Quick and Easy Way to Effective Speaking

Not too long ago I found myself in a situation where I needed to succinctly present to a group in such a way that I needed to convince them to take action at the end of my talk. Unfortunately, I did not have a good structural model to follow and failed to make the case for why my listeners should take action. What I encourage you to do is explore some reading and speaking tips in order to be better prepared for a presentation. If you do, you will experience success where I did not.

What you've just read is a technique that Dale Carnegie shares in his book, The Quick and Easy Way to Effective Speaking.

If you were asked to give an impromptu five-minute presentation to a group, small or large, would you be able to do it? If you're like many people, you might try to pass up such an opportunity. However, if you read The Quick and Easy Way to Effective Speaking you will gain more confidence. In this easy-to-read book, Dale Carnegie lays out everything you need to improve your public speaking.

At the outset, Carnegie dispels common fears and myths about public speaking. He also suggests a mindset for success. Following these two topics, he presents what is the foundational principle for the remainder of the book. This principle has been a staple of Dale Carnegie's training content since he first started teaching in 1912. The "three E's" are:

• Speak about something you have earned the right to speak about through experience or study.
• Be sure you are excited about your topic.
• Be eager to share your talk with your listeners.

Following this first section of fundamentals, Carnegie devotes the remainder of the book to various aspects of speaking. Chapters include:

• Earning the right to talk
• Vitalizing the talk
• Sharing the talk with the audience
• Making the short talk to get action
• Making the talk to inform
• Making the talk to convince
• Making impromptu talks
• Delivering the talk
• Organizing the longer talk

The short talk to get action is particularly effective and is centered on the "magic formula" which consists of:

• Give an example, an incident from your life.
• State your point, what you want the audience to do.
• Give the reason or benefit the audience may expect.

The Quick and Easy Way to Effective Speaking is an essential read for anyone who speaks publicly, whether to a small group of coworkers or a large crowd of people.