Andy Bounds is a Communication Consultant, working with blue chip organisations all over the world. Awarded the title Britain's Sales Trainer of the Year, and described by AstraZeneca's Global Communication Director as "a genius, whose advice can't be ignored", Andy's insights stem from the fact his Mother is blind. This has given him a lifetime's experience of communicating from someone else's point of view... so critical when seeking to persuade others.
Andy typically speaks at 30-40 major conferences per year in over 20 countries, addressing tens of thousands of people. He has delivered keynotes at the Professional Speakers Association conference, as well as for blue-chip companies, Governments, professional bodies and business experts, to name but a few.

Introduction xi

Section A - Build Your Core The cornerstone of successful communication 1

1 How to prepare communication that works 3

Section B - Get More Done More Quickly How to save one month per year 15

When you want to...

2 Ensure people do what you want immediately 17

3 Find the time to communicate brilliantly 21

4 Impress senior audiences when you haven't much time 24

5 Ensure people remember your key messages 27

6 Quickly create presentations that work 30

7 Have better, quicker meetings and conference calls 38

8 Only attend the meetings you need to 41

9 Prepare for meetings in the right way 45

10 Ensure meetings generate actions, not just discussion topics 49

11 Run punchy, interesting and effective update meetings (or not have them) 53

12 Get a quick response to an FYI email 57

13 Empty your inbox 61

14 See how much extra time you've now got 65

Section C - Persuade More People to Say "yes" How to convince others to do what you want 67

When you want to...

15 Understand what really motivates people 69

16 Say things that excite people 71

17 Align your agenda to everyone else's 74

18 Get an enthusiastic "yes" very quickly 77

19 Prove you're someone's best option 80

20 Make a sale 84

21 Write a winning proposal or sales presentation 92

22 Stand out from the crowd 99

23 Cause long-term change, not a short-term blip 103

24 Use the best communication channel to get a quick "yes" 106

25 Create titles that instantly grab people 110

26 Write eye-catching introductions 113

27 Use analogies to make your point 117

28 Structure your communications so they're more persuasive 121

29 Pass an exam 123

30 Get a job interview 129

Section D - Enjoy Your Job More How to make work more fun 133

When you want to...

31 Ensure everyone - including you - thinks you're great 135

32 Build powerful relationships quickly 140

33 Get things right first time 145

34 Deliver interesting presentations that impress everyone 149

35 Use "word pictures" to help people remember things 153

36 Use initials to help people remember things 156

37 Use games and activities to make your point 158

38 Enjoy using PowerPoint 161

39 Create great visuals to enhance your message 165

40 Start a presentation brilliantly (when your audience is large and/or doesn't know you) 176

41 Appear polished, even if you haven't practised much 179

42 Prepare for - and deliver - an excellent Q&A session 182

43 Ensure your important initiatives succeed 185

44 Have good two-way conversations 189

45 Enjoy attending networking events 191

46 Help people read your documents quickly 196

47 Improve people's performance through observation and coaching 199

48 Improve people's performance after annual reviews 202

49 Improve people's performance when you delegate to them 205

Section E - Eliminate the Negatives How to remove your communication frustrations 209

When you want to...

50 Stop saying "no" too quickly 211

51 Say "no" in a way that doesn't cause you problems 214

52 Come up with good ideas, but can't think of any 217

53 Remove someone's concerns about what you're planning to do 220

54 Remove someone's final reason for saying "no" 224

55 Get good outcomes from challenging conversations 226

56 Stop procrastinating about initiating challenging conversations 233

57 Stop your messages becoming diluted 236

58 Stop diluting other people's messages 239

59 Stop hating presentations 244

60 Avoid people instantly doubting your credibility 249

61 Stop wasting your time with people who can't make decisions 252

62 Prevent avoidable disasters 256

63 Stop saying irrelevant stuff 258

64 Break the pattern of hearing useful ideas, but doing nothing with them 261

Conclusion: Build your momentum 264

Appendix: Useful communication templates 267

And for more help... 273

Acknowledgments 274

About Andy Bounds 276

Index 277