The stories that start the chapters:  

At the heart of  “Presentations that Change Minds” are 14 chapters, each about a persuasive strategy. Each of these chapters starts with the story of a famous public individual winning over an audience using the strategy. 

Chapter #1: The presentation that…

deeply involves your audience

Walt Disney overcomes overwhelming skepticism from the business community by involving his ultimate audience with a concept for a new kind of amusement park.

Chapter #2: The presentation that…

creates excitement

As New York City faced near bankruptcy, 27-year-old Donald Trump presents “the sizzle” to win over banks, New York State, the Hyatt Corporation, and the City itself to convert the seedy Commodore Hotel to luxury.

Chapter #3: The presentation that…

persuades with a story

President Bill Clinton prevents another government shut down with a hero’s story.

Chapter #4: The presentation that…

sells a new idea

Political newcomer Steve Forbes becomes the #2 Republican presidential candidate by selling the idea of the “Flat Tax.”

Chapter #5: The presentation that…

persuades by emotional appeal

Martin Luther King gives one of the most persuasive presentations in human history with out a single statistic, fact, or joke in his “I Have a Dream” speech.

Chapter #6: The presentation that… 

persuades with humor

President Ronald Reagan reverses the “age issue” with a joke.

Chapter #7: The presentation that…

lays out “The Facts”

Princess Diana builds support for a global ban on landmines and counters her critics who say she is “uniformed” by laying out her facts.

Chapter #8: The presentation…

that inspires

Legendary car man, Lee Iacocca, raises funds by inspiring audiences for a fight against diabetes.

Chapter #9: The presentation that…

changes a perception

Nelsen Mandela keeps South Africa from the brink of civil war by changing the perception of what the assassination of Chris Hani could mean for its people.

Chapter #10: The presentation that…

builds trust

Ross Perot’s flip chart presidential infomercials sell him as the man you can trust to turn Washington around.

Chapter #11:The presentation that…

offers a solution

24-year-old Bill Gates sells a solution to IBM in the form of a computer operating system that does not yet exist.

Chapter #12: The presentation that…

makes a financial case

Future Sony CEO Akio Morita takes a longer view of a sale and presents a financial case to motivate a buyer.

Chapter #13: The presentation that…

gets them to choose you over your competition

Steven Jobs takes on low cost competitors to Apple’s successful iPod line by introducing the iPod Shuffle.

Chapter #14:The presentation that…

wins over a hostile audience

Candidate John F. Kennedy neutralizes “the religious issue” by winning over the Greater Houston Ministerial Association to become the first Catholic president.