Perking Up Your Presentations

Josh Braun, who wrote “The Art of Communication: How to Explain Complex Ideas in Simply Delightful Ways,” has uncovered several resources that can help advisors make their ideas connect with clients. His recommendations:

• “The Art of Explanation: Making Your Ideas, Products, and Services Easier to Understand” was written by all-around expert explainer Lee LeFever. LeFever founded Common Craft, a company known around the world for making complex ideas easy to understand through short animated videos.

• “Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die,” by Chip Heath and Dan Heath, explains ways to make your ideas “stickier”—more striking and unforgettable.

• “Show and Tell: How Everybody Can Make Extraordinary Presentations,” by Dan Roam, is very good about verbally presenting information.

• Garr Reynolds has a great blog about issues related to professional presenting at PresentationZen.com. The site also includes free resources and links to books on creating easier-to-understand presentations.