Book Summary Preview : Secrets of Successful Speakers

Overview

This book is an excellent resource for anyone who needs to learn effective techniques for public speaking. Walters has compiled quotes and advice from dozens of well-known speakers such as Steve Allen, Ken Blanchard, Tony Robbins and others. These ideas are interwoven around Walters’ categories for preparing for a speech, overcoming stage fright, motivating an audience, etc. Some of the advice below is written first-person as given from the expert ("I cure stage fright by - ").

Key ideas

If you approach each audience with an attitude of generous love, there will be no room for fear.

Forget about stage fright! Think about all the problems your audience needs you’re your solutions to.

You seldom prepare for conversation at parties, I doubt whether you even need note cards! Consider your next presentation as an expanded parlor conversation with the added advantage of preparation.

Credibility comes from what:
you say (content),
how you say it (delivery), and
who you are (character).

You’ve got to make sure you’re immersing yourself in your topic regularly to stay up to date on it.

There are generally five kinds of presentation styles:
persuasive,
explanatory,
instructional,
oral report, and
entertaining.

Ask yourself, "If I had only 60 seconds on the stage, what would I absolutely have to say to get my message across?"

In one clear sentence, state what dominant idea your listeners must take home. This should be the essence of your mission statement.

If you met one of you audience members on the street a year from now, what three things would you hope they would remember?

BAIR test to help you plan a speech:
B = Benefit-oriented
A = Adequately stated
I = Independent to the other points
R = Relevant to the mission and/or theme

Is the image that you are painting in their minds the one you intended?. . . . .

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