People send me their books regularly for comment, and the last half-dozen I’ve received all are aimed at the level of basic information for beginning speakers.  If you’ve resolved to kick-start your career in 2012, then one or more of these books may save you from making the usual beginners’ mistakes – and may even give you an idea or two for accelerating your career. 

10 Steps to Writing a Vital Speech
Fletcher Dean

Dean aims his basic manual at speechwriters, but there’s good, beginning advice in here for all speakers.  He covers a variety of ways to think about preparing a speech, storytelling, structure, Power Point, and other aspects of getting started, as well as a little on delivery and the stage managing of a speech. 

Quick Takeaway:  Dean believes that a speech can do one (or more) of 5 things:  inform, create understanding, reinforce shared values, change attitudes, or elicit action.  He says these get harder in that order and the last two are the hardest of all.

Secrets from the Greenroom
David Michael

This slender volume talks about entertaining audiences from the comic’s perspective.  Michael, who has worked the comedy circuit as well as corporate public speaking, offers brief takes and stories on issues such as: 

•    Don’t be afraid of being afraid
•    Nervous?  Pretend you’re someone else – adopt a persona
•    Why it’s important to check out the room beforehand
•    How to know when to quit – when the audience is still with you
•    Why you need to work the room
•    The importance of props
•    How to make the audience your friend – identify with them

Who Needs Words?
A Christian Communications Handbook
Richard Littledale

This is my favorite of the book on review here, even though it’s aimed at pastors and Christian communications.  Littledale has thought deeply about the means and the ethics of communications, and he shares his insights in this warm and engaging book.   There’s something for every communicator to learn here, especially as you’re beginning your forays into public communication of any kind.  

Quick Takeaways:

•    You must “land in the world” of your listener
•    Don’t be afraid of silence
•    All speakers – and pastors – need ‘confident humility’
•    Ask yourself, what is your communications culture?
•    Use mirroring and meta-mirroring (role playing the positions of the other people you’re communicating with)
•    Embrace your vulnerability
•    Enjoy your humanity

Obama’s Secrets:  How to Speak and Communicate with Power and a Little Magic
Gil and Nili Peretz

The premise of this book by an Israeli communications team might strike Americans as a bit odd:  we can learn valuable insights from studying President Obama’s communications and communications style.  We here in the US think of Obama as a great campaigner, but many Americans have soured on his communications now that he’s in office.  Of course, as Winston Churchill famously said, you campaign in poetry but govern in prose. 

Nonetheless, the Peretz team have lots of useful, if rather basic, insights gleaned from studying the 44th President.  They use the NLP filter as a way of understanding Obama’s strengths, and that limits their work a little.  NLP – neurolinguistic programming – is based on old science that hasn’t been significantly updated since the 1970s.  As a result, it’s right some of the time, and way behind the research some of the time. 

With that caveat, here’s a sampling of their takeaways and insights: 

•    Use your own real life experience
•    Listen to your audience
•    Put yourself in someone else’s shoes
•    Use “Us” and “We” not “Me”
•    You are what you say
•    You can shape your own destiny
•    Self-confidence is the secret for success
•    It’s better to be strong as a communicator (and a person)
•    Ask what motivates your audience
•    Keep it simple
•    Build rapport with key words, messages, body language
•    Pace and then lead your audience 
•    Tell stories
•    Use metaphors
•    Ask questions
•    Use the rule of threes
•    Use repetition, contrast
•    First look at your audience, then pause, then speak

Speaking Professionally
Alan Jay Zaremba

This is a beginning textbook covering all aspects of communications for the student.  Zaremba has chapters on ethics, speech anxiety, audience analysis, style, structure, visual support, group presentations, persuasion, body language, and Q and A.  Recommended if you’re looking for a simple, clear introduction to the research and scope of modern communications. 

Paid To Speak
The National Speakers Association 

This is a useful book for people looking to start a professional speaking career.  Written by a series of successful professionals in the NSA family, Paid To Speak covers a number of issues that speakers starting out always have questions about.  The advice in this book could save you a year’s worth of flailing around. 

Topics covered include:

•    Eloquence – making yourself and audience comfortable
•    Storytelling and speaking
•    How to facilitate
•    The power of the pause
•    Using improv
•    Working with humor
•    Basic body language
•    How to dress – what to wear
•    Building your confidence
•    Creating your brand