Product Description

Unlock the amazing story buried in your presentation—and forget boring bullet points forever! Now updated for Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007, this widely-acclaimed book includes seven new examples of compelling presentations from board room to classroom. Communications expert Cliff Atkinson guides you, step by step, through his revolutionary three-step method for increasing the impact of your presentations. You’ll discover how to combine classic storytelling techniques with the power of visual media to create a rich, engaging experience. Transform the way you create and deliver your critical message—and quickly bring your ideas to life! FOCUS Learn how to distill and shape your best ideas into a crisp and compelling narrative. CLARIFY Use a storyboard to illustrate your ideas, creating the right blend of message and media. ENGAGE Move from merely reading your slides to creating a rich, connected experience with your audience—and increase your impact! CD includes: •Cliff’s custom templates—build your story! •Quick reference checklists for compelling presentations •Complete eBook—plus bonus content! 

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #41569 in Books
• Brand: Microsoft
• Published on: 2007-10-08
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 368 pages

About the Author
Cliff Atkinson is a leading authority on how to improve your communications across organizations by using Office PowerPoint. As an independent management consultant, his clients include companies ranking in the top five of the Fortune 500. He is a popular keynote speaker and writer, and he serves on the faculty of UCLA Extension.

Customer Reviews

Not bad
I bought this book after I bought Nancy Duarte's Slide:ology book. Beyond Bullets is a good presentation book, very well structured, very thorough. But, it didn't excite my creativity in the same way Daurte's book. My suggestion? But both. Beyond Bullet Points will give you the structure, Slide:ology will stimulate your creative ideas.

Surprisingly useful
I approached this book with trepidation - it looked very hyped and trite and American. However, I've used the BPP approach twice now and I have to say I'm a convert.

On the downside it's a slow, pedantic read and you really do have to skim some of the verbage. Also the examples given are shallow, the structure is a bit didactic, and the software is a bit clunky.

But get over that. The presentation approach is quite radical and it really WORKS. It forces you to clarify your thinking; to focus on the big issues; to use rational sensory and emotional communication to make your points; and to keep it succinct. And it makes all this relatively easy! On top of that it does half the work of creating the final Powerpoint slides for you.

If you spend any of your time making presentations to present thinking, persuade, or to teach, I recommend you take a look.

Disappointing and not design led
The title is encouraging and Cliff certainly does have an alternative approach to a stack of bullet point filled slides, but he's not a designer and his book is nowhere near as good as Garr Reynolds' 'Presentation Zen' or Nancy Duarte's 'slide:ology'.

Cliff has a method. A pretty rigid format and process to create slides that look OK - certainly an improvement on 90% of what's out there - but it just doesn't have that magic or the creative edge. It's no surprise that this is a Microsoft book, lots of processes to follow to use the software and not a lot on creative design.

Plus I'm looking for more versatility and design inspiration than Cliff's one big idea - I don't want every one of my presentations to look the same.

I give it two stars for two good points: his use of visual motifs to link a presentation and help it flow (which, to be fair, isn't covered in the other two books above); and his explanation about how to get the best out of Presenter View (contained in the appendices on the CD).

If you really want to power up the impact you can make with PowerPoint, look at the designers' books first (Robin Williams 'Non-Designer's Presentation Book' is another good one just published).