Speaking Persuasively

To succeed in business, your message must be heard, understood and remembered. This book, with its combination of practical tips and case studies from the experts, will help you to become a more powerful and persuasive speaker, whether pitching for business or presenting to the Board. As a consultant in speech training, I can recommend it unreservedly. Clare Willis, Senior Consultant, Speak First Training, London YOU CAN BECOME A CONFIDENT PUBLIC SPEAKER Speaking is one of the most powerful ways of influencing others at work and in life. And yet for many of us, speaking in front of large or small groups of people is one of our greatest fears. Speaking Persuasively shows you how to convert anxiety into effective communication. LEARN HOW TO GIVE DYNAMIC PRESENTATIONS AND SPEECHES Using real examples, Speaking Persuasively shows you how to hone your speaking skills in business and politics, in the classroom and in the community. It explains how to order your material, attract the audience's attention (and keep it), control your voice and adapt your techniques for different situations. It also includes practical advice on making a successful business pitch, communicating across cultures and handling the media. Speaking Persuasively is for anyone who wants to become a more persuasive and more impressive public speaker. Valuable information that will make the first-timer more comfortable and the gifted public speaker more persuasive. Shari Armistead, Senior Media Advisor to Queensland Minister for Education Strips away the mystery of the mass media performance. A useful guide for those on both sides of the microphone. Ellen Fanning, television and radio presenter

Patsy McCarthy is an actor, teacher and administrator with 30 years experience teaching speech communication. She consults with organisations on communication issues and has worked in the USA and UK as well as Australia. She is currently senior lecturer in Speech Communication at the Queensland University of Technology. Caroline Hatcher is currently a senior lecturer in the Brisbane Graduate School of Business at the Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia. She has a PhD in organisational communication and teaches in the area of speech and inter-cultural communication for business. Caroline has worked and consulted on communication issues in both the private and public sectors and has a special interest in the role of communication in change processes in organisations. She has lived and worked in the UK and Japan, as well as in Australia. Patsy and Caroline have many other individual and joint publications in international academic journals and books.

Preface Acknowledgements Introduction 1. Getting down to business: Think before you speak 2. Getting to know your listeners 3. Persuasive strategies: Calling up the past to make your point 4. Preparing to present 5. Structuring for listeners 6. Using language 7. Using non-verbal language 8. Getting to know your voice 9. Speaking across cultures 10. Using technology 11. Selling your ideas: Proposing and pitching 12. Handling the media 13. Developing leadership through speaking Appendix Further reading Notes Index