Public speaking is one of the things many fear the most. This fear is justified--Many eyes to look into and many minds to contend with. Thoughts are elusive. The catcher of powerful thoughts--the apt words--are even more elusive. Yet, you do not need to despair. By standing on the shoulders of great orators, you can also speak with facility, felicity, cogency, and potency.

Great orators have produced immortal thoughts couched in immortal words. This book selects the gems and the most versatile phrases in the top 100 speeches in the history of American rhetoric of the last century, so that you do not have to tire your mind and tax your time spending months going through all these speeches to mine the diamonds of powerful thoughts and felicitous words. This book furnishes you with powerful and ready blocks for the efficient construction of edifices of powerful ideas embodied in powerful words.

The top 100 speeches are the most significant American political speeches of the 20th century, according to 137 leading scholars of American public address. Their inclusion and ranking are based on their "social and political impact," "rhetorical artistry," "eloquence," and "power."

Gatewatching: Collaborative Online News Production is the first comprehensive study of the latest wave of online news publications. The book investigates the collaborative publishing models of key news Websites, ranging from the worldwide Indymedia network to the massively successful technology news site Slashdot, and further to the multitude of Weblogs that have emerged in recent years. Building on collaborative approaches borrowed from the open source software development community, this book illustrates how gatewatching provides an alternative to gatekeeping and other traditional journalistic models of reporting, and has enabled millions of users around the world to participate in the online news publishing process.

Dr Kline's book, Speaking Effectively, is an essential resource for anyone faced with any kind of speaking situation. It contains hints, anecdotal examples, and the accumulated wisdom of decades of speaking experience. John is highly regarded in government, religious, and corporate circles and widely in demand because he is a great speaker and because he can help anyone communicate more effectively. He brings that expertise forward in a way that both teaches and entertains. First published in 1989 and currently in its fourth printing, Speaking Effectively teaches speakers throughout the Air Force and in other federal agencies the art of captivating an audience. From preparation of your talk through delivery, this straightforward book takes you step-by-step through the stages of effectively developing and presenting briefings, lectures, and speeches. This book includes such essential principles of effective delivery as speaking clearly, at the fight pace for your audience and subject, and loud enough for all to hear, but not too loud. Yet it also covers less obvious, but equally essential, principles such as a speaker's nonverbal signals, which can make or break a presentation. I strongly recommend Dr Kline's book whether you are a novice or an experienced speaker. It will help the novice begin developing time-proven speaking techniques, and it will help more experienced speakers continue perfecting the skills needed to grab and hold an audience. Jay W. Kelley Lieutenant General, USAF Commander, Air University

But of the considerations which belong to things, some are connected with the thing itself which is the subject of discussion; some are considered in the performance of the thing; some are united with the thing itself; some follow in the accomplishment of the thing. Those things are connected with the thing itself which appear always to be attached to the thing and which cannot be separated from it.

There is only one thing worse than being in the audience when the speaker has had a Groucho Marx moment - "I've had a wonderful time, but this wasn't it!" - and that is being the speaker in question! This humorous, insightful and practical book should interest anyone involved in speaking at events, those considering making the step to becoming a speaker, and especially for those who are professional keynote speakers and trainers. Wide-ranging in its content, the book explains the key qualities needed for successful speakers striving for excellence, preparation and content, platform skills, building a business and working with bureaus and agents. With contributions from some of the world's top speakers in different areas of expertise, the book aims to make you feel inspired to pursue the way to excellence as a speaker.

A movement for adult education is sweeping over the nation today; and the most spectacular force in that movement in Dale Carnegie, a man who has listened to and criticized more talks by adults than has any other man in captivity. According to a recent cartoon by "Believe-It-Or-Not" Ripley, he has criticized 150,000 speeches. If that grand total does not impress you, remember that it means one talk for almost every day that has passed since Columbus discovered America. Or, to put it in other words, if all the men who have spoken before him had used only three minutes and had appeared before him in succession, it would have taken a solid year, listening day and night, to hear them all.

"Read the Way You Talk" offers instruction for lectors. It presents guidelines for making oral reading meaningful and believable. Three lessons give detailed instructions in eighteen different areas including parallelism, repetition, and pronunciation. Special guidance is provided for using inflection and stressing words. With practice, readers who share the Word of God with others can read as naturally as they speak while they become comfortable with their audience, sure of what they are saying, and confident their message is important.

Part I, The Word of God in Human Speech," explains why the readings need to be spoken in conversational tone. Part 2, *Rules for Reading Like Talk, - is divided into lessons and contains rules, explanations of techniques, and examples. "Read the Way You Talk" is a useful resource for lectors, deacons, priests, and leaders who instruct lectors and seminarians.

"Jack Hartjes, PhD, is an elementary school teacher. He is a lector and an instructor of lectors at St. Paul's Parish in St. Cloud, Minnesota.""

This is not a course in old-fashioned, spread-eagle oratory. It is an intensive and thoroughly tested course to help the business and professional man in his speaking, both public and in private. The course has aided thousands of business and professional men to become creditable speakers, many of whom were formerly unable to say half a dozen sentences effectively when facing an audience. This course has developed men. It has increased their faith and vision, and shown them how to use their latent forces to the fullest possible extent. It has made leaders out of many who were previously only mute followers. Also included in the book are three stories: Acres of Diamonds by R.H. Conwell; A Message to Garcia by Elbert Hubbard and As a Man Thinketh by James Allen.

The "bible" of the professional speaking industry, including ideas on how to pick strong topics for speeches, guidelines for setting fees, how to book oneself, and more. Sample worksheets and agreements to customize are also included.

The second volume of the ultimate reference for anyone preparing to speak in public. Includes hundreds of audience-tested anecdotes, stories, and quotes covering a variety of approaches within each topic and a broad range of subjects.

We've all known the "naturals"-- people who can get up to speak in any business situation and make something happen. They get the budget approved, win the big account, get the group's support at the weekly staff meeting. When the "naturals" finish speaking people believe-- and act. Now fully revised and updated, "Speak and Get Results" helps you to be a natural-- helps you to get the results you want, by teaching you how to:

motivate your listeners to reach your result

choose an opening that targets your ideas

design visuals that support you, not sabotage you

use your body and your voice to express your energy, authority, and commitment

handle tough Q & A sessions, audience resistance, and even surprise media encounters

Here's lookin' at you, kid…

Called upon to make a toast at your daughter’s dirthday? Your boss's baby shower? Your brother's wedding? Your sister's divorce? Don't worry about what to say. Pour everyone a drink and relax. Your wit is about to get sharpened for you…

May you live as long as you want, and not want as long as you live…

This entertaining and comprehensive guide—fully indexed by category, occasion and contributor—includes more than 1,300 heartwarming, hilarious, cynical, sentimental, and exotic toasts. It is the perfect party companion, whether you’re saluting good health, bad habits, old enemies, or new friends.

To all our guests who make us happy, some by coming and others by going…

Featuring all the right words for all right occasions by Oscar Wilde, Charles Dickens, Dorothy Parker, Mark Twain, Groucho Marx, John F. Kennedy, Winston Churchill, W.C. Fields, Bette Davis, Jack London, Robert Frost, Ogden Nash, Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, John Barrymore, P.J. O'Rourke, Miss Piggy, Emily Dickinson, William Shakespeare, Mae West, Walter Winchell, Socrates, Benjamin Franklin, Victor Hugo, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Gloria Steinhem and hundreds of others who never worried about being at a loss for words.

And here's to living well, 'tis the best revenge…

(Ahem)…I think it was a wise old soul who once said…

Never eat more than you can lift. —Miss Piggy

Here's to age. Do not resist growing old, many are denied the privilege. —Anonymous

A Merry Christmas this December to a lot of folks I don't remember. —Franklin Adams

I have known many, liked a few, loved only one, so here's to you. —Anonymous

Forgive your enemies, but remember their names! —John F. Kennedy

Here's to happiness, it sneaks in through a door you didn't know you left open. —John Barrymore

Here's to love which doesn't make the world go round, but it sure makes the ride worthwhile. —Mae West

I know the things I know, and do the things I do, And if you do not like me so to hell, my love, with you! —Dorothy Parker

Let us toast the fools; but for them the rest of us could not succeed. —Mark Twain

I used to know a clever toast, but pshaw, I cannot think of it. So fill your glass to anything, and bless your souls I'll drink to it. —Wallace Irwin

"Grady Jim Robinson is probably the best personal storyteller in all of professional speaking...this book will be an invaluable resource for anyone who must stand before an audience and speak."--Mark Victor Hansen, coauthor of Chicken Soup for the Soul. "Grady Jim Robinson is not only the premier storyteller in the speaking industry, he is a master teacher of how stories work. Every speaker, teacher, trainer, and preacher will achieve higher impact as a speaker by reading this book."--Dan Burrus, Technotrends. "It is one thing to tell a story masterfully, which Grady Jim does. When that can be extended to teaching others the skills so they can turn theirs into art, it is genius in action...Long after audiences have forgotten concepts shared, they write to tell me how a story shared helped them transform their lives."--Rosita Perez, speaker and winner of the NSA Cavett Award, and National Management Association Speaker-of-the-Year. A complete guide to dynamic storytelling...Whether you're a professional speaker, teacher, salesperson, corporate trainer, or someone who just wants to be more effective at getting a message across to an audience, good storytelling can make the difference. But it's how you tell the story that matters. Did I Ever Tell You About the Time...shows you how to develop and deliver a speech using stories that will persuade and captivate any audience. Written by nationally known speaker Grady Jim Robinson, this entertaining and informative guide helps create an immediate bond with your audience and gets the message across with maximum impact. Among the many techniques Robinson covers, you'll discover how to: use personal experiences to discover your "signature story";integrate humor and action into the story; tie the story to a universal message or "happy ending'. Connect with your audience on a deeper level. Entertain your listeners as you inform. Use the power of storytelling to turn your next speech into an absorbing message your audience will enjoy from beginning to end.

FROM THE WORLDS OF BUSINESS, POLITICS, HISTORY, LITERATURE, ENTERTAINMENT, AND MORE . . .

"Think how much happier women would be if, instead of endlessly fretting about what the males in their lives are thinking, they could relax, secure in the knowledge that the correct answer is: very little."
--DAVE BARRY

"I'd tell you what I really thought about the national media, but as my good friend Dana Carvey would say, 'Wouldn't be prudent. Not gonna do it.' "
--GEORGE BUSH

"We must believe in luck. For how else can we explain the success of those we don't like?"
--JEAN COCTEAU

"Don't find fault. Find a remedy."
--HENRY FORD

"Peace is more precious than a piece of land."
--ANWAR SADAT

"People who read tabloids deserve to be lied to."
--JERRY SEINFELD

"Patriotism is not a short and frenzied outburst of emotion but the tranquil and steady dedication of lifetime."
--ADLAI STEVENSON

Oratory emerged as the first major form of verbal art in early America because, as John Quincy Adams observed in 1805, ""eloquence was POWER."" In this book, Sandra Gustafson examines the multiple traditions of sacred, diplomatic, and political speech that flourished in British America and the early republic from colonization through 1800. She demonstrates that, in the American crucible of cultures, contact and conflict among Europeans, native Americans, and Africans gave particular significance and complexity to the uses of the spoken word. Gustafson develops what she calls the performance semiotic of speech and text as a tool for comprehending the rich traditions of early American oratory. Embodied in the delivery of speeches, she argues, were complex projections of power and authenticity that were rooted in or challenged text-based claims of authority. Examining oratorical performances as varied as treaty negotiations between native and British Americans, the eloquence of evangelical women during the Great Awakening, and the founding fathers' debates over the Constitution, Gustafson explores how orators employed the shifting symbolism of speech and text to imbue their voices with power. |Sandra Gustafson examines the verbal art of speech in sacred, political and diplomatic forms as it was created and practiced in colonial America and the early republic. She demonstrates that, in the distinctly American interaction of cultures, contact and conflict among Europeans, native Americans, and Africans gave particular significance and complexity to the uses of the spoken word.