Lilly Walters

Secrets Of Successful Speakers - Book Review

Secrets of Successful Speakers: How You Can Motivate Captivate And Persuade is written by Lilly Walters, executive director of Walters International Speakers Bureau.

Right up front in the preface Lilly Walters says that this is a book that aims to help you become an excellent speaker - if you make regular presentations. It is not for someone who is just looking to make a speech every couple of years.

I think the reason she says this is that, if you want to follow her advice, you need to put in some hard work. If you are willing to work at it then this book comes highly recommended based on readers' comments at Amazon.

Here are some interesting points from Secrets of Successful Speakers:

You can reduce Stage Fright 75% by preparation and practice. A further 15% reduction is possible through deep breathing and the final 10% by mental preparation. The key point here is that if you're scared about the thought of making a speech then you can go a long way to reducing your fear before the big day.

Lilly Walters reports Mark Twain as saying "It takes me at least three weeks to prepare an impromptu speech".

One piece of advice that you hear from many experts on public speaking is repeated by Lilly Walters here: Stick to one crystal clear theme in your speech. Also you need to know that your audience will only retain a small fraction of what you say. So it's best to focus on a small number of key points.

In fact, Lilly Walters ends Secrets of Successful Speakers by reminding the reader of the three key points she would like us to remember:

Key Point 1 - Decide how you want your audience to react
Key Point 2 - Decide what 3-4 points you want them to remember
Key Point 3 - Speak passionately and with compassion

There is a lot of meat in Secrets of Successful Speakers and yet it is very clearly set out and very easy to read. I recommend the book very highly. If I have to give you just one reason it is this: Lilly Walters gets you to focus on your audience.

After all, if you audience end up happy it will mean that your talk has gone very well.

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