This book is an excellent tool. It focuses very specifically on effectively creating a business presentation. The tips were valuable to be and I have been creating presentations for several years. It will also be very easy to reference in the future.

This book is an excellent tool. It focuses very specifically on effectively creating a business presentation. The tips were valuable to be and I have been creating presentations for several years. It will also be very easy to reference in the future.

This book is about making CONSCIOUS decisions for balancing the story board itself for hard facts, visual, ethical and psychological aspects, politicily correctness etc. but of course doesnt stop there.

The book shows and discusses which elements you need to convey your story and why you use certain presentation technics over others to achieve your goals.

The book is devided in 14 chapters. Each chapter is focused on either

a) How to create or develop your basic story or on
b) How to enhance it

(by using the described technics and its implications and reactons it will provoke).

What makes this book standing out is the careful analyzation of the aspects that came into play when giving an presentation.

That obviously includes the analytical skills itself but also the time and effort to explicitely mention and discuss (dis)advantages of each element.


The carefully chosen presentation samples will be disassembled throughout the book and taken apart into its peaces, analyzed, explained and put back together.

Where required, the example will be (dis)assembled several times to bring the points across.

Its the analysation of those presentations and its aspects to a granular level and putting the gained knowledge into a conscious presentation creation process that make the book so valuable.

Most books tell you just how to use software to make graphics etc. but this book tells you what you have to present to your adience to actually win them over.

The fact that the many aspects are explicitely explained helps you visualize the options you have at your disposal and the reason why you chose one presentation form over another.

While this book focuses on presentations that show off your assets and the art of persuasion. There is also a companion book "In the line of Fire" which focuses more on the defense to hardball questions.

I do also want to recommend a third book - "Dan Roams: Back of the Napkin" which focuses more on the technical aspects of how to find your story, and a strong focus on visualizing it fool prove and providing rock solid hard facts that wont be beaten.

What Jerry*s books does express very well is the fact that giving a presentation is like being an athlet.
You will have to exercise "verbalize" regularly to be in top form when it counts.

Good luck to you !!

This book is about making CONSCIOUS decisions for balancing the story board itself for hard facts, visual, ethical and psychological aspects, politicily correctness etc. but of course doesnt stop there.

The book shows and discusses which elements you need to convey your story and why you use certain presentation technics over others to achieve your goals.

The book is devided in 14 chapters. Each chapter is focused on either

a) How to create or develop your basic story or on
b) How to enhance it

(by using the described technics and its implications and reactons it will provoke).

What makes this book standing out is the careful analyzation of the aspects that came into play when giving an presentation.

That obviously includes the analytical skills itself but also the time and effort to explicitely mention and discuss (dis)advantages of each element.


The carefully chosen presentation samples will be disassembled throughout the book and taken apart into its peaces, analyzed, explained and put back together.

Where required, the example will be (dis)assembled several times to bring the points across.

Its the analysation of those presentations and its aspects to a granular level and putting the gained knowledge into a conscious presentation creation process that make the book so valuable.

Most books tell you just how to use software to make graphics etc. but this book tells you what you have to present to your adience to actually win them over.

The fact that the many aspects are explicitely explained helps you visualize the options you have at your disposal and the reason why you chose one presentation form over another.

While this book focuses on presentations that show off your assets and the art of persuasion. There is also a companion book "In the line of Fire" which focuses more on the defense to hardball questions.

I do recommend also a third book - "Dan Roams: Back of the Napkin" which focuses more on the technical aspects of how to find your story, visualizing it and providing rock solid hard facts that wont be beaten.

What this books does express very well is the fact that giving a presentation is like being an athlet. You will have to exercise regularly to be in top form when it counts.

Good luck to you !!

Jerry Weissman is summarizing, analyzing and advizing on how to "Presenting to Win" in the same titled book. You probably have seen all the many books on how to use software X to create stunning graphics, images etc., but thats NOT what the book is about. This book is about making conscious decisions which elements you need to convey your story and why you use certain presentation technics to achieve your goals.


The book is devided in 14 chapters. Each chapter is focused on either

a) How to create or develop your basic story or on
b) How to enhance it

(by using the described technics and its implications and reactons it will provoke).

What makes this book standing out is the careful analyzation of the aspects that came into play when giving an presentation.

That obviously includes the analytical skills itself but also the time and effort to explicitely mention and discuss (dis)advantages of each element.


The carefully chosen presentation samples will be disassembled throughout the book and taken apart into its peaces, analyzed, explained and put back together.

Where required, the example will be (dis)assembled several times to bring the points across.

Its the analysation of those presentations and its aspects to a granular level and putting the gained knowledge into a conscious presentation creation process that make the book so valuable.

Most books tell you just how to use software to make graphics etc. but this book tells you what you have to present to your adience to actually win them over.

The fact that the many aspects are explicitely explained helps you visualize the options you have at your disposal and the reason why you chose one presentation form over another.

While this book focuses on presentations that show off your assets and the art of persuasion. There is also a companion book "In the line of Fire" which focuses more on the defense to hardball questions.

I do recommend also a third book - "Dan Roams: Back of the Napkin" which focuses more on the technical aspects of how to find your story, visualizing it and providing rock solid hard facts that wont be beaten.

What this books does express very well is the fact that giving a presentation is like being an athlet. You will have to exercise regularly to be in top form when it counts.

Good luck to you !!

We've all sat through presentations that dragged on forever, but led nowhere. What's worse, we've probably even given a few. As the author puts it, "The problem is that no one knows how to tell a story...and no one knows that they don't know how to tell a story."
Author Jerry Weissman boils it down to telling a compelling story. That's easy to say, but hard to do. With this book's guidance, you can become an effective communicator--whether convincing employees of the need to change, persuading prospects that you have the best solution or leading skeptical community groups to support your cause.

Presenting to Win overflows with practical advice on how to engage an audience by telling your story with a focus on what's important to them. You become an `audience advocate' whose concern for your listeners' needs puts them at the heart of your presentation. As Weissman describes it:
"Persuasion is the art of moving your audience from Point A, a place of ignorance, indifference, or even hostility toward your goal...navigating them through an unbroken series of Aha!s...to Point B, a place where they will act as your investors, customers, partners, or advocates, ready to march to your drum."

By following Weissman's detailed roadmap, we can learn how to tell stories that move and motivate our listeners by keeping them engaged from a compelling start to a big finish.

Silicon Valley Presentation Guru

Weissmann's first career was as a Hollywood producer and screenwriter. His friendship with venture capitalist, Ben Rosen, led him to his second career as a presentation guru. In 1988, he launched a business that taught high tech executives to move from feature-laden, techno-speak dissertations to engaging, listener-centric presentations. Yahoo, Intuit, Cisco, Microsoft, and Intel all benefited from his teachings.

The Opening Gambit is Just the Beginning
Weissman offers plenty of real world anecdotes, how-tos, and helpful graphics that convey how to grab and keep your audience. His opening gambit concept typifies his approach. He first offers the rationale, supports it with multiple success stories, and describes a broad range of opening gambits.
To engage an audience, an opening gambit pulls them out of a state of disinterest or suspicion about you and your presentation. Asking questions is one of seven such gambits discussed. In 1993, Scott Cook founder of Intuit (maker of Quicken and QuickBooks) faced a jaded audience of investment bankers. Rather than launch into a feature packed discussion of his new product, he asked two questions:
* How many of you balance your own checkbooks?
* How many enjoy doing it?
After a round of chuckles, he continued, "You're not alone. Millions of people around the world hate balancing their checkbooks. We at Intuit have developed an easy-to-use, inexpensive home finance tool named, Quicken." With this `Aha' moment, Cook was off and running.
Beyond the Opening Gambit--Components of Successful Presentations
Equally insightful chapters on presentation essentials provide a level of detail and clarity that leaves nothing to chance. They include:
* Story development
* Graphic design
* Delivery skills
* Tools
* Q & A techniques
In each case, Weissman

Presenting to Win: A Blueprint Worth Following

Weissman demonstrates that even those of us who aren't naturals can present to win. Learning what he teaches requires significant effort because his approach contains such a broad range of interrelated elements--and includes variations that differ depending on purpose, topic, and audience. Making it easy for our audience is hard for us. But, as Microsoft, Intel, Cisco, Intuit, and Yahoo learned, the effort is well worth it.

Jerry Weissman is one of those rare people who has written an authoritative sounding book about how to present and has the real experience and background to justify every claim he makes.

The book starts with the premise that the presenter must focus on the audience and that he must make them focus on him. He must understand the mental point they are at (Point A) and moves them to Point B. He must understand what is in it for them (WIIFY) and constantly use it as he constructs every slide to walk them to Point B. He must also understand the setting of the audience, and his main points of argument. Finally, he must tie those points together with a flow structure that fits his argument.

That's the first half of the book and as someone who has through some awful presentations, I can only wish reading this book were the equivalent of a driver's license for public speakers.

The back half of the book draws on his background in television and employs standard cinematic techniques to improve the appearance of PowerPoint. It's easy to overlook this part, but it makes a huge difference as well.

I've now had a chance to see people who have used these techniques for years present, and it makes a huge difference. I have also seen someone present in a tough situation using these techniques for the first time. This person is level-headed and not given to fads. His comment? "I wish I had run to Jerry's book ten years earlier."

If you speak in public, this is the one book you have to read, and re-read. It is common sensical, based in fact, and surprisingly intuitive.

Presenting to Win is a terrific book. I got a clear, structured, sensible system to create presentations that will skyrocket the level of mine. I will keep this handy every time. Thanks for sharing your wisdom, Jerry.

I have read through numerous books with similar titles on the topic and this one was by far and away the best. He does a great job at organizing his arguments into a logical and intuitive flow. The result is an easy to read and motivational book that will definitely help you tell a story.

My boss gave me this book as I had to prepare a PowerPoint presentation for a major client. I thought "oh great, just what I need, another book telling me how to make PowerPoints. Whatever!"

So I started paging through the book and decided maybe that this is a little different after all. And next thing I knew, I went through the first two chapters devouring every word!

Conclusion? This book is not just about PowerPoints, far from it. This book is about presenting and selling: whether you are presenting a product or presenting yourself. For example, most people don't know how to go about asking for a raise. Why? Because they walk into their boss's office saying "I want a raise or I'll quit" or "I want a raise because I'm expecting a child soon" or "I want a raise because Herbert is making more money that I do and we do the same job!"

And of course, this leads to confrontation, and you end up getting either a little or no raise.

But the book points out that whatever you do in life, you are constantly making presentations. Whether the presentation is for your customer, your boss, your wife, or your colleagues, you need to convince them to do something for you. And the simplest way to get them to act on your presentation is to tell them how they will benefit from doing what you want them to do.

For example, you are going to make a presentation on some new electronic widgets and gizmos your company makes. You spend hours telling your customer the features of the widgets and gizmos but in the end the customer walks away without ever intending to buy your product. WHY? Because you neglected to tell them the benefits. If you had told them how the widgets and gizmos would make their job easier, used less electricity, etc., then they may have made the move to buy the product. SELL THE BENEFITS NOT THE FEATURES!

So, the book tells you how to make your presentation into a story that will move the audience (e.g. customer, boss, spouse, etc.) rather than having a presentation that drolls on giving the audience fact after fact, feature after feature, with no clear beginning and no clear ending.

I finished this book in a weekend and radically altered the presentation I had to give to my client. My presentation was well received and my company ended up with the contract we were seeking.

To put this in Ebay's terms, I give this book an A++++++++++

In fundraising, the basic exercise is called "making your case." Which is, you make an argument that persuades prospective donors to invest their philanthropic dollars in your particular mission or vision -- you hope. True, Jerry Weissman's book is intended for a traditional business audience; he learned his secrets coaching companies like Yahoo prepare for their IPOs. But don't be fooled by his for-profit credentials: this book is all about making your case effectively. And fundraisers desperately need to know the stuff that Jerry Weissman reveals here: how to tell your story so compellingly that buy-in is virtually guaranteed. If you're a fundraiser entering a capital campaign, save yourself the false starts: buy this book.

Excellent book. It's well written, with very good examples. You will recognize your mistakes and as myself you will probably improve your presenting skills.

This book is amazing to me because my employer requires that I read one book on communication skills/presentation skills each quarter. Well, I've worked for for more than five years so I've read more than 20 such books. The thing that shocked me about this book was how much new information it contained that I had never seen elsewhere. This books is really great for the long time public speaker... you'll get a lot out of it.

This book is loaded with helpful advice on creating a great presentation. Even if you think you are great at presentations, this book will help you become even better.

Do you want to make presentations described by Cliff Atkinson in Beyond Bullet Points but are having trouble with using storyboards and composing Acts I, II, & III? Jerry Weismman in Presenting to Win provides the structure to enable you to do that. Jerry is a craftsman and he presents his concepts very clearly and convincingly - he can actually do what he tells you to do! I provide training workshops some of which span three days. Each workshop is customized and I utilize PowerPoint to provide the visual part of the presentation. I haven't been able to totally eliminate bullet points for a presentation of that length - though I have dramatically reduced the number of them! Jerry's techniques for understanding and improving the mechanics of your presentation cover the last half of the book and have been equally valuable to me as the story telling portion which the first half.
If implementing Beyond Bullet Points is giving you trouble but you are convinced that the concept is the right one; then Presenting to Win is essential. Regardless, Presenting to Win can help you make clear, powerful presentations that enable your participants get to Point B!

Jerry has articulated practice based high impact tips for any communicator (all humans) to deliver high impact message. It is interesting that my 12 year old twins mastered the contents for their class project in a very short time.

The key points that were useful to them were: Opening gambit, WIIFY, making the numbers sing.

A good companion book to read would be Roger Ailes 'The Message Is You'

A great book with massive contribution to humankind.

Jerry has articulated practice based high impact tips for any communicator (all humans) to deliver high impact message. It is interesting that my 12 year old twins mastered the contents for their class project in a very short time.

The key points that were useful to them were: Opening gambit, WIIFY, making the numbers sing.

A good companion book to read would be Roger Ailes 'The Message Is You'

A great book with massive contribution to humankind.

If you ever give presentations, ignore this book at your own risk. The risk that people may listen politely to your presentation, but then go out in the hall and say to each other, "but what was the point?" Or even just, "nice presentation but I don't see how I can apply anything I learned from it in my work." Weissman weaves together common-sense and practical recommendations for how to write, prepare for, and deliver presentations. Relates to PowerPoint without making it the central topic (which, of course, it's not). Draws on experience in hitech, as well as rhetorical skills from the ages. I can only quote Weissman himself, "If a presentation is worth doing at all, it's worth doing well."

"Presenting to Win" brings Weissman's experience as a presentation coach, television producer, screenwriter, and novelist to full bloom as he coaches us to "tell our story." His "goal B" is to insure we make a first impression that demonstrates command, and deserves the confidence and money of others.

Jerry Weissman is the master of the power presentation. Weissman has been working with top venture capitalists and entrepreneurs since Ben Rosen, the legendary venture capitalist, had him coach the CEO of Compaq Computer Corporation, Rod Canion, in 1987. Since working with Canion, he has coached hundreds of CEOs and senior executives from many of the most successful companies over the past twenty years, including Adobe Systems, Intel, Intuit, Microsoft, Netflix, and Yahoo.

"Presenting to Win" is the bible for power presentations.

"Presenting to Win" brings Weissman's experience as a presentation coach, television producer, screenwriter, and novelist to full bloom as he coaches us to "tell our story." His "goal B" is to insure we make a first impression that demonstrates command, and deserves the confidence and money of others.

Jerry Weissman is the master of the power presentation. Weissman has been working with top venture capitalists and entrepreneurs since Ben Rosen, the legendary venture capitalist, had him coach the CEO of Compaq Computer Corporation, Rod Canion, in 1987. Since working with Canion, he has coached hundreds of CEOs and senior executives from many of the most successful companies over the past twenty years, including Adobe Systems, Intel, Intuit, Microsoft, Netflix, and Yahoo.

"Presenting to Win" is the bible for power presentations.

Outstanding total message on presenting.