February 17, 2014
Communications coach McGowan, a former television news anchor, offers a deftly written guide for improving presentation skills. Writing with Bowman, McGowan walks readers through lessons for getting the results they want, making their points in less time, overcoming anxiety, and getting more done. He covers persuasion, self-pacing, mastering successful body positioning, gestures, and facial language, clothing, thinking on your feet, and overcoming the tendency to use wishy-washy language. The book particularly shines when McGowan turns his talent for engaging narrative to entertaining use. For example, his “Scorcese Principle,” which stresses that the best way to get your point across is to be entertaining and interesting, or his suggestion that readers follow the model of Mad Men’s Don Draper in condensing points down to ad-lines. In addition, McGowan includes scripts for interesting cocktail-party chatter and the much-feared public speaking engagement. Though much of the content is aimed at improving professional pitches and conversations, the advice can be extrapolated to getting any conversation started on the right foot; he later addresses better communication at critical points in one’s life, such as wedding toasts, eulogies, and meeting future in-laws. The book is an in-depth training course for better communication and self-presentation, and invaluable for anyone looking to make their conversations—and presentations—more impactful. 13 b&w illus. Agent: Wayne Kabak, Wayne Kabak Literary Agency.