Successful Meetings Magazine
by Tony Jeary, Trade Life Books, 1997

After endless hours of research , a long day spent reviewing and organizing your slides, and a week of talking to yourself in front of the mirror, you realize to your dismay that your audience’s response to your presentation was lethargic at best. You know you missed something, but what?

Well, Tony Jeary’s easy-to-use, reference-type book, Inspire Any Audience, will most likely help you find out where you went astray and improve your presentation skills in front of any group. His theories aren’t bogged down by personal anecdotes. You simply go to the area you think needs improving, or if you’re a novice, read the whole book.

Jeary breaks down the process of presenting into four parts, and it’s a smooth walk through each. In Part 1, he counsels you to clearly define your objectives and your audience as well as develop and thoroughly rehearse your presentation. Jeary includes helpful suggestions on getting through your nervousness – which is normal – to a state of naturalness.

The importance of setting the right tone in the first three minutes of your presentation is discussed in detail in part 2. Jeary instructs you on how to keep your audience interested from the get-go; on your body language; your personal appearance; and your enthusiam. The book also contains advice on how to achieve trust and credibility with your audience.

Several suggestions are explored in Part 3 on how to get and keep your audience’s interest throughout your presentation. Figuratively speaking, Jeary believes that you have to keep them on their toes by involving them in a game or an activity. Use visual aids such as slide projectors or Power-Point. Design your presentation so that you ask questions of your audience and can easily incorporate the answers.

Part 4 advises you on how to close/summarize your presentation. One tip is to recap your main points and have handouts available for distribution to attendees. Another is to link your closing with your introduction and ask whether or not you met your audience’s expectations of your presentation.

Each section of Inspire Any Audience is chock-full of recommendations to make your audience remember you and the information you deliver. Jeary has boxed notes, checklists, useful tips, and pithy quotes from colleagues spread throughout his book. He constantly reminds us of the importance of details: It’s the little things, such as rewarding your audience with gifts, and maintaining eye contact with the group, that make your presentation effective.

In the same vain of having the audience participate in summarizing information, Jeary includes a section at the end of each chapter for readers to fill in what they thought was important, along with their favorite tips. The book also comes with a tear-out section of flash cards, making it easy to remember Jeary’s key points.

- Kiran Mahto