The Elements of Speechwriting and Public Speaking

by Jeff Scott Cook

The essential guide to preparing and delivering powerful, eloquent, and well-received speeches, reducing panic and nervousness, and enjoying all types of speaking engagements.

242 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1989

Reviews

[Corey Friedrich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just got done reading this to prepare for a couple upcoming speeches I have to do. What a great book! This took most of the anxiety about speaking away and gave tons of tips on not only public speaking, but the process of writing speeches that people will find interesting and how writing something to influence people is totally different than speaking to influence them (which is probably why some really good writers are terrible speakers). The book was written back in the late 1980's however, so some of the examples might not be recognizable to younger people, and the chapter on using visual aids is of limited values since cutting edge presentation tech back then was an overhead projector. Overall, a great book though. I checked it out from the library, but found it so helpful I am ordering a personal copy.

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent book on giving speeches. It's well organized, informative, and actually entertaining--like a good speech!

The book's focus is primarily on real speeches, but I read it because I give presentations, and I actually think it's useful for all sorts of communications.

The only reason I'm giving it four stars instead of five is that the audio-visual information is now out of date.

One perk about the book is that it's filled with examples from effective speeches, so, for example, when you're reading about speeches to stimulate, you can glean inspiration from Churchill and Martin Luther King, Jr.