How not to win at Speech
341717
Worthless, one-sided and inflammatory.  As a Speech Judge, this is the opposite of what works.
3190822
I cannot get past how BAD the speaker is on this tape.  He loses the last 5 words of almost every sentence so you don't know what he even says unless you rewind.  VERY ANNOYING.  I cannot believe this was not discovered in the editing process. DO NOT get the book on tape.  Only get the book.  It lost any value for me.  I can only trust that the reviewers of this book READ it and that is why their reviews are so positive.  So now I will have to buy the book too.
1868189
This textbook is well written and more interesting than most. However, I'm only giving it one star because I'm irritated that the publisher has chosen not to enable text-to-speech for the digital version. This option doesn't cost the publisher anything and it is very helpful for people with reading disabilities. My son is dyslexic and if the text-to-speech option is enabled, he can listen to the text while he is reading along and it reduces the number of errors he makes and he is then able to better understand the material. Without the text-to-speech option, it is very difficult for him to succeed in reading the text and in passing the class.
2254149
Author drives home the need for preparation of script or outline. This book is not a pep talk nor does it have a motivational bent. It is well written. Did any of Ronald Reagan's speech writers not write a book.  Different than most public speaking books, he leaves you to pick your own words and gestures for the most part.  He focuses on being who you are and making the most of it.  If you are a clear cut expert in the areas you intend to speak on this is the book for you because it is short and sweat and covers the critical basics without trying to make you over.
3319254
Good book if you aren't confrontational but want to draw the line. Good strategies and reminders. However I was a bit bored seemed like I was being told how not to be a loser.
1203170
Public speaking can be nerve-wracking and downright terrifying if you're not prepared.

This statement is really true and the book shared a lot of value tips and guides to improve your next public speaking. Especially in Chapter 6 & 7 shared about taking control of your thought and emotions before go on stage and 20 tips to help us grab the audience attention.

Thanks for writing this book. Im feeling more confident to prepare and improve my public speaking skill.
4794875
I heard this author on an NPR radio interview and his book sounded perfect for my teen son with ADD and dyslexia. Organization is a huge challenge for anyone with these learning disabilities. In his interview, the author highlighted the fact that he himself was dyslexic and that his organizational tips were particularly helpful for him because of his learning disabilities.

The only reason I bought my dyslexic son the Kindle was to enable him to "read" along with books as they are read aloud to him by the Text to Speech feature. This enables him to enjoy books that are well beyond his reading ability. When I went to order this Kindle book for him, it noted that speech was not enabled on this book.

To the author -- Mr. Merrill: I'm guessing some ignorant book publishing executive made the decision for you not to enable speech on the Kindle. Please correct this now and make your book accessible for people with disabilities - older and younger - who benefit from Kindle Speech Enabled.(not to mention that I promise you - you will sell at least one more book!)
2894841
Talking, so many times as people advance up the proverbial ladder so often becomes as dictatorial, We loose the ability to listen. We are so consumed with our own vision that we are really not interested in anyone else's vision.  This book helps us investigate how important it is to look at our selves and how we shut down conversations. It gives us skills to use and learn to open the lines of trust in order to build positive interaction and excitement during meetings and interactions.
3420600
You need to have the mic right up against your mouth.  I frequently get people telling me I need to speak up.
4076433
Most people don't like to give speeches or make presentations. Yet almost everyone has enjoyed hearing someone else speak or present in such a way that they couldn't get enough. Seldom does the person who dreads speeches and presentations think enough about the audience to try to put together such a stunning result for them. That's too bad.

Anyone who reads Mark Sanborn's little book, Encore Effect, will come away wanting to do more with speeches and presentations. That's all to the good.

He succinctly captures how to accomplish "encore" results in terms of these four ways of affecting the audience:

1. Move them to act.
2. Make them feel good.
3. Cause them to laugh.
4. Stimulate them to think.

Again, most presenters and speakers only consider one or two of these dimensions. It's good to focus on them all.

What does it take? A remarkable performance is Mr. Sanborn's answer.

From there, the book provides six p's to deliver that performance:

Passion, Preparation, Practice, Performance, Polish, and Pitfalls.

There's a chapter on each point.

The book concludes with encouragement to teach others these lessons and to improve who you are as a person, the foundation for being a great communicator.

Like many brief books, it doesn't really tell you all you need to know. Like the best brief books, it does make it clear that areas you should be working on. As a result, this is a good book to start with after you decide you want to become an excellent speaker or presenter. From there, you'll need to dig into meatier works to learn how to create those performances that you admire so much.

Keep at it!
517736
Concise, vital and non-threatening, that's my summary of Chuck Boyer and Bill Dunne's "Presentation As War - Battlefield Tactics for Pitching the Wired Audience."

Building their arguments with the help of time-tested military tactics and strategies, Boyer and Dunne lay out their hypothesis with simple declarative sentences. Their work is accessible to both the speechwriting novice and veteran.

Frankly, I wish they'd written their book a couple decades ago, before I entered the speechwriting game. "Presentation as War" should find its way into the quiver of every serious executive communicator and speaker.

While giving ample ammunition to the C-Suite, PAW offers a battaliion of battle-tested insights to vice president-and-below speakers who too often get little coaching and support as they're asked to deliver wooden, mediocre "stump" speeches that neither meet the needs of the speaker or the audience.

With just a modicum of "natural" talent, and lots of practice, they'll increase the value of their personal brands, if they study and follow processes defined by Boyer-Dunne.

Under Mr. Boyer and Dunne's tutelage a lot of folks are going to upgrade their performances as they move up the career ladder.
266298
There is nothing worse than having to listen to a boring speech except being the person giving the boring speech. If you want to get more people listening to what you have to say, then liven up your presentation with humor. It can be a daunting task to know how to do that. For years I have added what I thought was humor to my speeches, but few people laughed. Now I know why. I did not know how to set up my jokes. Marshall Chiles book is an easy to use guide that helps even the most boring of us be funny.  His book gives several easy to use tips and tricks to get people laughing in your presentations. If you get people laughing, you make them happy. If you can make them happy, you can sell them anything.
4753529
Great book if you hate doing super long speeches with alliteration and stuff. You know? And I just LOVE tounge twisters
3370063
"Speaking With Bold Assurance" by Bert Decker and Hershael York focuses on how Christians may be bolder speakers, especially when sharing the Gospel with others.  Indeed, many speakers get passionate about temporal things (financial security, career success, etc.), so why can't Christians get more excited about something much more important (eternity)?

Among the important points covered include:

1.  God wants us to be bold and not timid.
2.  Being passionate, confident, and believable is more important than education and eloquence.
3.  9 powerful tools in communication.
4.  The Gospel is worth getting passionate and excited over!
5.  Suggestions for facial expressions, voice, using humor, getting your audience's attention, etc.
6.  Speakers who make a lifelong impact are those who grip the hearts of their audience.
7.  People are attracted to our vulnerability and transparency.

A good read for anyone wishing to improve their communications skills (and we all need some improvement!).

Recommended.
1137620
Strictly Speaking: Will America Be the Death of English? is a 1974 critique of the decline and abuse of the English language by journalist and former NBC News correspondent Edwin Newman. Newman is not an advocate for Standard English for its own sake, and he is not against the natural evolution of language. His biggest complaints are with politicians, members of the media (The New York Times in particular), and those in academia, who deliberately use language to sensationalize, obfuscate, and bewilder. He writes "for a world from which the stilted and pompous phrase, the slogan and the clich&eacute;, have not been banished - that would be too much to hope for - but which they do not dominate" (p. 32).

Newman covers various and sundry topics, and the book is organized roughly by category, although he moves quickly from one theme to another without much in the way of transition. Newman gets carried away sometimes, and it seems that he's doing a better job of entertaining himself than he is the reader. For example, his section on the interchangeability of certain names is clever, and the point is taken, but the reader will likely skip pages of his documentation. His delight with his own puns may also be less impressive to the reader. Other sections are inspired - his chapter on sports, in particular.

Politics have not changed much in the 30+ years since Strictly Speaking was published. Newman observes how the elections and political conventions of the sixties and seventies were treated as dramatic, serious, pivotal moments of history - just like now, the candidates treat each election like the most important one ever. And Newman lists the gaffes made by President Nixon, which makes one think that if he were writing this book while George W. Bush was president, Newman may have just given up.

Even responsible users of English can learn something here. Example: Newman laments the incorrect usage of the verb "convince" versus "persuade" (you convince someone of something or that something; you persuade someone to do something; you never convince someone to do something). Be observes the misuse of the word "massive", which means heavy and solid, not big (although now big has become an accepted definition of it).

Strictly Speaking is an entertaining and illuminating look at modern English. Its 1975 sequel, A Civil Tongue, is just as good, if not better.

RECOMMENDED
2933406
Dr. Schwartz is a consultant on the book, "Your Brain at Work" which is a very useful source if you are planning on listening to a book on brain plasticity.  Schwartz is very knowledgeable, he knows his stuff.

Given that, the information in this book is good.  It may even be great, but read this book with your eyes, do not listen to it.

If you know anything about hypnosis or NLP, you know the power of embedded commands.  This book, very unintentionally, is full of bad hypnosis.

(These are not literal examples, because I'm unwilling to back and listen for exact quotes)
"You must <do this bad thing>"
"People think I'm a bad person."
"You are a bad person"

It probably doesn't help that the narrator has a very hypnotic voice that can put you in a relaxed state.

Then imagine being in that relaxed, open state and getting raw command language from a voice that you trust.  If you are using head phones, it's a voice that is literally "in your mind."

If you didn't have issues when you started listening to the book, you will when you get done with it.

Buy a different book.
4767058
Have you ever fainted while giving a speech? Author Michael M. Klepper tells the story of one poorly prepared speaker who did just that. But if you're among the 40 percent of Americans who name public speaking as their greatest fear,* you can still get up in front of a group, stay conscious, and survive.

The formula is simple and common-sense; in summary: know what you want to achieve, know your audience, prepare and rehearse thoroughly, and get there early. The step-by-step chapters are designed to build confidence and give you the edge you need.

Klepper's material is clear and matter-of-fact. Some of his tips are obvious--know exactly how to get there, eat wisely before your speech, check the pronunciation of names--but it's not a bad thing to be reminded of the obvious when facing your greatest fear. He guides the reader through sections on body language (yours and theirs), seating arrangements, lighting, and the effective use of humor and statistics. Will there be a Q & A session after your talk? Don't miss the great chapter on avoiding Q & A troubles.

Although projection techiques have advanced since this book was published, the general advice on visual aids is still useful. Perhaps the scariest advice in the book is to always be prepared to give your speech without your visuals in the event of an irretrievable equipment malfunction.

Even if you have some experience in addressing groups,&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/I-d-Rather-Die-Than-Give-a-Speech/dp/080651616X/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">I'd Rather Die Than Give a Speech</a>&nbsp;will help you kick it up a notch. It's an easy and informative read and well worth your time.

*Source: 2001 Gallup Poll

Linda Bulger, 2008