Want Presentations That Rock? Joey Asher's 15 Minutes Including Q&A Delivers

"The best presentations are conversations where the listeners participate and get what they want. If there are lots of questions, then the chances are that your listeners are going away with what they need," says Joey Asher in his new book, 15 Minutes Including Q&A: A Plan to Save the World From Lousy Presentations.Though this book is only 4 X 6 inches and 106 pages, it's filled with lots of useful information and tons of examples. At the end of each chapter there is a key takeaway which is a synopsis of the chapter. I was asked to review this book, and I'd like to share my thoughts with you.The author Joey Asher suggests that presentations should be 15 minutes long, equally divided between the presentation and the question and answer section. There shouldn't be more than six slides for your PowerPoint, which are created after you've fleshed out what you'd like to cover in the presentation. Is it a surprise that someone would write such a book in an age with micro-bloggin
g at 140 characters, in a world with people who have short attention spans?15 Minutes Including Q & A has three sections: Part I: Prepare a Seven-Minute Rifle Shot Presentation, Part II: Allow Listeners to Fill in the Blanks and Raise Objections with Q & A, Part III: Deliver the Presentation with Intensity.Breakdown of Your PresentationStep 1: The Hook - 30 seconds - Quick identification of the problem/issue/challenge and resolution
Step 2: The Preview - 30 seconds - Three key points/messages to solve the problem
Step 3: The Body of the Presentation - five minutes - Restate and expand on each of the three points, and provide examples to illustrate each point
Step 4: The Recap - 30 seconds - Repeat the three key points/messages
Step 5: Call to Action - 30 seconds - What next? What do you expect from the audience?This presentation model focuses on problem/solution, challenge/response and question/answer, and there is a strong emphasis on question and answer section, so the format is more engaging. The book walks you through the process of creating your presentation in the form of telling a story.The Formula for a Good Presentation StoryStart with the point
Tell the story chronologically
Keep it tight but give some details
The more personal the story the better
Remind the audience of the point at the endFor professionals to use this model effectively require them to know what the key issues are that affect their audiences. They have to be focused, and know their content inside out. If you do not know what the issues are, Joey Asher suggests that you call a few people who will be attending the presentation and ask them, or you could also email them with one or two questions. To ensure that you know your content, and come across as being confident, and an expert, simply mean that you Rehearse, Rehearse and then Rehearse some more. And if you are terrified that you'll be asked questions in the Q & A that you cannot answer since an equal amount of time is dedicated, think about 15 questions that the audience would likely ask, and prepare answers for them, so you are ready for almost anything.5 Great IdeasIf you're focused, you can say anything you want to say in seven minutes
Speak to your audience like you're having a highly animated dinner conversation
Start your presentation by putting your finger on the key issue or question that your audience cares about
Presenting is a spoken art. You can't prepare by simply flipping through your slides. Rehearse, rehearse and rehearse
Know the first two lines of your presentation to help you relax and build your confidenceThree Questions to Ask and Answer Before Preparing Your PresentationWhat problem needs solving?
What are the three things that you absolutely want your audience to remember?
What action would you like your audience to take after the presentation?I liked this book because it's easy to read, and has information that you can immediately apply. It's practical! Even though it's for presentations, the model will work for some forms of writing. It's always important to keep it tight, always focused on the needs of your audience (reader or client). A challenge for this idea, is to convince people that quality is more important than quantity. I recommend 15 Minutes Including Q&A: A Plan to Save the World From Lousy Presentations by Joey Asher.

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