Some suggested reading

Hey every one, I have a few books I would like to recommend to you all for some interesting reading, especially if you present are speak. All of these books have some value to us as instructors and as leaders. Some have a DIRECT relation the others can be applied to what we as instructors do.

Presentation Zen: Simple Ideas on Presentation Design and Delivery (Voices That Matter) (Paperback)by Garr Reynolds (Author) presentation designer and internationally acclaimed communications expert Garr Reynolds, creator of the most popular Web site on presentation design and delivery on the net —www.presentationzen.com  — shares his experience in a provocative mix of illumination, inspiration, education, and guidance that will change the way you think about making presentations with PowerPoint or Keynote. Presentation Zen challenges the conventional wisdom of making “slide presentations” in today’s world and encourages you to think differently and more creatively about the preparation, design, and delivery of your presentations. Garr shares lessons and perspectives that draw upon practical advice from the fields of communication and business. Combining solid principles of design with the tenets of Zen simplicity, this book will help you along the path to simpler, more effective presentations.

*The above book is a MUST read for ANYONE who presents! This book will give you the tools to create better presentations but more importantly for us as presenters it will also give us tools on how to deliver better presentations as well. 

2) slide:ology: The Art and Science of Creating Great Presentations (Paperback)byNancy Duarte (Author)

No matter where you are on the organizational ladder, the odds are high that you’ve delivered a high-stakes presentation to your peers, your boss, your customers, or the general public. Presentation software is one of the few tools that requires professionals to think visually on an almost daily basis. But unlike verbal skills, effective visual expression is not easy, natural, or actively taught in schools or business training programs. slide:ology fills that void.

Written by Nancy Duarte, President and CEO of Duarte Design, the firm that created the presentation for Al Gore’s Oscar-winning film, An Inconvenient Truth, this book is full of practical approaches to visual story development that can be applied by anyone. The book combines conceptual thinking and inspirational design, with insightful case studies from the world’s leading brands. With slide:ology you’ll learn to:

• Connect with specific audiences

• Turn ideas into informative graphics

• Use sketching and diagramming techniques effectively

• Create graphics that enable audiences to process information easily

• Develop truly influential presentations

• Utilize presentation technology to your advantage

Millions of presentations and billions of slides have been produced — and most of them miss the mark. slide:ology will challenge your traditional approach to creating slides by teaching you how to be a visual thinker. And it will help your career by creating momentum for your cause. 

*This book is also a MUST for anyone presenting. A fabulous book! This book combined with Presentation Zen will make you a powerhouse and allow to not just step over your peers or competition but to LEAP over them!

3) Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School (Book & DVD) (Hardcover)by John Medina (Author)From Publishers Weekly Multitasking is the great buzz word in business today, but as developmental molecular biologist Medina tells readers in a chapter on attention, the brain can really only focus on one thing at a time. This alone is the best argument for not talking on your cellphone while driving. Medina (The Genetic Inferno) presents readers with a basket containing an even dozen good principles on how the brain works and how we can use them to our benefit at home and work. The author says our visual sense trumps all other senses, so pump up those PowerPoint presentations with graphics. The author says that we don’t sleep to give our brain a rest—studies show our neurons firing furiously away while the rest of the body is catching a few z’s. While our brain indeed loses cells as we age, it compensates so that we continue to be able to learn well into our golden years. Many of these findings and minutiae will be familiar to science buffs, but the author employs an appealing style, with suggestions on how to apply his principles, which should engage all readers. DVD not seen by PW.(Mar.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Book Description Most of us have no idea what’s really going on inside our heads. Yet brain scientists have uncovered details every business leader, parent, and teacher should know–such as the brain’s need for physical activity to work at its best. How do we learn? What exactly do sleep and stress do to our brains? Why is multi-tasking a myth? Why is it so easy to forget–and so important to repeat new information? Is it true that men and women have different brains? In Brain Rules, molecular biologist Dr. John Medina shares his lifelong interest in how the brain sciences might influence the way we teach our children and the way we work. In each chapter, he describes a brain rule–what scientists know for sure about how our brains work–and then offers transformative ideas for our daily lives. Medina’s fascinating stories and sense of humor breathe life into brain science. You’ll learn why Michael Jordan was no good at baseball. You’ll peer over a surgeon’s shoulder as he finds, to his surprise, that we have a Jennifer Aniston neuron. You’ll meet a boy who has an amazing memory for music but can’t tie his own shoes. You will discover how: – Every brain is wired differently – Exercise improves cognition – We are designed to never stop learning and exploring – Memories are volatile – Sleep is powerfully linked with the ability to learn – Vision trumps all of the other senses – Stress changes the way we learn In the end, you’ll understand how your brain really works–and how to get the most out of it. About the DVD The Brain Rules DVD, included with this book, is a lively tour of the 12 brain rules. You will experience firsthand Medina’s rare gift for making science fun, accessible, and relevant. The DVD will take your understanding of the book to the next level. 

*This is a great book as well and for us as instructors it will help in understanding how the brain works differently for everyone, and how we can then relate that to our presentations and make better connections with our students. I have a learning disabled kid and this book has helped with me understanding some of his needs as well. 

4) Inside Steve’s Brain (Hardcover)by Leander Kahney (Author)Review “Throughout his storied Silicon Valley career, Apple CEO and Pixar Studios founder Steve Jobs has been labeled, among other things, an egomaniac, a Zen Buddhist, a business mastermind, a sociopath and a music mogul. Blogger, author and Wired News editor Kahney, who has chronicled Apple in previous books (The Cult of Mac), attempts to plumb the depths of Jobs’s prodigious mind in this engrossing biography. The author devotes much time to the sensational aspects of Jobs’ life, including his demeaning and ferocious interactions with employees, his relentless high-mindedness and fanatical attention to detail, clearly demonstrating how his tyrannical and perfectionist impulses have have shaped the award-winning designs and consumer-friendly products that have made Apple a juggernaut. Though it doesn’t penetrate the Mac man’s psyche too deeply, and sections on tangential figures like Apple design guru Jonathan Ive and Apple Store visionary Ron Johnson can meander, those searching for a telling portrait of Jobs’s management style and its impact on Apple will not be left wanting.” –Publisher’s Weekly(Apr.) 

*No I did NOT include this because I support apple. This book is great for us as instructors because it discusses ways of thinking out side of the box and has some very interesting reads on topics such as design and leadership……. design? yes why is that important? because many of you make your own presentations and this book can help you see some of the little things but the most important thing about it is the way that Steve Jobs creates a nice USERS EXPERIENCE with his products….. as instructors our products are then presentations we deliver. This is a good book with a lot of good info in it. There are a few other books I can highly recommend if anyone is interested, All of them can help us to become better instructors it you are wanting to put in some time reading, and more importantly implementing. 

Here are a few web sites I also recommend: http://www.presentationzen.com/http://www.43folders.com/ http://www.slideshare.net/ http://www.ted.com/ Just to start I have many more.

Best of luck everyone! Corey