Description

Andy Szekely explains how to plan and give talks for groups. This hands-on guide helps new speakers and those with more skill. It also serves managers, trainers, team leaders, and business owners. Experts who speak to their peers can use it too. Tools help, but who the speaker is matters most.

The book starts with the CROCANT test to check current skills. Its three parts move from the basics to practice, then mastery. The first covers five settings where people may need to speak. It shows why good talks matter and how to face common blocks. It also covers five types of speeches. Readers learn about five kinds of guests at a conference.

The second part gives readers methods to adapt to their work. It offers ten tips to prepare and five ways to start. Ten more methods aim to hold the crowd’s interest. One chapter covers three ways people learn. A separate chapter covers three learning styles linked to recall. Another looks at three traits of people who doubt. It shows ways to deal with their doubts. This part ends with five ways to close a talk. It also covers ten factors for online talks.

The last part links public speaking with how to lead. It also links it with a speaker’s sense of purpose. It sets out a plan for mastery and seven stages of growth. Each stage has its own traits and steps to take. A resource section at the end gives readers more to use.

A short talk between a learner and teacher frames the book’s approach. Facts can be right, and feelings can be strong. Yet these alone may not reach those who listen. Speakers must also find ways to form a bond with them.