Text ©2012 Michael Trigg
Blow Your Own Horn – Successful Powerful Presenting
Published by Sunmakers, a division of Eldamar Ltd, www.sunmakers.co.uk
The right of Michael Trigg to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988
No part of this publication may be reproduced, hosted or transmitted by any means without the publisher’s written permission.
www.presentationskillscoaching.co.uk
To Elizabeth Trigg, Gay Brabazon and Anitha Allopi. Three wonderful and very different women who have taught me so much. I am eternally grateful to all three for their wisdom, love and generosity.
What people are saying about This Book
“When it comes to speaking in public, few people know as much as Michael Trigg about the topic and fewer still have the ability to put it into words with the accuracy and grace of the man. I applaud him and highly recommend reading every word he writes and listening to every word he says.”
— Jay Conrad Levinson “The Father of Guerilla Marketing”
“This book is to the point on the most important and most overlooked areas of excellent presentation skills. For those looking for last minute advice it can be consumed quickly and yet cover all you need to know. For those who are already experienced in presenting I guarantee there is something in this book that you had not thought of before nor realised you were lacking. I highly recommend it.”
— Michelle Darcy
“A super book, practical advice to implement immediately. Michael Trigg gives you what you need to become a true professional. Quite simply, excellent. If you are looking for a practical, clear and concise guide to presenting - one that will not only greatly improve the quality of your presentations but also significantly reduce the time you take preparing - then Blow Your Own Horn by Michael Trigg is the book to buy. I challenge anyone who reads this book not to notice an immediate improvement in their ability to deliver effective presentations.”
— Luke Thomson. Director, Head of Markit Economics
“Michael Trigg's latest book is an extremely helpful guide as to how to prepare for and make the perfect business presentation. It is essential reading for all those wanting to make a career in Sales and Marketing and importantly to win more business!”
— David Rosier, Chairman .Thurleigh Investment Managers
“Blow Your Own Horn is quite simply a brilliant book, written by a master in this field. Clear practical advice which is tried and tested and hugely successful. Anyone who truly values their career and wishes to develop themselves as a person should buy this book. It’s that simple.”
— Lisa Suter, MD Acorn to Oak
“I found this book to be well written, easy to navigate and a great source of knowledge that is worth every penny. The book steers clear of technical jargon and as a result is very readable and quick to learn from. It's definitely improved my presenting skills and the lessons learnt have already proved invaluable. The simple diagrams in the book help give structure to my presentations and have certainly improved my confidence when presenting. The skills learnt are not just for high level presenters but will be of value to any professional. A must buy.”
— Will Thomas, Indiumonline
“Presenting is something that is feared! Take the advice given here and fear no more. It is not very often that you come across a book that delivers so succinctly on its core objective; so much so that you can open on any page and a little gem of an idea or action comes out. A gem of a book, for anyone wanting to communicate better, at any level.”
— John Greenshaw. MD, Merlin Communications
“Trigg's approach to writing in 5 words what others write in 50 makes this book, like his previous one, a joy to read and understand. Presenting WELL is a difficult and potentially complex topic - so much of it is counter-intuitive at first, which is why so many people do it badly and so many people have massive fear issues over doing it. I attend dozens of conferences every year and hear hundreds of absolutely awful presentations. Not awful content: Awful presentation. Yet so many of us NEED to present well in our jobs or our hobbies. And we've all listened intently to the few good presenters who keep us engaged and enthralled. As Trigg teaches in this book, its not that those people were born to present that way - they have learned the same basic principles that Trigg has researched over many years and have experimented over the years to find what works best and what doesn't. You see most people that present have never had any training on how to. Sadly there's also a lot of poor training out there that is far below the standard Trigg explains in this book. Above all, for my money, I come back to the fact it's got everything you need to understand in the minimum number of words - so its an easy read on the train or over coffee. So if you want to stop being another excruciatingly boring PowerPoint presenter and find out how to be the interesting guy or gal who keeps the audience enthralled - invest the price of two drinks to buy this books and learn from a master!”
— Phil Turtle , MD, Data Center Industry PR
“I’ve just completed "Blow Your Own Horn" by Michael Trigg. This is a refreshingly straightforward and immediately useful book on presenting. Michael writes in an easy to follow style that gets to the point. What's really nice about this book, is that Michael leads you through a structured process, clearly setting out the 'how' and 'what' of presenting, in any context. There's also a very handy summary section at the back of the book, for quick reference. If you're serious about raising your game and taking your presenting skills to a new level - buy this book!”
— Hassan Sheikh, MD, Peoplematrix
“Beautifully presented and containing so many useful techniques assisting us to engage with our audiences. If you want to be heard, then buy the book!”
— Mark Flawn, Founder & Owner. The F10 Group
“This is exactly what I was looking for - a book that provides the tools and techniques to bring fresh ideas into presenting that will bring management closer to my subject, making my job and delivery seamless.”
— Danielle De Laine
“What a great book - Michael gets to the heart of the matter and gives practical tips and advice I can use immediately. Clear and challenging at times a great book getting back to the most successful form of communication in sales. All the twitter in the world doesn't have the same power as a great presentation.”
— John Kerr
Why now?
At the time of writing we are going through really challenging times – socially and economically. Many commentators are talking about a “lost decade”. Whatever the reality turns out to be, most businesses are going to face a very tough period as well as massive change. The impact of social media has yet to be fully realised as we are still in the wild west days of its growth and influence. Yet it is already having a profound influence.
Additive manufacturing - or 3D Printing - is just beginning, with its potentially huge impact on storage and distribution.
The concept of a career is on the way out, rather like fax machines. The US Department of Labour estimates that someone who enters the work force today will have 10-14 jobs by the time they are 38.
In one generation,