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.
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Book Description
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.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
22 of 26 people found the following review helpful
By John Wyne
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.
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.
33 of 44 people found the following review helpful
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.
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
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.
15 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Amazon Verified Purchase
In his introduction, Rick Altman opines that his book attempts to reduce his billble hours by half, because of all the advice he has packed into its 271 pages. In fact, Altman's billings will probably explode because in this book he firmly establishes himself as the leading expert on every aspect of PowerPoint.
It is a remarkable acheivement. The book is packed with tips on the mechanics of creating PowerPoint presentaions. It is also packed with advice on how to make your PowerPoint presentations interesting. I have a number of books on PowerPoint and none are anywhere near as complete as this one.
While Altman covers PowerPoint 2007, his hints and tips are mostly applicable to earlier versions as well.
This is a book that every PowerPoint user, no matter what level of expertise they think they possess, should buy and read every page of. It is truly that good.
Jerry
It is a remarkable acheivement. The book is packed with tips on the mechanics of creating PowerPoint presentaions. It is also packed with advice on how to make your PowerPoint presentations interesting. I have a number of books on PowerPoint and none are anywhere near as complete as this one.
While Altman covers PowerPoint 2007, his hints and tips are mostly applicable to earlier versions as well.
This is a book that every PowerPoint user, no matter what level of expertise they think they possess, should buy and read every page of. It is truly that good.
Jerry
7 of 9 people found the following review helpful
I was NOT disappointed. It is the first book on PowerPoint which I picked up and read cover to cover (with stops in between airports). I found it useful, amusing, full of tips, and wisdom from Rick's experience
A valuable resource. Now, your next book will be about macros??
Well worth the price, actually you could have gotten more $$ but that's MY gain.
A valuable resource. Now, your next book will be about macros??
Well worth the price, actually you could have gotten more $$ but that's MY gain.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By Jason Levitt
Amazon Verified Purchase
First, a few quibbles.
* The index is worthless. I'm not sure why the author (or the book editor?) dropped the ball on the index, but it's almost non-existent. If this book were more of a typical reference book, you'd lose some points for that, but since it's more of a handbook, it's not so bad.
* No mention of the Macintosh versions (it's not going away -- deal with it :-). I've had more than my share of issues where I prepared my Powerpoint on a Macintosh and then (for whatever reason) had to present on some Windows machine that was tied to the conference room projector. Or, I had to share presentations with teammates who used Windows (and vice versa). Fonts, graphics, video files, animation -- there are plenty of potential cross-platform issues that could really benefit from the author's expertise.
* Size. Yes, size does matter when you are sending presentations to team members via email. PPT files can get really big really fast. I was surprised that there wasn't a short section that addressed ways to minimize the file size of presentations.
I've looked at a lot of computer books over the years, and this book is far better than most. The key thing the author does (that most computer books don't) is really address the user needs as opposed to just outlining the information and regurgitating it. Nicely done.
* The index is worthless. I'm not sure why the author (or the book editor?) dropped the ball on the index, but it's almost non-existent. If this book were more of a typical reference book, you'd lose some points for that, but since it's more of a handbook, it's not so bad.
* No mention of the Macintosh versions (it's not going away -- deal with it :-). I've had more than my share of issues where I prepared my Powerpoint on a Macintosh and then (for whatever reason) had to present on some Windows machine that was tied to the conference room projector. Or, I had to share presentations with teammates who used Windows (and vice versa). Fonts, graphics, video files, animation -- there are plenty of potential cross-platform issues that could really benefit from the author's expertise.
* Size. Yes, size does matter when you are sending presentations to team members via email. PPT files can get really big really fast. I was surprised that there wasn't a short section that addressed ways to minimize the file size of presentations.
I've looked at a lot of computer books over the years, and this book is far better than most. The key thing the author does (that most computer books don't) is really address the user needs as opposed to just outlining the information and regurgitating it. Nicely done.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
This book does not suck!!!
Thought-provoking, idea-generating, improvement guaranteeing(?)...This book is the best tutorial available for refining and defining why the heck you're making a presentation... Read more
Published on May 20, 2010 by Humble Son
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Gem, Lurking Beneath A Catchy Title
I've known about the First Edition of this book for some time, but by the time I got around to actually buying a copy the Second Edition had been released. Read more
Published on January 7, 2010 by Robert S. Weaver
5.0 out of 5 stars
Practical tips
Fairly pragmatic advice, useful for someone who's been doing ppt for awhile, and who needs a boost.
Published on April 20, 2009 by James Bahn
5.0 out of 5 stars
What's the point?
It is a good book but what seems so obvious isn't always easy to solve. This book definitely helps but there are others you need to look at as well and several websites now... Read more
Published on January 5, 2009 by 4America
3.0 out of 5 stars
It's OK.
It's OK, but if this Author wants to be taken a bit more seriously, I would recommend that he use more professional titles. Read more
Published on December 27, 2008 by KindleKent
5.0 out of 5 stars
Your presentations need this book
Rick certainly does tell you how to make your presentations better. I love how he talks about animations and shows you how to tell a story using animations. Read more
Published on November 17, 2008 by Claudyne Wilder
4.0 out of 5 stars
Useful Tips
The book is well written by an author who knows how to make effective presentations. This is not a "how to" book for mastering PowerPoint. Read more
Published on August 26, 2008 by Stephen E. James
4.0 out of 5 stars
Closest Book to What I have been searching
Although I am a certified Power Point Professional I don't use Power Point anymore. Let me explain. Since Apple came out with Keynote it is far better so I left Power Point in the... Read more
Published on February 12, 2008 by Mikeal R. Hughes
5.0 out of 5 stars
The new standard for "computer" books
Why Most PowerPoint Presentations Suck
Altman's writing sets a new standard for "computer" books. Read more
Altman's writing sets a new standard for "computer" books. Read more
Published on December 20, 2007 by S. Bernstein
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