How To Deliver A TED Talk: Secrets Of The World's Most Inspiring Presentations by Jeremy Donovan

How To Deliver A TED Talk: Secrets Of The World's Most Inspiring Presentations by Jeremy Donovan
Business

I picked this up not because I have any interest in giving a TED talk, but because I give a few presentations a week and wanted to see if I could pick up some tips on how to present better. There are many tips given in this book, most of which are common sense or known best practices for public speaking. There wasn't much that was specific to TED talks, although Donovan did break down some speeches that were very popular in terms of timing, laughs, pauses, etc. However this doesn't really help you craft your speech. I can't write to say "you" 4 times every 60 seconds, I would imagine it's difficult to precisely measure that out. There are some great reminders in here though. Such as don't be afraid of silence, it doesn't need to be filled with "ums" and "uhs". It's always great to have this reminder as I start consciously thinking about it and find myself saying it less often when I do think about it.

I ended up listening to this on audio, which I don't think is the best way to read this book. The lists became long, tedious, and meaningless. Plus I feel that this would be better as a written book that you could reference when you have a speech or presentation coming up soon.

Rating:
(3/5)

Driven: How to Succeed in Business and In Life by Robert Herjavec

Driven: How to Succeed in Business and In Life by Robert Herjavec
Business

Robert Herjavec, star of CBC's Dragon's Den, came to Canada with his parents whom only had $20 in their pockets. His story is a true rags-to-riches story. What's unique is that Herjavec isn't an American living the "American Dream", but a Canadian. After selling one business for over $100 million to AT&T, Herjavec started The Herjavec Group, a successful internet security company. This book isn't truely about him though, but rather lessons he has learned over his business life and pointers on how to be successful.

Each lesson is accompanied by an anecdote that either relates back to Herjavec's past, or his time in Dragon's Den. As a Dragon's Den fan, I really enjoyed the inside stories and what you pick up about his relationship with the other dragons, specifically Kevin O'Leary (whom he actually seems to like). Herjavec recognizes that it takes a certain type of person to become an entrepreneur and yet doesn't alienate the reader if they aren't that kind of person.

As a young manager in a small company, I found his pointers on when to say no and his dos and donts of firing an employee (something I thankfully haven't had to do yet) helpful. I laughed to myself about his analysis of MBAs. I completely agreed with it, even though I'm an MBA myself.

For the most part, this felt like common sense. I didn't really have any "a-ha!" moments while reading this, because nothing Herjavec was saying was revolutionary. Herjavec is obviously a charismatic person and this comes across not only in his television appearances but also in his book. Without his charisma, this book would not be nearly as interesting a read.

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First Line: "The $200,000 cheque was on the table and we were ready to sign the deal."

Rating:
(4/5)