Give Your Speech, Change the World: How To Move Your Audience to Action - Softcover

Morgan, Nick

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1591397146 ISBN 13: 9781591397144

Publisher: Harvard Business Review Press, 2005

Synopsis

Do you remember the topic of the last speech you heard? If not, you're not alone. In fact, studies show that audiences remember only 10% to 30% of speech or presentation content. Given those bleak statistics, why do we give speeches at all? We give them, says communications expert Nick Morgan, because they remain the most powerful way of connecting with audiences since ancient Greek times. But as we've evolved to a more conversational mode of public speaking, thanks to television, we have forgotten much of what the Greeks taught us about the nonverbal aspects of speech-giving: the physical connection with audiences that can create an almost palpable emotional bond. Morgan says this "kinesthetic connection" comes from truly listening to your audience—not just with your brain but with your body. In this book, he draws from more than 20 years as a speech coach and consultant, combining the best of ancient Greek oratory with modern communications research to offer a new, audience-centered approach to public speaking. Through entertaining and insightful examples, Morgan illustrates a 3 part process—focusing on content development, rehearsal, and delivery—that will enable readers of all experience levels to give more effective, passion-filled speeches that move audiences to action.

About this title

About the Author:

Nick Morgan is a seasoned communication consultant, former editor of the Harvard Management Communication Letter, and the founder of Public Words, a communications coaching company. The book is based on over 20 years of experience as a speech writer and consultant and Morgan practices kinesthetic speaking himself.

From Publishers Weekly:

This useful guide to modern public speaking in business situations begins (as did public speaking) with the ancient Greeks. It's an auspicious start: the Greeks' influence lasted into the 20th century, even after television made our relationship with most of the speakers we hear far more intimate. Morgan, the founder of a communications coaching company, proposes what he calls "the audience-centered presentation process," in which the speaker listens to that audience-two-way communication, in other words. Morgan breaks down the generation of such a presentation into a series of steps, with guidelines and methods for overcoming phobias (he is adamant that his readers conduct the most intensive rehearsals possible, including at least one in the actual presentation site). He also warns against Q & A sessions (particularly for the media), lame and irrelevant jokes, and videoconferencing, and seems to loathe Power Point. While he speaks of "kinesthetics"-"being aware of the position and movement of the body in space"-he generally avoids polysyllables and never pushes fancy-sounding concepts as magic wands. This is a clear, engaging guide any socially and verbally competent person can benefit from, and not only those readers speaking to the business world.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Harvard Business Review Press
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 1591397146
• ISBN 13: 9781591397144
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 240