Cover design: Phil Evans and Alex Warwick

Copyright © 2014 by Simon Morton. All rights reserved.

Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.

Published simultaneously in Canada.

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ISBN 978-1-118-68700-0 (paper); ISBN 978-1-118-89165-0 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-89177-3 (ebk)

Thanks and Acknowledgments

Simon Morton

This book is the culmination of almost a decade of thinking, sleeping, reading, crafting, and doing presentations. This occasionally unhealthy obsession wouldn’t be possible without the friendship and support of the amazing people that make up the Eyeful Presentations team across the world. In particular, my hat is doffed and my gratitude overflows (in chronological order) to Dan, Sal, Faz, and Zo—you’re very special people. Thanks for the support (I’m still wearing it).

Thank you also to the amazing customers who have chosen to join us on the journey thus far. Your faith, enthusiasm, and willingness to challenge the status quo is the key to great presentations. I’m glad we’ve been able to repay your trust over the years.

Finally, a huge thank you to the hyper-talented Alex and Phil for the incredible designs that make this book all the more special. Thank you also for admirably resisting the temptation to strangle me whenever I popped into the studio with yet another idea or scrappy drawing.

The least important thing about a presentation is the presentation itself.

The most important thing is the effect it has on your audience—that is, what your audience does and feels as a result of hearing you speak.

Your presentation is a means to an end, not the end itself.

But people don’t view it like that. Instead, they tend to prepare by thinking:

Unsurprisingly, this often leads to overlong, uninspiring, one-way rants that do more harm than good. I’m sure you’ve heard a few of these in the past week alone. And, let’s face it, we all hate sitting through them, don’t we?

I first met Simon a few years ago. To be honest, I was a little wary beforehand. I’d met lots of “PowerPoint experts” before. I’d found most wore “to a man with a hammer, everything looks like a nail” blinkers. You know the type of thing: “You’re delivering a presentation? Great—we design slides. Let’s discuss how we can make yours whizzy and shiny.”

But he was the complete opposite.

It’s they who decide whether to follow the Call To Action. So it’s they who should be our sole focus throughout. Get this right, and everyone benefits. It makes things easy and quick. It’s more pleasant. Things get done.

This book will help you deliver the best presentations of your life. You’ll learn techniques that will permanently change the way you speak to others. I know this, because I’ve seen it happen. Simon’s company and I have worked together many times, helping thousands of people—both presenters and audiences—enjoy presentations more and transforming the way companies communicate, leaders lead, and sales teams sell.

This book will show you how to take your audiences with you on a journey, in such a way that they want to—and do—the things you want.

Better still, it will change how you feel about presentations. Because, let’s face it, what you say on the outside mirrors what you’re thinking on the inside.

But best of all? Your audiences will love that you’ve read it.

And when that happens, everybody wins.

Andy Bounds

Communication expert and author of international best sellers The Snowball Effect and The Jelly Effect