The Bluffer's Guide® to Public Speaking; Bluff Your Way® in Public Speaking

by Chris Steward and Mike Wilkinson

• ISBN13: 9781902825953
• ISBN10: 1902825950
• Format: Trade Paper
• Copyright: 2000-02-28
• Publisher: Oval Books

Summary

A snappy little book containing facts, jargon, and inside information--all that readers need to know to hold their own among the experts.

Author Biography

Chris Steward was born in Dunstable, but after a petition by local residents, was forced to flee the country with his parents and finally rediscovered himself in New Zealand, Australia and Venezuela.

Having tried graphic arts, he stumbled into a sales and marketing career, attracted by the prospect of a company car and flexible expense account. With 20 years of blue-chip company experience behind him, and scaling new heights in originality, he set up the Steward Consulting Group. He now specialises in sales and marketing development and communication skills.

Mike Wilkinson was born in Bradford, narrowly missing the Stanley Matthews Cup Final, for which he has blamed his parents ever since. Having worked in the catering industry and local government, he was called to the bar at the Dairy Crest Annual Conference, where he found in his co-author a kindred spirit and enough money for the next round.

Table of Contents

The Speech	p. 6
Preparing the Speech	p. 8
Structuring the Speech	p. 9
Memorising the Speech	p. 17
The Case for Cards	p. 21
Rehearsing the Speech	p. 22
Types of Public Speaker	p. 24
The Hyena	p. 24
The Elephant	p. 25
The Peacock	p. 25
The Camel	p. 26
The Squirrel	p. 27
The Mouse	p. 28
The Aardvark	p. 30
Public Speaking Occasions	p. 32
After Dinner	p. 32
Company Presentations	p. 33
Company Conferences	p. 34
Public Symposiums	p. 34
Weddings	p. 35
Memorials	p. 38
The Audience	p. 39
Presentation	p. 43
Overcoming Nerves	p. 43
Delivery	p. 44
Taking Questions	p. 46
Deviation and Distraction	p. 51
Planned Interruptions	p. 51
Unplanned Interruptions	p. 52
Tactics	p. 54
Do's and Don'ts	p. 56
Glossary	p. 59
Table of Contents provided by Syndetics. All Rights Reserved.

Excerpts

Opening lines
Opening lines need only hold the audience for the first minute or two of the speech. This is because most audiences have the same concentration span as gerbils, and rapidly lose interest after this time.

A pearl in the rough
A speech is not expected to be comprehensive, or the last word on the subject. This gives you an ideal opportunity for bluffing. One little-known pearl of obscure or irrelevant fact will have more impact and do your reputation more good than any amount of sensible information. Indeed, by delivering it, the speaker is presumed by listeners to know about the subject in depth.

Bravado
Deciding what to say about the subject is easier if you happen to know something about it, but do not be daunted if you do not. Many professionals have made a handsome living out of speaking on subjects they know nothing about. Politicians and television personalities are fine examples of this.

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Excerpted from The Bluffer's Guide to Public Speaking: Bluff Your Way in Public Speaking by Chris Steward, Mike Wilkinson
All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.