Speak Up With Confidence: How to Prepare, Learn, and Deliver Effective Speeches

Rating:
Summary: A valuable resource
Review: As a former teacher, I think this book is an excellent resource for teaching a skill that is becoming a lost art. Whether your career routinely includes public speaking or not, people in every walk of life could benefit from the ability to organize thoughts and communicate better. And who better to teach confidence? To see him speak is to admire him.

Rating:
Summary: Not much here
Review: I found precious little here. You might think that with the glowing reviews from famous people that this would be a useful book, but in fact the reviews aren't wrong - if you're a senator or a TV personality you'll find this book useful.

The rest of us can give it a miss.

Valenti may be a great speaker, but in terms of a book for everyone he offers little. You should remember your speech pretty much word for word. You should think of the cadence of how you'll deliver it. There really isn't much more, apart from long reminiscences about famous speeches and speakers. The book has a strange almost Victorian tone.

To misquote one of the reviews - this is a dispensible resource. Spend your money on one of the books that teaches you a lot.

Rating:
Summary: A rare gem that stands out....
Review: This outstanding book is a rare gem that stands out amongst so many books on public speaking. Jack Valenti knows his stuff and demonstrates with finesse the skills and techniques required for successful public speaking. Even the experts, like Barbara Walters, are taking tips from this prolific writer and respected public speaker. His stories and eloquent illustrations are vivid and memorable, drawing both from his personal experience and real life examples of top public figures.

Valenti was a speechwriter for US President Johnson and is currently president of the Motion Picture Association of America. What can you say for a book that former US President George H.W. Bush recommends as a must-read for those who take their case to the public. This book is a brilliant achievement indeed. Once you start reading, it is hard to put it down.

Valenti assures us with his words:
"Let us be clear: If you want to be able to rise before an audience, large or small, and speak to them so that they will listen to you, you can do it."