For Immediate Release
Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Heed the Three Keys to Great Presentations, Barks Advises Association Executives in ASAE Article

The sad fact is we don’t always communicate what we think we mean. An article in the January 2008 edition of Associations Now, the flagship publication of the American Society of Association Executives, turned to Barks Communications President Ed Barks for insights into becoming a better communicator.

“There are three keys to great presentations,” Barks told reporter Melissa Minetola for her article “Communication Gap.” They apply in formal, informal, and networking exchanges as he outlined in the following excerpt:

Preparation. “Know what you want to say—and how—using your nonverbal skills,” Barks explains.
Performance. “How will you engage people? What words will you say, and how will you say them?”
Feedback assessment. “If you don’t gauge how you perform, you can’t improve.”

Those three keys form the basis of his book, The Truth About Public Speaking: The Three Keys to Great Presentations.

The article also highlighted Barks’ long-standing emphasis on lifelong learning. “’Videotape or audiotape yourself. Talk to friends and family.’ And you always can seek professional guidance. ‘With a communication consultant, map out your strengths and challenges,’ he says.”

He also noted the importance of what you don’t say. “Many people ignore or misinterpret nonverbal signals,” he stated in the article. “Nonverbal signals are key when communicating.”

Barks also mentions the need to understand who you are talking to. He tells the story of “a scientist who was talking about a complex scientific matter. He was remarkably able to communicate and bring down to a human level how his research affects everyday life.”

Ed Barks works with corporate and association executives who need to communicate effectively in public, and with consultants who want to keep their clients happy. He is author of the book The Truth About Public Speaking: The Three Keys to Great Presentations. As President of Barks Communications since 1997, he has taught more than 3000 business leaders, association executives, government officials, athletes, entertainers, non-profit executives, and public relations staff how to succeed when they deal with the media, deliver presentations, and testify before public officials.