Why Most PowerPoint Presentations Suck and How You Can Make Them Better [Perfect Paperback]

Rick Altman (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0615142230 | ISBN-13: 978-0615142234 | Publication Date: May 1, 2007 | Edition: 1st

Did you learn PowerPoint in 15 minutes? Join the crowd...most people spend less than a half-hour getting to know the program that might be responsible for more first impressions of them and their company than anything else. This book is for earnest presenters and presentation designers who want to escape the perils that entrap so many who turn to PowerPoint for their presentations.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Rick Altman is one of the most widely-read authors on graphics and presentations in the world, with 15 titles to his name. He is the host of the PowerPoint Live User Conference, an annual learning event for presentation professionals (www.pptlive.com), and the CorelWorld User Conference (www.corelworld.com). He is a regular speaker at industry events that focus on better communications.

Product Details

• Perfect Paperback: 271 pages
• Publisher: Harvest Books; 1st edition (May 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0615142230
• ISBN-13: 978-0615142234
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 7.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #540,906 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars must-have for better presentations, September 10, 2007

By 

John Wyne (Winnipeg, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Why Most PowerPoint Presentations Suck and How You Can Make Them Better (Perfect Paperback)

Big "thumbs-up" for Rick Altman's "Why Most PowerPoint Presentations Suck..."

Everybody admits - our PowerPoint presentations need to improve. There's an understatement! But how? What can we do to make a real difference for our self - and our audiences?

Have stacks of PPT how-to books. This is the first one that finally got the mix of technical, creative & presenter savvy right. -- and the first (I think) that I actually read cover to cover!

The conversational tone of the writing was more like a personal tutor walking you through the subtle nuances of the software that both designers & presenters need to know. This book is filled with the great ideas, practical examples, and good background information you've been looking for.

There's a good selection of practical techniques you can put to work immediately -- they've already influenced how I think about the shows I develop. The methodology & layout made sense and was easy to follow to achieve the promised results.

There are also numerous links that enable the reader to download working examples of the techniques he describes, as well as valuable insights about complementary third-party software.

It was also a "shot in the arm" for a long-suffering PPT user trying to push the envelope a little with each show!

If you're not getting the results you want with PPT, quit blaming MS -- maybe you need to learn something new. This book is top rate.

32 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Why, Unfortunately, This Book Sucks, February 28, 2009

By 

Paul J. Kelly "Author of The 7 Slide Solution" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Why Most PowerPoint Presentations Suck and How You Can Make Them Better (Perfect Paperback)

The title of Rick Altman'book --Why Most PowerPoint Presentations SUCK And How You Can Make Them Better -- is only the first problem with this book (is he promising that if I read this book I can personally make "most"of the millions of PPTs created each day better? Tall order.)

The book actually exemplifies why most PowerPoint presentations "suck" --it is so badly organized that it detracts from some excelllent content.
The book is organized into four parts:
· The Pain (6 chapters): This part offers standard complaints like cramming too much into a presenation and overdoing it on animation:
· The Solution ( 6 chapters) "Pain" can be allleviated, eliminated, or deferred but can it be solved? These kinds of things become increasingly irritating as I proceeded through the book.
· Public Speaking (4 chapters) a 40 page non sequitur given that the book is about PowerPoint
· Working Smarter, Presenting Better (5 Chapters) wherein all pretense of organization is abandoned.

This lack of organization is unfortunate because Rick clearly knows his PowerPoint. The advice he gives is practical, straightforward and useful.

In chapter 9 he states, "...that is the beauty of writing a book that is designed to be uneven. I can indulge the arcane and burrow into the obscure, and there's nothing you can do about it." Wrong. We can take a pass.

14 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars New dimensions to PowerPoint, July 4, 2007

By 

David Karlins "Web design author and consultant" (Berkeley, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Why Most PowerPoint Presentations Suck and How You Can Make Them Better (Perfect Paperback)

This book is essential for everyone who does presentations, period. It both presents PowerPoint techniques with amazing depth and detail, and integrates all kinds of insights for making your PowerPoint show part of an overall effective presentation. How many books on PowerPoint discuss the importance of freeing your hands for gestures while presenting PowerPoint slideshows, and show you how to do that? Rick Altman brings a wealth of experience as both a communicator and a presenter to this book. Additional tools and examples at a companion web site add another dimension to the book's value.