The Storyteller's Spellbook: How to make your ideas more compelling and your career more magical - Paperback

by James a. Whittaker (Author)

There is a big difference between transmitting facts to an audience and transforming the way people think. The former is the choice of most speakers and explains why from classrooms to conference rooms, boredom is the primary experience audiences receive. Far too many speakers either don't take their audiences seriously and squander the opportunity the stage offers, or - even worse - assume that their natural charisma is far stronger than it actually is. This is good news for you. Most people's inability to engage an audience is your opportunity. Nearly every stage the world presents is yours for the taking. All it takes is a little magic. And here's the really good news, that magic is accessible to you. That's right, YOU. All the spells you need to work magic of your own are right here in this book. Prepare to wow your audiences and reap the career benefits of magical stagecraft.

Author Biography

James Whittaker's career spans academia, start-ups and top tech companies and starts in 1986 as the first computer science graduate hired by the FBI. James then worked as a freelance developer, most notably for IBM, Ericsson, SAP, Cisco and Microsoft. He joined the faculty at the Florida Institute of Technology where he continued his prolific publication record in software development and computer security. In 2002 his security work was spun off by the university into a startup which was later acquired by Raytheon. James' first stint at Microsoft was in Trustworthy Computing and Visual Studio. He then joined Google as an engineering director and led teams working on Chrome, Maps and Google+. In 2012 James rejoined Microsoft. James is known for being a creative and passionate leader and sought after speaker and author. Of his five books two have been Jolt Award finalists and one a best-seller. Follow him on Twitter @docjamesw and at his website docjamesw.com.