Like a Brick Wrapped in Velvet...

We're glad you're interested in getting hold of "Like a Brick Wrapped in Velvet".

What's the "brick wrapped in velvet" approach to presenting?

I believe that all too often people panic when they're asked to give a presentation and - because they're nervous - they leap straight to thinking about all the wrong bits of designing their presentation, muddling up the content and the presentation itself... what you're going to say and the way that you're going to say it.

We think presentations are like velvet wrapped around bricks. The brick is what you've got to say - your content - and the velvet is the way you say it.

Bricks are simple, easy to get hold of, with lots of 'stopping power': they're not too subtle or too sophisticated to be understood easily, immediately and first time.... Unfortunately they can be hard to pick up, with rough edges.

That's where the velvet comes in - velvet is smooth, easy to pick up, easy to handle. Wrap a brick in velvet and you get something easier to pick up and carry but which still has all the stopping power of the original brick. Simple, really, but easily overlooked in the flurry of getting a presentation ready!

How does it help me present?

If you can't get to one of our presentation skills training sessions - and we can't come to you, you'll need to get some help. That's where this presentation training book come in. "Like a Brick Wrapped in Velvet" is a philosophy and an ebook of how to make great business presentations, and the links on this the page will let you buy a copy straight away. We'll also point you at some freebies as a thanks for buying "Like a Brick Wrapped in Velvet"... fair's fair!

What about buying?

Click on the "Buy now" icons on this page and PayPal will do the rest: we've noticed that PayPal is sometimes a little slow and takes a few seconds to load, so please give it a moment. If you've got a PayPal account you can pay with that but if you haven't you can either set one up or use a credit card. The book costs only £8.50 and you'll also be guided to a free downloads

• a four-page (A4) article detailing how to change your slides from good to great;
• a 20-page book of articles/tips drawn over four years of writing for online newspapers
• a recording of a 40 minute teleseminar covering how to deal with nerves to re-enforce what's in the book
• a PDF of the slides that go with the teleseminar

If you enjoy ...like a brick wrapped in velvet... you might also want to sign up for one of our public, one-day courses for some public business presentation training. If you decide to sign up, put "Brick tips" into the "Discount" field on the form and we'll knock of £15 from the course fees (once we've verified that you've actually bought the Ebook that is - we're not completely stupid!)

What do people think about this ebook?

... is a must-have for anyone who not only wants to give good presentations, but also wants to learn how to do it with thoroughness, insight and inspiration - and stand out from the crowd - Suzan St Maur, international writer and author (website) Read the full review by Suzan.

...is a top quality and very easy to use guide to a subject that is increasingly important but poorly catered for. - Jon Driscoll, freelance sports journalist

Bloody good stuff!!! - Gary Stapleton, Athena Security. (Link)

Simon's writing style mirrors the way he talks: with intelligence and passion. As a now self-confessed sufferer of CI (Communication Impotence), this book has heightened my awareness and shown me valuable steps to overcome it. I've read other presentation notes and tips yet none of them have come close to harnessing my adrenaline and utilising it as a strength like this book has. - Angela Ellis, Director, Stop the Train Marketing Agency (link)