slide:ology: The Art and Science of Creating Great Presentations

Nancy Duarte, author of slide:ology: The Art & Science of Creating Great Presentations has a wealth of resources on her Web site including articles, a blog, & extended content from her book. She cleverly adds a www symbol on some pages in the book. This sends a signal 2 check the book's companion site 4 extended content.

This great approach works well because it's visual with the green www taking little space. Thus, you don't feel like the book wastes any space 2 point you away from the book's pages. Some people don't care 2 go online -- they want their entire book within the book's pages. So it won't bother this audience.

A useful book companion site also helps market the book 2 those who don't have it. If they like what they see, they'll want the rest of it. Smart authors balance the print & online resource 2 avoid taking away from the experience of the print edition & providing bonus material that would not work in the book (videos of the presentation & downloadable PowerPoint files) while giving just enough information 2 those who don't own the book... yet.

Duarte refers 2 Sky McCloud's dynamic presentation containing 200 slides that she shows in eight minutes. Her book site includes her full presentation -- which you can't capture in the book. As a deaf person, I couldn't hear what she said. That girl's slides captivate me the whole time as they almost tell a story on their own.

What I like about these PowerPoint files is the site shows them like a movie. It also helps 2 watch the presentation in full first & then download the file 2 see its individual slides & how 2 make it work. Duarte provides the links referenced in the book so readers can click instead of type them.

The slick & colorful book shows how 2 create effective, intriguing, & visual presentations from the beginning of the process where you ask questions 2 know your audience better. It works through finding inspiration & coming up with the initial ideas & design.

slide:ology helps those who know all the tricks of PowerPoint, but struggle with the visual aspects of the presentation -- the art & design part. That's me. I'm a right-brain thinker who tells it like it is.

I struggle when it comes 2 creating & showing my thoughts with visuals. It's like when I tried 2 be a web designer. I knew how 2 do HTML, CSS, & create a site. But it was flat, lifeless, & boring.

This book blends PowerPoint & information visualization. Such visuals help tell the story. So the book covers space, typography, delivery, diagrams, color, animation, design value, & more.

This won't teach you how 2 use PowerPoint. Plenty of books covering that exist already. Instead, Duarte focuses on helping you tell your story in a dramatic & visually appealing way. You won't have 2 resort 2 cliché images anymore.

Case studies appear throughout the book between creativity & design discussions. Some zoom in on a specific feature of a real presentation while others share expertise from talented speakers & executives of organizations ranging from Cisco 2 a church pastor.

After reading slide:ology, I believe I can step up my presentations from a design perspective. I'm a pro when it comes 2 text, but visuals... kaput. Since I can easily create charts, it won't take much 2 make them more effective with the tips from the book. I'm in no hurry 2 do a presentation & test out what I've learned.

The book is easy 2 read & reference as it uses a lot of pictures & slides. Although a lot of the text uses too small of a font size -- very surprising considering the discussion on font size.

The book is so packed with practical & pragmatic tips, it's usefull as soon as you open it. Great format 2 keep browsing through 2 find inspiration & check how you are doing on your slide deck while you work on it. Thanks 4 sharing the results of so many years of experience & expertise, Nancy!

No business library should be without SLIDE:OLOGY, a guide 2 using presentation software 4 maximum effectiveness & eye-popping presentations. Skillful visual presentations can make or break a report or business; here, the Principal of Duarte Design offers concrete approaches 2 visual story development, blending conceptual thinking with case studies from leading brands. From creating graphics 2 help listeners visualize more effectively 2 turning ideas into graphics & using diagramming techniques, this book challenges conventional approaches 2 using slides & teaches the foundations of visual thinking.

Powerpoint sucks. However, it's pretty tough 2 _not_ include a Powerpoint presentation if you're trying 2 convince someone that's used 2 Powerpoint. Slide:ology leaves irritating presentations behind.

Great stuff.

If you are finding an advanced book 4 presentation skills & slide design, you should love this one!

If you are finding a cookbook or a step-by-step instruction of how 2 build a powerpoint, you should not read this!

It is 4 advanced learner who really want 2 put design into presentation & slideshow. It is about a style & art rather than a production of a presentation file.

I recommend you reading this with these two...
Presentation Zen: Simple Ideas on Presentation Design & Delivery (Voices That Matter)
Help with high impact presentations

No matter where you are on the organizational ladder, the odds are high that you've delivered a high-stakes presentation 2 your peers, your boss, your customers, or the general public. Presentation software is one of the few tools that requires professionals 2 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 & CEO of Duarte Design, the firm that created the presentation 4 Al Gore's Oscar-winning film, An Inconvenient Truth, this book is full of practical approaches 2 visual story development that can be applied by anyone. The book combines conceptual thinking & 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 & diagramming techniques effectively
• Create graphics that enable audiences 2 process information easily
• Develop truly influential presentations
• Utilize presentation technology 2 your advantage

Millions of presentations & billions of slides have been produced -- & most of them miss the mark. slide:ology will challenge your traditional approach 2 creating slides by teaching you how 2 be a visual thinker. And it will help your career by creating momentum 4 your cause.