Another 5-Star Review for “The Orderly Conversation” at Portland Book Review

Review originally posted at the Portland Book Review

The Orderly Conversation: Business Presentations Redefined by Dale Ludwig and Greg Owen-Boger

Portland Book Review

 

 

 

Approaching presentations as conversations leads to more engagement, which is necessary to successfully keep business moving forward. Authors Ludwig and Owen-Boger walk the reader through the steps in planning and delivering the ordered conversation following the structure of their training workshops. From getting engaged to framing the conversation, from presenting the information to managing interactions, seasoned and new presenters alike will benefit from this relevant and organized text. Some long-standing presentation rules are debunked as performance tactics, while valuable techniques such as pausing, eye contact, and directing attention are discussed and validated. Through the experience of eight workshop participants, the authors effectively show readers differing personalities and various presentation scenarios then present the adaptations each participant makes to achieve an ordered conversation. If, for example, one’s default presentation approach is to improvise, the tendency to be long-winded and get off track lends importance to using framing slides and prompts to stay focused. If one’s default approach is to script the entire presentation and practice to perfection, one risks performing and disengaging from the conversation.

Included in this text is a self-assessment to assist the reader in determining their default approach. Readers will likely recognize themselves in one or more of the workshop participants. Ever get nervous when presenting? The authors share how to manage that nervousness. Prefer to put the slides together, than to actually present them? That’s addressed. Have trouble figuring out where to start with visual aids? Authors Ludwig and Owen-Boger lead readers through four steps in defining the content and structuring the framing slides for a presentation. While readers won’t have the benefit of the videotaping and playback of presentations that workshop participants do within this book, it would be possible to follow this prescriptive and answer the questions shared to further improve presentation skills. The Orderly Conversation is a must-read for anyone looking to hone their presentation skills.

Reviewed by Lisa Ard