Conversations with Your Audience: A Practical Guide for Preparing and Delivering Professional Presentations provides practical and accessible advice to college students and pre-professionals on how to present effectively in a work environment. This book is a collaborative effort of the Communication Department at Southern Connecticut State University and represents their time-tested method of teaching students to design and deliver professional presentations to clients. Unlike many standard texts on oral communication skills that focus on writing and memorization, Conversations with Your Audience advocates a more realistic, audience-centered approach. Based on the tenet that effective presenters make their presentations feel like conversations, the material focuses on audience engagement and strengthening communication skills rather than on reciting manuscript or memorized speeches. Specific topics include analyzing and adjusting to your audience, planning and delivering organized and memorable presentations, refining your vocal quality and nonverbal communication, handling question-and-answer sessions, demonstrating respect for clients, creating effective visual aids, and working and presenting in groups. Performance-based rather than theory-based, Conversations with Your Audience helps students navigate the various stages of planning and delivering presentations in an easy-to-read format.

This is a new release of the original 1935 edition.

When you think about having to speaking in public, are you filled with fear, dread, anxiety? Do you suffer from shaking hands, pounding heart, sweaty palms, trembling voice, or a reddening face? What if you were offered the opportunity to learn how to deal with your nervousness? What if you could boost your confidence any time you have to give a professional or personal presentation to a group? People who lack composure, who talk too fast or too slow, who use non-words such as "um," "ah," "like," "you know," or any other filler words can severely damage their career potential and not reach the pinnacle of their professional pursuits. This book shows you how to become a polished, passionate, and persuasive speaker that captures the audience's attention and their imagination. Imagine what would happen if you possessed the key to uncover the best-kept secrets that speakers use to overcome the fear and anxiety of public speaking. Whether you dream of a career as a highly paid motivational speaker or you simply want to conduct a five-minute business presentation without making a fool of yourself, "From Afraid to Speak to Paid to Speak is for you. You'll explore the top ten techniques for reducing nervousness and increasing confidence, professional presence, and income potential - with everything from how to prepare for your presentation, to tips on the most effective ways to breathe, eat and dress. You'll learn to love your uniqueness, overcome obstacles, and strive for excellence, not perfection. Beginners will benefit from this book because the author, Lisa Ryan has "been there, done that." From a disastrous first speech at a Toastmaster's Club to taking the stage at an international convention, Ms. Ryan knows what it feels like to fail dramatically and then to experience significant success as a professional inspirational and business speaker. Experienced speakers discover time-tested techniques to "keep the butterflies flying in formation" and how to "never let them see you sweat" when conducting a presentation. A wide variety of business and speaking professionals contributed to this work, sharing the strategies that help them most when they need to conquer their jitters and quell their fears. When you speak confidently and clearly, doors open for you. Your boss will notice. Your colleagues will look forward to your programs. You will progress to higher levels of visibility within your company or your industry, and leap ahead of the pack. When you learn to speak from the heart versus speaking from the head, you differentiate yourself in a way that few others can master. In this book, you'll learn realize how YOU can immediately implement simple strategies that will boost your confidence and your career. You'll gain in-depth knowledge in: The secret of perfect practice -The three very best ways to develop your speaking skills The magic of scripting - How to train your Dragon and take advantage of "talking your talk" The art of breathing - Calming deep breathing exercises that work How leaders dress for speech success - The most effective way to dress your best and make your first impression powerful Audience appreciation - Why "Thank You" is not enough; the depth of your gratitude increases the breadth of your business How to master time management - How to make the most of the time you've got Short, straight to the point, and loaded with examples, you will quickly learn the skills that professional speakers use to overcome their anxiety before a speech. Nationally recognized speaker, author, consultant, co-star in an award-winning film, and long-time Toastmaster, Lisa Ryan gives you what you need to take your speaking to the next level. No matter where you're starting, you'll finish bigger and better than you were before. If public speaking is a problem for you, From Afraid to Speak to Paid to Speak: How Overcoming Public Speaking Anxiety Boosts Your Confidence and Your Career is your solut

The Successful Voice emphasizes the value of effective vocal communication in both the professional and private spheres. It gives public speakers and actors, as well as the daily conversationalist, the tools necessary to develop successful speaking skills. The text provides exercises, drills, and basic information on inflection, intonation, and articulation. It also addresses dialogue emphasis, gesture, oral interpretation, and emotional expression. Beginning with vocal warm-up, breathing exercises and tongue twisters for proper pronunciations, the text moves on to help students with plosive sounds, fricatives, nasals, glides, and affricates. This helpful guide concludes with: front, mid- and back-vowels, diphthongs, and a section on vocal eloquence. Readers will quickly learn to listen for weak and strong speech patterns in the conversation of others, monitor their own speech, and produce distinct sounds without difficulty. Practical, academically sound, entertaining, and student-friendly The Successful Voice is written specifically as a stand-alone text in voice and diction, or to function as a supplement in introductory acting, public speaking, or oral interpretation courses.

Are you tired of that perspiring, legs shaking, voice trembling, mind blanking feeling you get when you speak to a group of people? Would it surprise you that one in four people share this fear? "Walt Grassl's Stand Up & Speak Up" will teach you how to understand and then change your behavior so you, too, can stand up and speak up, and let the world know you exist.
Whether your fear is fueled by shyness, self-consciousness, perfectionism, a poor memory for speeches, improper breathing or any combination of these or other reasons, "Walt Grassl's Stand Up & Speak Up" will help you deal with the anxiety you feel when facing an audience.
In this easy, accessible guide, Walt Grassl shares his own story-it is a story of reinvention. By sharing his experiences and the rules he chose to adopt, he inspires you to act on your own fear and provides tips to make your journey easier.
The author collected "Walt's Rules"-words of wisdom that make it easy to understand the choices he made on his journey to overcome stage fright. These rules apply to conquering the fear of public speaking and they also apply to making other changes in your life. They include:
Just because you couldn't doesn't mean you can't.
Take small steps
Say "Yes" and figure it out later
Never turn down stage time
Use personal stories (People are interested in what you have to say )
Just show up ... Conferences, Speech Contests, et al.
Test yourself by taking on new challenges
Breathe
Have fun
You, too, can conquer your fear of public speaking with "Walt Grassl's Stand Up & Speak Up."
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Walt Grassl is on a mission to help people overcome stage fright. At the age of 50, he chose to face his own fear of public speaking and joined Toastmasters(r), but that alone did not cure his "disease." Determined to conquer his fear, he attended speaking boot camps, competed in Toastmasters(r) speech contests, studied improv and standup comedy. He performed at the Hollywood Improv and the Flamingo in Las Vegas and has appeared in sketch comedy shows in Long Beach, CA. Recently retired from a career in aerospace, Walt is now the host of the internet radio show, "Stand Up and Speak Up.&q

Argumentation and Debate: A Public Speaking Approach addresses the needs of students with no prior experience in formal debate, limited experience in public speaking, and little or no plans to compete in speech and debate tournaments. The publication takes content beyond the classroom by featuring a chapter dedicated to discussing argumentation and debate in different professional contexts. Argumentation and Debate: A Public Speaking Approach by Martin Remland, Timothy Brown, and Kay Neal: Helps all students develop or enhance their argumentation and debate skills in analysis, research, case construction, presentation, refutation, and cross-examination. Stresses basic public speaking skills such as managing speech anxiety, doing research, understanding your audience, preparing a speech, speaking with limited notes, and so on. Focuses on debate and include the topics of analyzing debate propositions, and constructing and presenting cases for and against propositions.

2014 Reprint of 1963 Edition. Full facsimile of the original edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. Packed with dozens of amusing anecdotes and sample conversations, "Getting Through to People" shows you: how to get others - even naturally shy or secretive people - to open up to you; the persuasive "feedback" technique that gets even the most stubborn person to see things your way; the secret to holding other people's attention; how to control the conversations with problem and overly emotional people; how to calmly and effectively communicate your ideas to both friendly and hostile groups; how to listen between the lines to determine what other people are really trying to tell you; plus much more It teaches the techniques of persuasion, how to break through the mental and emotional barriers that obstruct the flow of ideas from one person to another.

"Constructing Effective Speeches" is an easy-to-understand guidebook for beginning public speakers. The book is divided into four main sections, each of which provides novice speakers with tools that are needed in the speech building process.
The first section covers the history of rhetoric, and discusses what speakers need to know about an audience in order to make a speech effective. The second section provides information on selecting appropriate topics, and researching and supporting ideas. It also addresses delivery, style, and visual aids. In the next section readers learn about building the parts of a speech: the introduction, body, and conclusion, as well as the use of transitions. The final section details specifics about creating informative and persuasive speeches. It also covers the requirements for speeches of entertainment.
The Public Speaking Intersection is a special feature of "Constructing Effective Speeches." Spread throughout the text, this tool aid students' understanding of the interplay between the four elements of a public speaking situation: speaker, audience, message, and occasion. The appendix to the book has practical exercises and tear-out assignments. It also includes a glossary, comprehensive reference list, and helpful links for concepts.
"Constructing Effective Speeches" is intended for introductory Public Speaking or Speech Communication courses. The skills it teaches can be easily transferred to other college courses, and to the workplace.
Adopting professors will receive in Instructor Resource Manual with webpage listings and activities.
Amy Muckleroy Carwile earned her Ph.D. in Communication and Information Sciences at the University of Alabama, where she was the Director of the Public Speaking Program. Currently Dr. Carwile is an Assistant Professor of Mass Communication at Texas A&M University Texarkana. Her research interests include public speaking, family communication, especially that of siblings, and advertising and public relations. Dr. Carwile has co-authored an article about bullying, and contributed three chapters to a textbook on public speaking. She has presented her research at numerous conferences.