The one-sentence summary
Before you say something, work out what you are going to say.
WHAT THE BOOK SAYS
- It tells you how to deal with the request to make a speech – whether to accept the invitation, what to research, and how to get the response you want
- The right structure and preparation are essential, as are researching your audience, several edits, and proper rehearsal
- If you want to speak well, you need to know how to write, and vice versa
- There are 3 basic principles for good speech making: speak the truth, listen for the truth, and be true to yourself
WHAT’S GOOD ABOUT IT
- The book contains lots of good advice, and if you are anxious about making a speech, it guides you through the whole process
- It is full of good quotes such as:
~ It is significant that dumb has come to mean not only silent but stupid
~ Don’t be patronising
~ Take some trouble to choose an accurate title
~ All speeches are essentially the same in architecture
~ Some speeches do not peter out but simply drop dead
~ A speech is a very concentrated form of conversation
~ Almost every great speech changes pace several times
~ No one likes a guest who domineers or rants or shouts
~ Using negative arguments makes you sound negative, which is perilously close to being unpleasant
~ Killer facts can come as shots or salvoes
~ Rehearsal is an endless process of discovery
~ Judicious silence has a mesmeric effect on an audience
- There are summaries at the end of each chapter to enable you to short-circuit everything
- Some extracts from great speeches are included
WHAT YOU HAVE TO WATCH
- You can’t just suddenly become a great speaker so, although this book provides a framework, it is no substitute for having an idea and a point of view