Transformational Speaking If You Want to Change the World, Tell a Better Story

by Larsen, Gail

• ISBN13: 9781587613425
• ISBN10: 1587613425
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-04-01
• Publisher: Celestial Arts

Summary

You can change the world-one audience at a time! Today's challenging times call for passionate visionaries who are authentic and articulate communicators. Speaking coach and consultant Gail Larsen presents a proven program that liberates the "speaker within" and transforms even the reluctant orator into an agent of change. While most books on public speaking focus on polishing your presentation and overcoming fear, Larsen's holistic blend of spirit and logic goes far beyond the standard format, making TRANSFORMATIONAL SPEAKING a must-read for even the most seasoned speechmakers. With her uniquely inspirational approach, Larsen reaches out to those who want to make a genuine difference in our world by changing minds through touching hearts. TRANSFORMATIONAL SPEAKING offers insightful advice on everything from defining your message and refining your delivery, to managing the dynamics of a room, handling logistics like a pro, and building a connection with an audience of any size. Larsen has helped business executives and entrepreneurs, community and social change leaders, and healers and life coaches become active movers and shakers through the power of effective communication.

Author Biography

GAIL LARSEN is the founder of Real Speaking and has worked as a coach and consultant to professional and aspiring speakers in both the business and nonprofit worlds since 1986. A US Small Business Administration Award-winning entrepreneur and former executive VP of the worldwide National Speakers Association, Larsen maintains an active teaching and speaking schedule in the US and Canada. She lives on Whidbey Island, Washington.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. xii
Acknowledgments	p. xv
Introduction: The Principles of Transformational Speaking	p. 1
The Heart of Transformational Speaking
Honoring Your Original Medicine
Public Speaking Transformed: Displacing Prevailing Myths with Enduring Principles	p. 9
Be Yourself---Everyone Else Is Taken: Claiming Your Gifts and Talents	p. 23
God Said, "Ha!": Finding the Speech You Were Born to Give	p. 36
From Comfort Zone to Home Zone™: Expressing the New Edge® of Emotional Connection	p. 45
The Art of Transformational Speaking
Connecting with Your Audience to Catalyze Change
Truth Well Spoken: Mastering the Four Disciplines of Star Quality	p. 63
Know Thyself, Then Thy Audience: Preparing to Be Surprised	p. 78
Look, Ma-No Script!: Crafting a Masterful Presentation	p. 89
Show Time!: Taking the Stage	p. 106
The Energetics of Transformational Speaking
Remaining Whole in the Work of Change
Body Rules: Extreme Cherishment of Your Precious, Worthy Self	p. 121
Energy Awareness: Understanding and Managing Invisible Dynamics	p. 129
The Alchemy of Change: Choosing Power over Force	p. 143
Tell a Better Story: Inspiring the Impossible	p. 153
Resources
Written Communications to Support a Professional Presentation	p. 167
Bibliography	p. 179
Index	p. 181
About the Author	p. 189
Permissions	p. 190
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

Excerpts

Introduction
 
The Principles of Transformational Speaking
 
Are you a change agent? Do you see a situation that needs to be transformed and have something to say about it? Perhaps you offer an essential service or an inventive solution that helps people address challenge and transition. You may be a visionary leader of an organization catalyzing social or environmental change, or a healer who supports others through health or spiritual crises. Perhaps you have written a book you know in your heart can make a significant difference or created impressive works of art or music that deserve a wider audience. You could be a far-seeing businessperson or a spiritual elder or a concerned citizen with thoughtful ideas or a passion for your organization, your community, or your world. Whatever it is that commands your attention, you want your words to matter. And you know that by becoming a great speaker, your voice will be heard.
 
The question, of course, is how? This book offers the liberating and proven method I have been offering my clients through Real Speaking workshops and coaching since 1991. It has evolved through the synthesis and integration of my own journey of speaking and the personal work in which I have engaged to live with a sense of meaning and genuine self-expression. Real Speaking has supported countless people of purpose in speaking publicly, with passion and ease, about what matters most to them. In the following pages, I'll show you the way to inspire transformational change through your own spoken word.
 
As an executive vice president of the worldwide National Speakers Association in the mid-1980s and an admitted "speaker junkie," I've seen literally thousands of presenters in action. There are two kinds of memorable speakers. There are those who impress us with their delivery and style and cause us to say, "He was a great speaker!"-- then return to our lives and our work unchanged. Sure, these speakers may give a great performance and even get a standing ovation, but it's akin to a rock concert where we see a favorite act, work ourselves into fervor, and then go home to life as usual.
 
Then there are those who arouse us on an inner level, awakening us to what we care about and prompting serious inquiry about the changes we're committed to making. That's transformational speaking, and it's rare indeed. The best speakers aren't "canned," predictable, or practiced students of technique. They come to their craft in their own inimitable way. They celebrate who they are and bring the essence of their true selves forward. They touch our hearts. Their speaking is not a performance; it is uncommon self-expression. It's not only professional but also human. And we leave changed by being there, knowing that what we experienced is real.
 
Transformational speakers shape-shift what people believe is possible. They address real issues without fear or apology. They are catalysts for transforming lives. They alter the course of events by inspiring others to take an action that ripples through their circles of influence. They plant seeds of needed change that will impact the future of individuals, families, workplaces, communities, nations, and our sacred earth.
 
Anyone who is committed to becoming a true agent of change can become a transformational speaker. If you want to spread the word of what matters to you to an audience, becoming a transformational speaker will allow you to inspire others, influence what people believe and do, and alter events. But you can't get there with tired techniques and scripting that obscure your deep caring and capacity to inspire.
 
In today's climate of distrust of much of our leadership, speakers who are perfectly rehearsed and claim to have the answers cause us to be very suspicious indeed. In politics, such speakers have made promises they haven't kept. In companies, they have delivered flavors of th

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Excerpted from Transformational Speaking: If You Want to Change the World, Tell a Better Story by Gail Larsen
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.