Talk Like You Talk: A Public Speaking Primer

Why do so many people fear public speaking?  Maybe it’s because they feel like they have to become someone else, someone smarter and funnier.  If people can learn to relax and just be themselves, public speaking can be easier. Not perfect, but better.  

Sensory aids and stories really help.

Audiences want speakers who are more natural and conversational, so let’s pretend we are with a bunch of friends and we’re all excited about something, and we want to share it:  “Hey, guys, you won’t believe what I just learned!”  In other words, be normal and try to just talk like you talk.

Talk Like You Talk has many helpful hints and clever mnemonic tools to help the reader become a more natural speaker.   Students say it is fun to read and that it truly reduces the fear of speaking.

Talk Like You Talk, is a great starter kit for an entry-level speech course:

Provides numerous examples from actual college speech students.

Stresses that “variety is the spice of life” when it comes to research, support, sensory aids and delivery.

Contains other chapters on Nerves, Getting Started, Organization, Team Talks, Ethics, Listening, Style, and Keep It Simple.

Features handouts, evaluation checklists, sample topics, and sample outlines.

Stresses the golden rule of speech: Do unto your audience as you would have a speaker do unto you.

David McLaughlin has been teaching Public Communication at Montana State University since 1994.  After using Talk Like You Talk for three years (600 students a year among three instructors) and gathering much feedback from students, I know I have achieved my goals:

 

98% of the students have bought the book

75% of them tell me they have read 75% of the book

50% keep the book and tell me they are sure they will reference it again