| Clear and to the Point: 8 Psychological Principles for Compelling PowerPoint Presentations | 
| Author: Stephen M. Kosslyn
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Category: Book
List Price: $19.95
Buy New: $11.08
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Avg. Customer Rating:   (11 reviews)
Sales Rank: 20698
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Paperback
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 240
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 9.9 x 6.8 x 0.7
ISBN: 0195320697
Dewey Decimal Number: 006.6869
EAN: 9780195320695
ASIN: 0195320697
Publication Date: August 13, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 If you're new to presentations, this is good but otherwise, you will find little value. December 3, 2007
24 out of 28 found this review helpful
This book is filled with very basic advice - much of which is very intiutive. For example, there are a lot of Do's and Dont's. Some of the do's and dont's:
dont vary bullets arbitrarily (one bullet is round, second is a ~, third is #, fourth is >).
dont present one giant list of items on a slide, do categorize them
dont make the subheading of your title slide more salient (visible, eye catching) than the heading. do make the heading more salient than subheading.
dont vary color in your presentation purely for decoration, do vary for emphasis
don't use underline, do use bold italics, etc.
This book is filled with probably 50 pages of such examples since each do and dont takes up a full page (sometimes two).
the 8 principles are also very simple things you would learn from watching a few well done presentations online such as talking at the right level, not trying to cram too much in people's heads at once, keeping focused on what you want people to get out of the presentation, etc.
If you are new to presentations, this is a good book for you. If you are familiar with giving presentations, you're better off trying a different book.
 Basic and minor information November 11, 2007
8 out of 9 found this review helpful
Wrapped-up in 8 so-called "psychological principles" that turn to be more grandma recipes than latest discoveries from neurosciences, this book introduces very obvious advices that can be found free of charge in any serious blog about PowerPoint! If you're discovering the software for the first time (!) and really don't know basics such as: readable fonts must be over 36 points; colors are not for decorative purposes; and varying bullets distrub the message, then may be you can spend your money, otherwise I would highly recommend your turn to Seth Godin, Garr reynolds, and all other modern efficient communicators who provide real valuable stuff for designing 21st century presentations!
 Excellent guide to visual design of slides October 18, 2007
13 out of 14 found this review helpful
This is an excellent guide to the visual design of presentation slides (PowerPoint or otherwise). Kosslyn explain his 8 principles, and then provides guidelines for various aspects of presentations, such as text, sound, graphs, and other visuals. At the end of each chapter, he ties the guidelines in that chapter to basic principles that underlie them.
However, Kosslyn is an expert on visual perception, not an expert on learning. Therefore, take his suggestions on non-visual aspects of presentations with a grain of salt. For example, he endorses reading your slides aloud, which he says "gives the viewers two chances to understand and remember them". In fact, reading and hearing the same information *reduces* retention of information. For more details, see Multimedia Learning.
If you buy only one book to improve your presentations, I suggest that you get Beyond Bullet Points: Using Microsoft PowerPoint to Create Presentations That Inform, Motivate, and Inspire (Bpg-Other). However, "Clear and to the Point" is an excellent additional resource.
Well written, informative, and practical September 29, 2007
3 out of 5 found this review helpful
Clear and to the Point provided exactly the information I wanted and in a way that was easy to use. It is well written, informative, and practical; it can be read as a stand-alone book or used hands-on as a reference tool while creating a talk with PowerPoint slides. The principles in the book are ones that will be familiar to those who've pursued insights into public speaking in other ways; however, the book is outstanding at introducing the topics to the reader as either a refresher or new knowledge. Long-time presenters could use the book as a check on how well they are doing and areas for additional refinement. One key asset to the book is the overview of presenting visual information -- charts, in particular. The examples are clear and instructive. This aspect of the book is unique from other books on public speaking and PowerPoint use that I have browsed. This content plus the concise principles make it a worthwhile addition to my professional collection.
 As it says on the front cover: Clear and to the Point! September 6, 2007
1 out of 7 found this review helpful
Professor Kosslyn has brilliantly combined clear visual examples with succinct yet deeply insightful text to help you quickly improve your ability to communicate effectively using Powerpoint. A must-have book for anyone making presentations...even if not using Powerpoint!
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