Speak: So Your Audience Will Listen - 7 Steps to Confident and Authentic Public Speaking

by Robin Kermode

Speak So Your Audience Will Listen is a book for anyone who has to deliver a message, tell a story - or speak to another human being. Most of us are quite relaxed and confident when we're with our friends and family. We can tell a story or even tell a joke. But put us on a platform and we can feel very different. When we speak to an audience, we often put on a public mask … and use a different voice. Why can’t we seem to be ourselves when we give a talk? In this book we will look at all aspects of spoken communication, from structure right through to delivery. We will learn how to have a conversation with our audience - to be ourselves - so that we connect with them every time we speak.In 7 simple steps you can learn to be a confident and authentic public speaker. There are specific exercises at the end of every section for you to practice.Whether you’re a CEO presenting to shareholders, a manager motivating your team, an entrepreneur selling a business, a creative pitching an idea, a charity worker asking for donations or a parent speaking at your daughter’s wedding, this book will help you become a confident and authentic public speaker, so that when you speak, your audience will listen. And, hopefully, you'll enjoy the experience too.

Genres: Self Help

230 pages, Paperback

First published October 29, 2013

Reviews

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book "Speak So Your Audience Will Listen" by Robin Kermode is designed to help individuals become confident and authentic public speakers. Here is a summary of the book along with key points and actionable steps based on the available information:

### Summary:
The book is tailored for anyone who needs to communicate a message, whether it's telling a story or interacting with others. It delves into various aspects of verbal communication, from structuring your message to delivering it effectively. The author lays down a 7-step path to becoming a more natural and confident speaker, aiming to help readers engage their audience in a conversational manner, ensuring a connection every time they speak.

### Key Points:
1. **7-Step Path to Confident Speaking**: The author outlines a 7-step process to transform the reader from a nervous speaker to a confident and authentic communicator.
2. **Engaging the Audience**: Learning how to engage the audience in a conversation is a focal point, emphasizing the importance of being oneself to establish a genuine connection with the audience.
3. **Structure and Delivery**: The book covers the essentials of structuring a message and delivering it in a way that captures the audience's attention.

### Actionable Steps:
1. **Understand Your Audience**: Know who you are speaking to and tailor your message to resonate with them.
2. **Practice Authenticity**: Be genuine in your communication, which will help in establishing a connection with the audience.
3. **Master the Structure**: Learn how to structure your message effectively to ensure clarity and engagement.
4. **Work on Delivery**: Practice your delivery to ensure it's clear, engaging, and evokes the desired response from the audience.
5. **Continuous Learning**: Keep learning and practicing to hone your public speaking skills further.

### What Readers Can Learn and Implement:
1. **Confidence in Public Speaking**: By following the 7-step path outlined, readers can overcome the fear of public speaking and grow their confidence.
2. **Effective Communication**: Readers can learn how to communicate their ideas effectively, ensuring that their message is not only heard but also resonates with the audience.
3. **Audience Engagement**: The book provides insights into engaging the audience in a meaningful conversation, which is a critical skill in both personal and professional settings.
4. **Authenticity in Interaction**: Emphasizing authenticity in communication helps in building trust and establishing a real connection with the audience, which can be a life-changing skill to develop and implement.

The book provides a roadmap for individuals to improve their public speaking skills, which in turn can significantly impact their personal and professional life. By implementing the steps and principles outlined in the book, readers can expect to see a notable improvement in their communication skills.

[Jared Woods · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I was in school, I used to adore public speaking. A room full of people forced to listen to me and my endless wisdom for a designated period of time? What wasn’t to love? I excelled at it. I recall multiple occasions when I’d astonish my fellow scholars by arriving late to class without having anything prepared, then quickly scribbling down a few notes before volunteering as one of the first speakers. I was just that damn good. Unfortunately, my confidence deflated in direct correlation to my age, and much like most of us, by the time I had hit my late 20s, I realised I was not the most brilliant human being in existence, and that awareness really knocked my ego down substantially. As a result of my shattered pride (as well as the additional pressures of trying impress adults rather than school kids), my former fearless cockiness withered into a feeble anxiety, the direct opposite of my once heroic self, and I began to loathe any form of audience attention whatsoever. However, despite that mighty fall, I had not given up hope, and continued to venture into various types of self help books which promised I could recapture that previous magic, most to very little success, yet still encouraging me enough to soldier on, eventually marching straight into this very book, the latest in my desperate cry for the child I once was.

Almost immediately, there are some very encouraging indications that Robin Kermode knows what he is talking about. The font is big, the language is simple, and the paragraphs are to the point—exactly what you’d expect from any professional speaker. Armed with a ton of experience and quite a few quotes from recognisable figures, he goes on to split the art of public speaking into seven plain and easy to follow steps, which I will skim over just for you. They are:
1. Building confidence, which is pretty self explanatory and nothing new.
2. Creating a connection with people so that everyone involved is on the same level. This chapter was definitely useful, with some sensible eye contact tips, as well as how to discover the conversational point between shying away into your comfort zone and shouting outwards at people, vibrating on a mid-level and welcoming others into that vibration too.
3. Dealing with nerves, which probably had some good advice, but a lot of it I knew already thanks to my own experimentations and developments, as well as from reading (superior) self help books more specifically concentrated on this topic.
4. Using your voice better, which I thought was beneficial, especially the tongue exercises for articulation.
5. Body language, which was also very simple to follow with small tricks to improve with, but essentially nothing I hadn’t read elsewhere before.
6. The structure of your talk, which was by far the best chapter in my opinion, complete with solid opener examples and even suggesting funky things like bouncing out your syllables as if they were a heartbeat (which was what Shakespeare used to do). Not to mention the whole headline structure theory was no short of brilliant.
7. And finally, the delivery itself, which much like everything else on offer, had plenty of respectable advice, particularly the tips about pausing for emphasis which I really enjoyed and happily took on board.
And that’s it! Do these things! Speak better now!

But while one can’t really ask for more from a self help book which delivers on its promise so well, it was not without its flaws. Some of my biggest issues came with the author himself, for while we cannot deny his skills in the technique of spoken word, his written word came across somewhat amateurish, reading like someone’s first attempt at a book, a little bit apprehensive to let his humour fly free, which left some chuckles unfulfilled at best, and yet did add to the overall sweetness of the man’s personality somehow. Furthermore, a lot of his suggestions were far too obvious, like how we should breathe slowly from the centre point of our core, yes, we know we know, we get it. And while clenching your butt is probably a sound recommendation, it did seem like his go-to solution for everything. Even worse than this, was his unfair requests for me to partake in certain vocal exercises when I can’t exactly shout out loud on a crowded tube during my reading time unless I want to ruin everyone else’s morning, can I? I don’t know, I suppose it’s my own fault, as these tasks probably would have been valuable, but as far as self help books go, I want fundamental mental shifts rather than having to actually do anything, because I’m lazy like that. Perhaps that’s not fair of me? Whatever, I paid for this book.

With all that in mind, I am still pleased to admit that I came to the end really satisfied with what I had learned. All things considered, it was finally the book I had been looking for on the topic, and I reckon I can stop searching for such texts now, as it’s all here, everything. And I do mean literally everything, I can’t think of anything it’s missing or lacking, as it’s extremely thorough no matter what your level of expertise, and that makes for essential reading if you want to hone in your presentation skills to new gangster levels. Make no mistake, if you followed everything suggested here, you would deliver a much higher quality sermon guaranteed, which is why next time I am asked to give a speech or a demonstration, I will jump back into these pages in a panic, scrounging for advice and begging for peace of mind. But really, I should probably just stop giving a fuck about what people think and get on with it.

[Paul · Rating 1 out of 5]

Disappointed with this book. Book contained quotes about speaking interspersed with what I would call dumb advice (such as clench your buttocks when speaking, use the appropriate zone when speaking to someone.). If a person has trouble with public speaking, I would not recommmend this book. Instead, I would suggest that they take a Toastmasters or Long-Form Improv class.

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely the best book I've as of yet read on public speaking.