A Novice’s Guide to Speaking in Public: 10 Steps to Help You Succeed in Your Next Presentation... Without Years of Training!

Book description

This book has one simple goal: to help you succeed in your next presentation or speech.

You don’t need decades of training to achieve this goal. You don’t need the eloquence of Lincoln or Churchill or Martin Luther King. You just need to learn and practice 10 simple rules…and we mean simple.

Michael Lawrence Faulkner helps you apply basic truths about human nature and nonverbal communication to get your audience on your side, and keep them there–from the moment you walk on stage to the moment you leave. You’ll learn how to prepare well, enter with confidence, own your space, and deliver a message that is clear and powerful.

Nervous? Of course you are! Everyone is. But Faulkner shows how to make your fears serve you, not immobilize you.


Imagining the worst? Everyone does. But, as Faulkner shows you, those disasters just won’t happen.


Made a mistake? Everyone will. But you can move right past it, like it never happened.

Other public speaking books aim to make you brilliant…and they fail. This book aims to make you very good: better than most speakers. That’s a goal you can achieve–and with Faulkner’s help and a little practice, you will.

Practical, simple ways to

  • Keep your language simple

  • Make your fears work for you

  • Prepare a conversation, not a speech

  • Walk with purpose and confidence

  • Make and keep eye contact

  • Own your speaking and your space

  • Ignore your mistakes and keep going

  • Stop worrying about worst-case scenarios

  • Finish strong

  • Know when to ignore the rules

  • Table of contents

    1. About This eBook
    2. Title Page
    3. Copyright Page
    4. Praise for A Novice’s Guide to Speaking in Public
    5. Dedication
    6. Contents
    7. Foreword
    8. About the Author
    9. Preface
      1. Why You Should Read This Book
      2. What This Book Is Not
      3. Endnote
    10. Introduction
    11. 1. Step 1: Think about Your Language and Keep It Simple
      1. Think Simple
      2. The Simple Plan Components
      3. Start with Things You Can Control—Dress Simply
      4. The Power of Words
      5. Using Words in Special Ways
      6. Limit the Number of Key Points
      7. How to Speak Extemporaneously and Make a Toast
        1. Speaking Extemporaneously
        2. Making a Toast Extemporaneously
      8. Making a Toast with Advance Notice
        1. Setting Up the Toast
        2. The Body Language of the Toaster
      9. Key Takeaways
      10. Chapter 1 Notes
    12. 2. Step 2: The Fear of Public Speaking Is Real—Embrace It and Use It
      1. Strategy: Try to Quantify the Fear
      2. Strategy: Take Preventative Steps
      3. Strategy: Get Angry and Punish the Fear
      4. Strategy: Think of the Audience as Your Home Field Advantage
      5. Strategy: Prepare and Write Your Own Introduction
      6. Strategy: Practice, Practice, Practice
      7. Most of the Signs of Stage Fright Can Be Managed Quickly and Silently
        1. Trembling or Shaking
        2. Mind Going Blank
        3. Doing or Saying Something Disconcerting
        4. Being Unable to Talk Due to Dry Mouth or Coughing
        5. Pacing Too Much
        6. Rocking Back and Forth on One’s Heels and Toes
        7. Swaying from Side to Side or Bending Low at the Waist Repeatedly
        8. Not Smiling or Flashing or Holding a Half Smile (the Thin Smile)
        9. Extreme Arm and Hand Gestures
        10. Using Word or Phrase Fillers
        11. Not Filling the Audience Chamber with the Proper Speaking Volume
        12. Sweating of the Face and Hands
        13. Excessive Sweating of Underarms
        14. Shaky or Weak Legs
        15. Grumbling Stomach
        16. Urge to Tell Jokes or Funny Stories
      8. Key Takeaways
      9. Chapter 2 Notes
    13. 3. Step 3: Prepare Immediately and Prepare for a Conversation, Not a Speech
      1. Finding Multiple Topics from a Single Word
      2. The Audience and How to Converse with Them
      3. Laying Out What You Are Going to Say and How You Are Going to Say It
      4. The Introduction
        1. Be Cautious of Humor
      5. Main Body
      6. How Can I Be These Things?
        1. Anaphora
        2. Alliteration
        3. Simile
        4. Metaphor
        5. Repetition
        6. Analogy
        7. Audiences Like to Hear about the Speaker
      7. The Conclusion
      8. Speaking Time
      9. The Use of Speaking Notes
        1. Example of Note Card Speaking Notes
      10. The Use of Audio Visual Aids
      11. If You Decide to Use Visual Aids
        1. Creating and Building Your Slides
        2. A Word about the Color Scheme You Choose for Your Slides and Visual Aids
        3. Understanding the Relationship Between Colors
        4. Color Selection Tips
        5. Color Combinations
        6. Background Color
        7. Using Your Slides
        8. Drawing on Whiteboards and Flipcharts
        9. Audio and Video and Web Content
        10. Overhead Projectors (OHP)
      12. Key Takeaways
    14. 4. Step 4: Walk with Purpose to the Podium; Smile, Pause, Then Smile, Smile, Smile
      1. Your Speaking Space
      2. Prior to Your Speech or Presentation
      3. Your Speaking Preparation
      4. Speaker’s Insurance
      5. Key Takeaways
    15. 5. Step 5: Make and Keep Eye Contact with the Audience
      1. The Use of PowerPoint and Other Graphics
      2. Key Takeaways
    16. 6. Step 6: Take Control of Your Speaking Space and Your Speaking
      1. Be a Leader
      2. Rules of the Speaking Space
        1. Don’t Dance with the Podium, Lean on It, Use It for a Drum, or Strangle It
        2. To Use or Not to Use a Microphone
        3. Wearing and Holding Eyeglasses
        4. You Don’t Need to Hold on to Distractions While Speaking
        5. Never Hold Up Anything from the Podium
        6. Control the Pace of the Presentation
        7. Don’t Stand in the Light of the Projector
        8. Use Positive Style Whenever Possible
        9. Avoid the Negative
        10. Know When to Be Silent
        11. If You Don’t Smile You Leave It Up to the Audience to Figure Out What’s on Your Mind
        12. Don’t Wear Your Watch
      3. Understand the Impact of Your Nonverbal Communications
      4. Stay Inside the Box
        1. Other Nonverbal Signals Around the Body
        2. Positive Nonverbal Signs to Watch For
      5. Use a Simple Three-Part Approach
      6. Most People Will Only Remember Two to Three Things You Said
      7. Key Takeaways
    17. 7. Step 7: You’ll Make Mistakes—Don’t Apologize, Just Keep Going
      1. You Have to Breathe
      2. Key Takeaways
    18. 8. Step 8: Don’t Worry—The Worst You Can Imagine Will Never Happen
      1. Key Takeaways
    19. 9. Step 9: The Last Thing You Do Is What Most People Will Remember—Do It Well
      1. If You Don’t Know the Answer to a Question
      2. Your Final Words
      3. To Thank or Not to Thank
      4. Key Takeaways
    20. 10. Step 10: If Any of the First Nine Steps Seem Awkward, You Owe It to Yourself to Ignore Them
    21. Index

    Product information

    • Title: A Novice’s Guide to Speaking in Public: 10 Steps to Help You Succeed in Your Next Presentation... Without Years of Training!
    • Author(s): Michael Faulkner
    • Release date: October 2015
    • Publisher(s): Pearson
    • ISBN: 9780134194448