Chapters 17 and 18

Chapter 17: Creating and Delivering Listener-Centered Oral Presentations

I really enjoyed this chapter. Public speaking has always been a somewhat uncomfortable activity for me through the years. For me and just about everyone else. I've read before that more people fear public speaking than death. I believe it!!

This chapter provided a lot of tips to use to prepare for a presentation so that you can get rid of the things that will make you nervous. I liked how it focused on making it interesting for the audience. I have been to many presentations that are long and boring and do not cater to the audience at all. Reading word-for-word off of PowerPoint slides is a common annoyance that the book mentioned and that I share. When people read off of slides, I immediately lose interest. Visuals should only provide key points and be a supplement to what you're saying. They should not be a script for your entire presentation.

Chapter 18: Creating Reader-Centered Web Pages and Websites

This chapter contained a lot of information that I was already familiar with. I have learned what websites should look like just by surfing the web. You can immediately see a good website versus a bad website. Visual design, ease of use, and availability of information are very important aspects to a good website.