Acknowledgments     xiii
From the Author     xv
The Exceptional Presenter     1
What Makes a Presenter Exceptional?     3
Open Up!     4
Own the Room     6
It's Not Where You Start, It's Where You Finish     11
Do Not Discount Your Potential as a Presenter     13
Do Not Underestimate the Power of Your Delivery     14
Do Not Underestimate How Often You Use These Skills     15
A Cascade of Benefits Awaits the Exceptional Presenter     17
How Are You Positioned as a Presenter?     19
Present to Win or Prepare to Lose     23
How Was I to Know? No One Ever Told Me!     24
The Cost of Average Illustrated     27
What is the Cost of Average?     28
Rate Yourself as a Presenter     29
Organized: Structuring Your Story     31
What Did He Just Say?     32
The Five Components of Any Presentation     34
How to "Tell Them What You're Going to Tell Them"     38
Frame Your "Real Life" Presentation     40
How to "Tell Them"     41
How to "Tell Them What You just Told Them"     42
End with a Purpose Statement     42
Attention-Grabbing Openings     43
If You Don't Look Organized, You Won't Appear Prepared     45
The 60/20 Rule     46
Presentation Prep Sheet     51
Passionate     53
The Power of Non-Verbal Communication     55
Posture     55
What is an Effective Base Posture When Standing?     59
The Most Common Presentation Posture: T-Rex     62
Other Speaker Positions and the Messages They Send     64
What is the Most Effective Seated Position?     66
Square Up     67
Presenting from Behind a Lectern     68
Fidgety Hands     71
Can You Handle the Pressure?     71
Five Tips to Appear Relaxed, Confident, and Professional     72
Practicing to Solidify Exceptional Posture     72
Gestures     73
Five Effective Ways to Incorporate Gestures     74
Visual Aids     79
Practice Opportunities Abound     80
Gestures in Summary     80
The Dynamics of Voice     82
Volume     84
Inflection     84
Pacing/Tempo     85
Eliminate Verbal Graffiti     87
Be Aware of the "Condescendors"     90
Observation Sheet     94
Engaging: To Earn Their Respect, You Must First Connect     95
Rules of Engagement     96
Natural     121
Understand Your Audience     125
Tips to Learn More about Your Audience     126
Questions to Ask     127
Practice     129
Delivery Skills Weekly Practice Chart     134
Quick on Your Feet: Conducting Successful Q&A Sessions     135
Q&A Tips and Techniques     136
Q&A Reminders     139
Buying Time to Gather Your Thoughts     143
Team Presentations and Q&A     146
Exceptional Q&A: British Prime Minister Tony Blair     147
Using Nervous Energy to Create Positive Results     149
You're Not Different-Most People Get Nervous     150
The Mental Game of Presenting     151
Focus the Spotlight on Your Message and Your Audience     151
Convert Nervous Energy to Positive Energy     152
Techniques for Controlling the Fear     152
Your Introduction Is Important     159
Do Not Accept Average When You Can Be Exceptional     163
Conclusion     165
Presentation Sheets      167
Personal Improvement Goals     169
Presentation Assessment Form     170
Delivery Skills Weekly Practice Chart     173
Observation Sheet     179
Presentation Prep/Outline Sheet     181
About the Author     187