Inspiring and practical - Rated 
Death by PowerPoint is one of the widespread malign results of the wired world we now inhabit. Jon Steel's mission in writing this book is simple: to save the world from dreadful presentations (actually, he uses another word, but it's a bit ripe for Amazon). With an extraordinary breadth of both positive and negative examples, ranging from prostitute cards in London phone booths to what Winston Churchill's famous 'fight them on the beaches' speech would have been like if he'd done it on PowerPoint, Steel demolishes all the worst of pitches both great and small, and uncovers the basis of world-class presentations.
This book is primarily written for the inspirational end of top advertising pitches, but Steel takes care to apply it right down to the transient business presentations that most of us are familiar with. As well as giving all the background thinking, Steel takes us right through a presentation development process, concluding with the London 2012 Olympic bid -- arguably the most famous and influential presentation of the last ten years.
I bought this book to improve my creative marketing pitches. Having read it, I will use it to transform every presentation I make for the rest of my life.
Not bad value for £12.99.
Creating engaging stories that connect - Rated
Jon Steel is a rare breed of truly smart, creative thinkers. Though originally from an advertising background, Perfect Pitch is by no means simply an "advertising book." It is a book about ideas and how to sell them, regardless of your business.
Jon believes that in business we all too often hide behind boring Powerpoint slides when we pitch. It is easier to simply read from a slide than step out and actually engage with your audience. He believes in finding an active insight from which to base the strategy and thinking and from there, developing an engaging and motivating story.
Essentially in a pitch situation you have a limited period of time to connect with your audience and tell them a story. It's not about animated slides or embedded video links.
William Goldman, the scriptwriter, has a very similar premise in Adventures In the Screen Trade. He too talks about the critical importance of the pitch (in his case, pitches for movies) Goldman highlights the importance of finding the hook that captivates and motivates your audience.
Having had the pleasure of working with Jon, in fact on one of the pitches that he references in the book, it is fair to say that he practises what he preaches. The advice he gives is refreshingly free from jargon and rooted in simple common-sense that someones we can all forget.
This book is an essential tool for anyone who is ever in pitch situations with their clients.
Presenting to win - Rated
Jon Steel's book is a breath of fresh air. His key message, that getting the content of the presentation right rather than launching into yet another ill-advised powerpoint, is timely. Too often I have sat through (and given) turgid powerpoint presentations when actually a bit of thought and some emotion would have gone far further.
As with many good presentations, its the recalling of the problems and mistakes (and how they were overcome) that proves the point.
The book has helped me re-focus on getting the analysis right rather than bashing away on the laptop at the last minute! And yes, I have now re-written this weeks major presentation!
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