June 29, 2006 | Read Time: 1 minute
Why Bad Presentations Happen to Good Causes, by Andy Goodman, reviews the most engaging ways for nonprofit leaders to craft effective presentations. Much of the book is based on data gleaned from a questionnaire sent to nonprofit officials about presentations they had attended. The survey found that many of the speakers made little effort to interact with audience members, spoke for too long, and made ineffective use of visuals. The handbook identifies ways through which speakers can give organized, interactive talks that convey enthusiasm for the topic. A section on how to use PowerPoint presentation software to its best advantage includes side-by-side examples of typical slides and slides using more-elaborate, creative techniques. Appendices include the full results of the survey and checklists on how to structure a presentation and improve the delivery of a speech.
Publisher: Cause Communications, 1336 Fifth Street, Santa Monica, Calif. 90401; (310) 458-2823; fax (310) 656-0613; http://www.causecommunications.org; 92 pages; $10; ISBN 0-9763027-2-1.
