Public Speaking

HOT READS FOR THE PRACTIONER

Title: public speaking

Competency: oral presentations

Who benefits: those who make oral presentation or public presentations

Consultant Usage: self-development or coaching tool

What’s it about? One of my all time favorite opinion polls was conducted many years ago by a major newspaper in London.  Can’t remember which one, but never could forget the results.  The poll asked: “What is your greatest fear”. 

Number one on the list was the “fear of public speaking”.  Number two was the “fear of dying.”  After reading that poll, anytime someone would say in my presence “I would rather die than give a speech” I believed them.

One can never become a great speaker by reading a book.  But a good book is a start.  Macmillan Press put out two books on public speaking in 2008.  One is the next edition of a long time popular favorite, the other aimed specifically at women speakers.  Both have something to offer, so if public speaking is something you have to master, give these books a look-see:

You’ve Got to Be Believed to Be Heard, Updated Edition: The Complete Book of Speaking . . . in Business and in Life! (Hardcover)

The three things I like most about this book is the way the author addresses the “fear factor” and gives you some tips about how to get the butterflies in your stomach to fly in formation; how to quickly organize your material; and how to actually influence or move your audience to point of view or action steps.

Speak Up!: A Woman’s Guide to Presenting Like a Pro (Paperback)
 
Frankly, I am not sold that this book is all that “woman specific” .  It has some introductory material aimed at the woman reader.  But the co-author is a man and the core material is generic to any good public speaking book or course.  I didn’t read the whole book and, surprise, surprise, I am not a woman, so maybe there is enough gender specific material to warrant the title.  In any case, the book covers many important public speaking points regardless of your genetic make-up. 

Catch you later. 

[tags]public speaking, oral presentation, fear of speaking, delivering effective presentation, bill bradley, william bradley, bradley[/tags]

Bill Bradley

Bill Bradley (mostly) retired after 35 years in organizational consulting, training and management development. During those years he worked internally with seven organizations and trained and consulted externally with more than 90 large and small businesses, government agencies, hospitals and schools.