Power Speak: Engage, Inspire, and Stimulate Your Audience

by Dorothy Leeds

Overview

What is the secret to being a captivating and credible speaker? Never be boring! If you are boring, people will not listen. The central message and focus of PowerSpeak is the importance of engaging, stimulating, and maintaining an audience's attention.

This book focuses on the elements of speaking effectively from a design and a delivery perspective. Dorothy Leeds isolates these essential elements to assure that any speaker can gain and keep the audience's attention. She focuses on the trouble spots of any presentation and the six major faults speakers make.

This book also includes tips on the following:

• Breaking the fear barrier.
• Ten steps that guarantee a complete presentation.
• How to avoid weak, passive language and make humor your ally.
• Voice and speech exercises.
• How to handle the Q & A portion of a presentation.
• How to develop your own style and project positive body language.
• How to incorporate (or not incorporate) new technology into presentations.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781564146847
Publisher:	Red Wheel/Weiser
Publication date:	05/16/2003
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 9.00(d)

Table of Contents

	Preface	11
	Introduction: What You Need to Know Before You Read PowerSpeak	13
Part I	Getting Ready to Be a Powerful Speaker	15
Chapter 1.	How Public Speaking Adds to Your Power	17
Chapter 2.	Break Through the Fear Barrier	24
Chapter 3.	Preparation: The Source of a Speaker's Power	36
Part II	How to Overcome the 6 Major Speaking Faults	45
Chapter 4.	Fault #1: An Unclear Purpose	47
Chapter 5.	Fault #2: Lack of Clear Organization and Leadership	57
Chapter 6.	Fault #3: Too Much Information	65
Chapter 7.	Fault #4: Not Enough Support for Your Ideas, Concepts, and Information	69
Chapter 8.	Fault #5: Monotonous Voice and Sloppy Speech	78
Chapter 9.	Fault #6: Not Meeting the Real Needs of Your Audience	90
Part III	Conquer the Trouble Spots: The Basics--Openings, Transitions, Conclusions, Questions and Answers, and Visual Aids	103
Chapter 10.	Starting on the Right Foot: Openings That Capture Your Audience	105
Chapter 11.	Bridging the Gap: Building Smooth Transitions	116
Chapter 12.	Finish With Style: The Importance of Memorable Conclusions	126
Chapter 13.	Professional Secrets of Question-and-Answer Sessions	133
Chapter 14.	Visual Aids: When a Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words	147
Part IV	Master the Fine Points of Powerful Speaking	165
Chapter 15.	Power Language: Turn Everyday Words Into Persuasion	167
Chapter 16.	Positive Body Language	178
Chapter 17.	Harness the Power of Humor	187
Chapter 18.	Stage Managing: Staying One Step Ahead of Murphy's Law	196
Part V	Special Speaking Situations	209
Chapter 19.	How to Handle the Media Like a Pro	211
Chapter 20.	How to Be an Outstanding Audio- or Videoconference Leader	223
Chapter 21.	How to Read a Speech or Script Effectively, No Matter Who Wrote It	233
Chapter 22.	Ongoing Advancement: Use Meetings to Polish Your Public-Speaking Skills	242
Part VI	Success Is Turning Knowledge Into Positive Action. Keep Growing!	253
Chapter 23.	How to Be Your Own Coach	255
Chapter 24.	Delivering With Style: Individually or With a Team	263
Chapter 25.	Your Final Source of Speaking Power	276
	Bibliography	277
	Index	279
	About the Author	285