As a seasoned keynote speaker and presenter, Nigel Barlow understands that his job in front of the podium isn’t just to speak. It’s to engage his audience, inspire them with his material and – quite frankly – to buck all trends so they don’t fall asleep (which, come on, is part and parcel of listening to a presentation!).
Barlow’s style certainly goes against the grain, allowing him to deliver presentations that are packed with power and get each message across while looking polished, professional and like a rock star!
In his new book, ‘Rock Your Presentation: A New Guide to Speaking with Passion’, Barlow shares his secrets so any reader can become the most talked about and remembered speaker at their next event. Whether one-on-one with an executive, or preaching to the thousands in a packed auditorium, Barlow’s simple philosophy will come as music to every listener’s ears. It’s time to crank up the volume!
Synopsis:
Nearly all of us have to pitch or present our ideas, whether in a formal setting after lunch to a hundred jaded salespeople, in a lecture theatre or classroom, putting over our thoughts to a team of colleagues, or even selling a concept one-on-one to your boss or clients.
In all these situations we can choose between delivering a message that sounds like back ground muzak, or one that wakes the listener up and makes them think ‘I LOVE this song!’
Most presentations and pitches could benefit from being ‘rocked up’ – becoming more dynamic and memorable, in ways that arouse the passion of the audience. By applying the ideas in Rock Your Presentation you can deliver better, livelier and more emotionally engaging talks which leave audiences with the kind of high you get from being in a crowd at a great concert.
Barlow applies the rock’n’roll metaphor throughout the book, turning what, to many, is a stressful subject into an exciting and fun exercise you can’t wait to try out. So take the Van Halen approach to planning your presentation, deliver it like a hit song with a chorus and a bridge, play a few well-rehearsed power chords and set your audience ablaze.
“The great thing about this book is that it covers the entire speaking and presentation spectrum – from strategies that apply to top-level CEOs right through to personal interactions outside of the workplace,” explains Barlow, whose clients include Apple, Microsoft and Vodafone. “I also dive right into the nitty-gritty secrets of public speaking that few will ever divulge – such as the top preparation habits of highly-effective speakers to my own “top ten” quick hacks that will improve any speech or presentation. The great thing about nailing speaking skills is that it seeps way beyond talking to an actual audience. In fact, did you know that effective presentation skills can help smooth over those incredibly-awkward personal conversations you have with your spouse? Go figure!”
Continuing, “And the rock star analogy is perfect. Compare elevator music to a Bruce Springsteen concert; one has people plugging their ears and running away, while the other has lifelong fans who will stand out in the rain and mud to hear him play. It’s all about being like Springsteen and rocking the stage each and every time you set foot on it. Whatever your job and whatever your role, you’re going to have to put yourself under the spotlight at some point. The goal of this book is to bring the house down and make sure your audience never forget you.”
‘Rock Your Presentation: A New Guide to Speaking with Passion’ is published by Little, Brown Book Group on April 28th.
For more information, visit the author’s official website: http://nigelbarlow.com.
About the Author:
Nigel Barlow has made a successful living for several decades giving thousands of speeches to many of the world’s most famous companies: Apple, Danone, GSK, Microsoft, Hewlett Packard and Vodafone are typical clients. He was a founding director of the Tom Peters company in Europe, and currently runs his own company. Until recently he was also an Associate Fellow at Oxford University’s Saïd Business School.
