The Book

Presentation Secrets is available on  Amazon.com now!

The first chapter could be downloaded here for free.

Here are some of the reviews:

I have deep admiration for this body of work. Kapterev has brought fresh insights and discovery into how to structure, build and deliver a presentation.

— Nancy Duarte

I teach entrepreneurship at the Harvard Business School, where I badger the students with whom I work to improve their presentation skills. Entrepreneurs are constantly pitching their businesses to potential customers, investors, partners, and employees. A persuasive pitch, delivered well, can have a huge impact. Unfortunately, like many business schools, we do not teach management communications at HBS, and most of my students have picked up bad presentations habits in their past jobs with consulting firms, investment banks, etc. Their slides are cluttered, their presentation decks are poorly structured, and they don’t know how to connect with an audience.

I’ve been looking for a book for my students that covers the basics of structuring a coherent presentation, creating effective slides, and delivering a presentation in a compelling manner. Previously, I had to send students to three separate sources: Barbara Minto’s “Pyramid Principle,” Garr Reynold’s “Presenation Zen,” and Scott Berkun’s “Confessions of a Public Speaker.” These are wonderful books, and anyone who creates and delivers presentations should read them. But Kapterev’s “Presentation Secrets” provides a terrific overview of all three topics, and it’s the right place to start for anyone who wants build their presentation skills. Kapterev provides conceptual frameworks, helpful examples, and practical advice. His warmth and his empathy for anyone who must stand up and address a crowd come across nicely in the book.

— Tom Eisenmann

A Russian giving advice on how to give presentations? Yes, that’s right. Mr Kapterev produced a YouTube short which went viral and he’s been asked by a publisher to go deeper. This is quite similar to Nancy Duarte’s Resonate in that it provides advice for the TED era – we don’t get the same examples from politicians which have faded from memory – Kapterev refers to examples from Steve Jobs, Eddie Izzard and story gurus like Robert McKee. These are very personal and idiosyncratic musings on what it takes to be a great presenter. I found gems about slides, fonts, audiences and memorising scripts.

When I pick it up I feel I’m in the company of an entertaining and humble expert who wants to share his expertise. It’s an international book, which draws upon the ‘global’ business culture. As the founder of the UK Speechwriters’ Guild, I recommend it.

— William Cohen