chapter 1, Assessing Your Skills and chapter 6, Delivering Your Presentation with Energy and Composure. In part 1 the author explains about preparing the confidence of the speaker before perform in presentation. We can evaluate ourselves with review checklist. It means we make some lists consist of items that can reduce our anxiety while performing. Moreover, Rob Stewart et al, (2010) states that identifying about what makes you feel anxious, such as lack experience, feeling different and feeling uneasy can help you to lessen your fear (p.31). In addition, Christopher Turk (2003) gives additional that in presentation we have to in natural posture and gestures. So, the first step in preparing presentation is we should identify the factors that lead us to anxious.

In presentation or public speaking we have to prepare what we need in perform. Dale Carnegie states “only the prepared speaker deserves to be confidence” (quoted in Arina Nikitina, p.34). Whenever our preparation is already been done the next step we must engage the audience. As a part of chapter 6, engaging your audience, I really agree about engaging the audience during presentation because the enthusiasm of the audience shows that they are understand about what we have presented. Lenny Laskowski (2010) states that proper audience analysis makes it possible for you to give the most effective, meaningful and memorable speech to your audience (p.65). So, in presentation, we are not only think about what we are saying, but also how we are saying it.

Sometimes there are many people not confident speak in front of audience especially in presentation context. This eBook explain about techniques, ways and suggestions to get effective presentation skills. This eBook also guide the reader to be better speaking. I think this method is good if apply in our department especially in speaking class. As I have experienced I have not confidence enough in presentation skills, like standing stiffly. After I read this eBook, I got some information that helpful in presentation skill. Thus, this method is good to apply in speaking class activity.

In conclusion, this eBook, Effective Presentation Skills: a practical guide to better speaking, explain about how to be a good presentation with gives techniques. That technique can increase our confidence to speak in front of audience during presentation until the end with doing preparation first. Actually it is helpful in our speaking skill too, for example we can apply for a job in a company which is should pass job interview or something like that, so that, we can do it fluently if we accustomed to speak well and self confidence. Because of that, I suggest that this technique is good applied in speaking class.