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The Art of Speeches and Presentations: The Secrets of Making People Remember What You Say
Be memorable.
Whether you like it or loathe it, public speaking is something many of us have to do. Be it presentations to colleagues or speeches to a room full of near strangers, we all want to shine…or at least get through it with our dignity intact. Luckily Philip Collins, former Chief Speech Writer to Tony Blair, knows exactly what’s needed to give a storming speech.
The secret, according to Philip, is content. Too many of us focus on how we’re presenting, and don’t spend enough time thinking about what we’re presenting. The secret to memorable, polished speeches is to think more about the material you’re sharing – to pay attention to detail and choose your works carefully. Speech writing is and art – and art we can all learn.
When the content’s right, the confidence will follow.
In The Art of Speeches and Presentations Philip Collins provides you with a concise set of tools, preparing you for any speaking occasion. Ranging from the ancient history of rhetoric to what makes Barack Obama such a good speaker, it’s packed with practical examples and tips to teach you the craft of speaking well and making people remember what to say.
“Does Phil Collins know what he is talking about? Here’s the answer – he isn’t just good, he is the best. It’s as simple as that. I spent years writing speeches for major politicians and I now speak publicly myself all the time, and yet there is so much that I can pick up from him and anyone who re4ads this book will too.”—Daniel Finkelstein, Executive Editor, The Times and former speech writer to William Hague
Whether you like it or loathe it, public speaking is something many of us have to do. Be it presentations to colleagues or speeches to a room full of near strangers, we all want to shine…or at least get through it with our dignity intact. Luckily Philip Collins, former Chief Speech Writer to Tony Blair, knows exactly what’s needed to give a storming speech.
The secret, according to Philip, is content. Too many of us focus on how we’re presenting, and don’t spend enough time thinking about what we’re presenting. The secret to memorable, polished speeches is to think more about the material you’re sharing – to pay attention to detail and choose your works carefully. Speech writing is and art – and art we can all learn.
When the content’s right, the confidence will follow.
In The Art of Speeches and Presentations Philip Collins provides you with a concise set of tools, preparing you for any speaking occasion. Ranging from the ancient history of rhetoric to what makes Barack Obama such a good speaker, it’s packed with practical examples and tips to teach you the craft of speaking well and making people remember what to say.
“Does Phil Collins know what he is talking about? Here’s the answer – he isn’t just good, he is the best. It’s as simple as that. I spent years writing speeches for major politicians and I now speak publicly myself all the time, and yet there is so much that I can pick up from him and anyone who re4ads this book will too.”—Daniel Finkelstein, Executive Editor, The Times and former speech writer to William Hague
226 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2012
36 people are currently reading
222 people want to read
About the author
Philip Collins
53 books13 followersLibrarian Note: There are multiple authors by this name in the Goodreads database.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
December 28, 2014
Collins' book is methodical and matter-of-fact, almost plodding at times. He lays out the principles of speech-making in a clear, structured way without much of a flourish; indeed, the first couple of chapters can be speed-read by simply reading the first sentence of each paragraph. But even if his prose isn't very inspiring, he's very good at analysing the different kinds of speeches and the methods a speaker can employ for maximum effectiveness.
He presents the essential elements of a good speech while providing clear advice on what will, and crucially, what won't work. All in all, it's a practical book that doesn't pretend to be life-changing, but offers clear, practical advice. Not fun, but useful.
He presents the essential elements of a good speech while providing clear advice on what will, and crucially, what won't work. All in all, it's a practical book that doesn't pretend to be life-changing, but offers clear, practical advice. Not fun, but useful.
September 15, 2022
The Art of Speeches and Presentations is difficult to rate as it technically gives very clear and most likely good advise. The problems are in it's length and limitation in its topic. The book is too long compared to its substance. About 25 % is used in telling the tips and guidance and the rest 75 % repeating them. By cutting half of the book would have made it better. The topic is not speeches and presentations, it is only speeches, and even in them the book is clearly meant for very public and official speeches, such as the prime minister giving a speech. So for example, giving a speech in a wedding doesn't count.
December 2, 2023
As someone who needs to give a speech on average once a week I must admit that this book has some very nice tricks and also provides a good structure about how to prepare for an important speech. That said, as a book in "professional advice" genre it is rather bland and boring to read. The writer has a contrarian stance and there is something acrid in the way it is written; which personally put me off. This might be the reason that I don't remember any outstanding speeches from Tony Blair :)
On the other hand, if I prepare that much for each speech, how am I going to run the company? On the bright side, it made me appreciate how hard it is to write texts for someone else. And how heartbreaking it should be to watch them on a stage or on TV.
On the other hand, if I prepare that much for each speech, how am I going to run the company? On the bright side, it made me appreciate how hard it is to write texts for someone else. And how heartbreaking it should be to watch them on a stage or on TV.
December 16, 2024
Overly lengthy and repetitive but with some useful tips and well-written prose. The first half wasn't as useful and the few nuggets of insight were spread out within a lot of blandness. The second half had (to my surprise) some useful techniques, but was still very drawn out. The prose was well-written, despite being a bit pretentious and overly-dramatic.
May 3, 2025
Well, you can read this one, or not; all good points but the text is rather dull and ironically fails to deliver a memorable message; for an excellent primer on how to order your thinking and writing, including making speeches and presentations be sure to check out The Elements of Rhetoric -- How to Write and Speak Clearly and Persuasively: A Guide for Students, Teachers, Politicians & Preachers.
April 12, 2013
Many books on public speaking cover how to deliver your talk. This one fills a gap: how to prepare content.
Philip Collins structure his book around the mnemonic DETAIL: effective Delivery; setting Expectations; the central argument, known as the Topic; understanding the Audience; making the speech Individual to you; and minding the Language you use.
Preparation of effective content is more than collecting and arranging information. It’s considering who you’ll be talking to and where you’ll be delivering your talk. It’s writing a speech that is an authentic expression of your character. Your speech should only be able to be delivered by you.
Readers have two compelling reasons to listen to what Collins has to say. First, his thoughts on writing speeches are shaped by the Great Thinkers of Western civilization: Aristotle, Cicero, Aristophanes and Shakespeare. These are people whose ideas on speechwriting have endured through centuries.
Added to this foundation, Collins has put those ideas into action as a speechwriter for former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. It’s his belief that well-prepared content can help remove many public speaking fears.
Entrepreneurs are called to speak in many situations: raising capital, selling, addressing staff. This book will help people remember your message.
Philip Collins structure his book around the mnemonic DETAIL: effective Delivery; setting Expectations; the central argument, known as the Topic; understanding the Audience; making the speech Individual to you; and minding the Language you use.
Preparation of effective content is more than collecting and arranging information. It’s considering who you’ll be talking to and where you’ll be delivering your talk. It’s writing a speech that is an authentic expression of your character. Your speech should only be able to be delivered by you.
Readers have two compelling reasons to listen to what Collins has to say. First, his thoughts on writing speeches are shaped by the Great Thinkers of Western civilization: Aristotle, Cicero, Aristophanes and Shakespeare. These are people whose ideas on speechwriting have endured through centuries.
Added to this foundation, Collins has put those ideas into action as a speechwriter for former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. It’s his belief that well-prepared content can help remove many public speaking fears.
Entrepreneurs are called to speak in many situations: raising capital, selling, addressing staff. This book will help people remember your message.
November 10, 2013
I bought this book after I had already been a policy advisor and speech writer for a Minister and a few of public personas.
This kind of work has always came naturally to me but I thought I should look for ways to improve the speech writing aspect of it. The Book did not offer me more than I had already been doing in practice under much pressure - which sometimes is the best way of getting to know what is inside you already
Nevertheless, it is a book that is very useful and gives great guidelines on making presentations and on speech writing. It covers the audience, expectations, topic, language, the individual and delivery. I would recommend it to people who want to know the basics and beyond of this topic. The chapter on 'topic' is very useful - showing how to relate what needs to be presented with the different forms / types of writing /speaking. It also looks at speeches of Churchill.
There is also a small section on writing for someone else - but generally it is for those who need to make presentations and speeches for themselves
This kind of work has always came naturally to me but I thought I should look for ways to improve the speech writing aspect of it. The Book did not offer me more than I had already been doing in practice under much pressure - which sometimes is the best way of getting to know what is inside you already
Nevertheless, it is a book that is very useful and gives great guidelines on making presentations and on speech writing. It covers the audience, expectations, topic, language, the individual and delivery. I would recommend it to people who want to know the basics and beyond of this topic. The chapter on 'topic' is very useful - showing how to relate what needs to be presented with the different forms / types of writing /speaking. It also looks at speeches of Churchill.
There is also a small section on writing for someone else - but generally it is for those who need to make presentations and speeches for themselves
November 1, 2015
How to write effective speeches. Book is fantastic illustration on how to write speeches for big occasion by iteration and redesigning core of speech. It also brings importance on learning audience mindset and write and deliver speech accordingly.
July 15, 2012
Whereas Toastmasters training focuses on confidence and delivery, this has a different take on being a superb public speaker, and focuses on context and content.
July 29, 2012
Excellent and very inspiring. Here's hoping it helps in practice!
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews