Romancing the Room: How to Engage Your Audience, Court Your Crowd, and Speak Successfully in Public

The thesis of this book is that the techniques of personal romance can be adapted directly to all public speaking settings. Communication begins like a blind date: without anxiety, one secures a favorable first impression and then aims to win approval. You must notice and address your listener’s “wandering eye” – with the realization that your audience’s attention is a precious commodity that should not be squandered through unclear communication objectives, verbal digressions or nonverbal distractions. Just as in romance, great communicators build relationships with their listeners. By asking questions about the audience in advance, speakers can maximize the target effectiveness of their message. Communicators must “listen while they talk,” adapting to the audience’s response, be it restlessness, confusion or disagreement.

JAMES WAGSTAFFE a celebrated trial attorney, teaches Practical Speech Communications at Stanford University and is a regular columnist for the Los Angeles Daily Journal and the San Francisco Daily Journal. He lives in San Mateo, California.