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Give Better Presentations with “Take Control of Keynote”

Little is more stressful than giving a major presentation, whether it’s for the big boss, a hiring committee, or the city council. Proper preparation is essential, which is why Joe Kissell’s latest book, “Take Control of Keynote,” walks you through every step of the process: planning what you want to say, creating attractive slides that support your points, and delivering a successful talk. The 168-page book is ideal for beginners, but also has plenty of tips and documentation of subtle features for long-time Keynote users. It’s $15 and is available now.

Building on his years of public speaking at Macworld Expo, MacMania cruises, and innumerable Mac user groups, Joe starts by explaining how to plan your presentation even before you launch Keynote. He then helps you choose the right theme in Keynote, and explains how to create slides by filling in placeholders, adding objects (images, movies, sounds, tables, and charts), and inserting and styling text. You’ll also learn how to add builds and transitions to disclose information progressively, highlight particular objects or text as you speak, and call attention to topic changes. Lastly, Joe offers real-world advice about how to deliver a successful talk, including tips on making presenter notes, customizing
the presenter display, rehearsing your talk, setting up the projector or screen, and controlling your presentation.

Not all presentations are meant to be given in person, and Joe also explains how to deliver remote presentations over the Internet, make self-playing presentations for kiosks, and create presentations with recorded narration. The book covers Keynote for the Mac, but includes an appendix that discusses what’s similar and different in Keynote for iOS and Keynote for iCloud.

Early reader Michael Durrant, a mental health and corporate trainer, wrote to us, “As someone whose life (and income) is doing training presentations, this ebook is the most useful I have ever bought. I know Keynote well and have used it since its first release; however, Joe’s ebook has both challenged me to think about the way I structure my presentations and has taught me stuff about Keynote I didn’t know.”

Take Control of Keynote” rounds out our coverage of Apple’s iWork suite, joining Michael E. Cohen’s “Take Control of Pages” and Sharon Zardetto’s “Take Control of Numbers.” All three rank among our most comprehensive titles, so if you’ve replaced Microsoft Office with iWork, we now have complete documentation for you. All three books are available separately, or you can buy the full 750-page collection for 30 percent off, dropping the $55 cover price to $38.50.

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