Customer Reviews

Moving Mountains: Or the Art and Craft of Letting Others See Things Your Way

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Seek this book. I've read books on presentations for 40 years and teach public speaking across America. This is the most insightful book, in fact the very best book I've ever read, period. The psychological savvy into groups, the chapter on graphics and visuals, the hundreds of little tips and techniques is unmatched. His emphasis on meeting the audience's needs is brilliant. I've been using Boettinger's ideas for more than 20 years they've helped me earn more than a million dollars and still no author has matched his fluent style, novel-like descriptions, and breath of knowledge. Search and purchase.

I've read books on public speaking and making presentations for 40 years. I've been a priest, trainer, speech coach for Microsoft, speech writer for a Supreme Court Chief Justice in Washington State, and coach of people who appear on television. Moving Mountains is so insightful that I have passed on Boettinger's ideas for the past 20 some years. No one source has more insights into human nature, graphics, and persuasion and is written in lush, practical language. Simply the best book I have ever read. Period.

If it comes back into print - buy this book! Moving Mountains was written long before Microsoft Powerpoint and similar presentation programs became popular, so it focuses on style, content, and knowing your audience. Tips include how to present a pre-draft of an external presentation to your management (don't have totally polished copy - leave room for them to make their mark), and how to salvage a hopeless presentation the night before (re-write the text so it focuses primarily on "you"). This book is worth a wait. See if it comes back into print - or (gasp) head for your local library. Very highly recommended

This is a must-read book if you ever plan to make a presentation, even if it's just a presentation to yourself as it will help you clarify your thinking. The book is nearly 40 years old now, but don't be fooled. The language is a tiny bit archaic, but the ideas and suggestions are golden and timeless. It contains ideas for presentation of ideas, organization of projects and critical thinking. The last chapter on generating ideas alone is worth the price of admission.

"Moving Mountains" is about the real world of making presentations in business and academia. The author really knows what he is talking about. His insights into the psychology of presenters and audiences go way beyond the superficialities of many of these books, written by consultants who never really had to keep alive a crucial project. One of the best features is that Boettinger wrote before anyone was using personal computers with PowerPoint, so he concentrates on the real and permanent issues of presentations, not the unimportant features of a specific tool, and it's easy to use his insights with modern technology. It is worth buying this book even at the high prices charged in the used market, and it should be a prime candidate for a reprint edition.

Fantastic book that should be required reading for every MBA student. Boettinger's advice is dripping with experience and wisdom. This is not some self-proclaimed presentation expert spinning out droll advice, but an experienced AT&T executive who deeply understands the human psyche and what an expert orator needs to do to persuade an audience.

There is so much content here it's hard to summarize it. I love the section on different story formats to build interest in your presentation. He talks about how to field audience questions, the importance of emotional appeals rather than pure logic, mistakes to avoid, and other pearls of wisdom.

The book was an enjoyable read. You can almost feel the author materializing in front of you, wise and generous, sharing his years of hard-won experience with sincerity and humility. Boettinger does not pretend to be some kind of expert, but the weight of this book's advice proves he is more worthy of the title than any self-proclaimed presentation guru.

Even though this book was written in 1969, the practical ideas and observations it offers are just as valid today as they were then. If you were marooned on a desert island and you had only one book to read, this would be the one I would pick. I enjoy reading this book and I highly recommend it.

Read this book before you make your PowerPoint presentation and you will not regret it. The irony is that PowerPoint hadn't been invented yet when this book was written.

The hard cover copy of Moving Mountains or The Art and Craft of Letting Others See Things Your Way was received in the excellent condition it was advertised to be.

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