The Mental Game Of Speaking

This article gives you a fast snapshot of what's in my book, The Mental Game Of Speaking: Building Composure, Confidence and Credibility, published by Albert-Brownson Publishing. First let me ask you some questions about your speaking experience.

On what topics do you speak? In what type of speaking situations do you find yourself? How often do you speak? What types of audiences do you encounter? Do you speak in person, or virtually? How large are your audiences? How well can you build rapport and connection with your audiences? Do you know how to calibrate your audiences in real time? Do you know how to properly practice your speeches? Are you effective at handling the Q-A sessions in your programs? How good are you at writing your content for a speech? Do you know how to organize the elements of a good speech? Do you know how to memorize a speech? How convincing are you with audiences? Do they see you as having credibility? Can you sell yourself and your ideas? Do you use your sense of humor when you speak? Do you get paid to speak? How many years have you been speaking? Where do you want to go in your career in speaking? What sorts of obstacles have you been facing in your speaking? How well do you handle nerves? How confident are you? Do you have a plan to improve your speaking?

Building Composure, Confidence and Credibility

Most people who come to me for presentation coaching want to feel more confident. That's their number one goal. This is achieved from building the best public speaking skills possible. From this knowledge and proficiency comes composure. If you know what you're doing, there really is no speaking situation or problem you can't handle. Finally, with those two in place, if you are also an expert in your field, every time you take to the stage, you will come across as having credibility. This is a potent combination. Your audiences will know they are in the presence of a master speaker.

What's In This Book

The Mental Game of Speaking has over 50 chapters in 13 major sections. Here you will learn about the skills and knowledge top speakers possess, including strategies for writing speeches, practicing speeches, analyzing audiences, mentally preparing to speak and to overcome stage fright, how to become confident as a speaker, the use of humor, dealing with question and answer periods, and how to become a persuasive presenter. There are many unique one-of-a-kind checklists on virtually every aspect of speaking you'd like to know.

Here are the 13 major sections.

1. Assessing Yourself
2. Writing Presentations
3. Practicing Presentations
4. Audience Calibration
5. Getting Ready To Speak
6. Handling Stage Fright
7. Avoid These Speaking Errors
8. Building Confidence In Speaking
9. Writing And Using Humor
10. Question And Answer Sessions
11. Speaking To Special Audiences
12. Influencing Skills In Speaking
13. Checklists For Speakers

In reading this book you'll have access to hundreds of tips, tools and strategies that can help you dramatically improve your speaking. You can immediately apply these methods to any type of speaking you do.

How This Book Is Different

This book's special focus is on the psychology of speaking. My approach to the mental game of speaking helps people overcome stage fright, and inner obstacles and challenges that get in their way. Another unique strength of this book is its assessments. There are six of them. These help you become more aware of yourself as a speaker, and to make substantive changes, based on this feedback. There are two chapters on writing and practicing speeches, a chapter on how to pace your speeches, and six chapters on building confidence as a speaker. Few speaking books talk about body language. There is a chapter with a checklist of the 44 most common mistakes speakers make with their body language and a chapter on how to analyze, read and adjust to your audiences. Very few speaking books have content on the use of humor. Of course you can read entire books that cover the use of humor in speaking, but this book has four chapters on how to write, craft and use humor that can get you started.

There are three chapters on how to shine in the question-answer phase of your program. Most books on presentation skills don't have much emphasis on the special audiences we encounter. This book does. In it you'll find chapters on speaking to the boardroom, VIP's, and C-level executives. You can read a chapter on how to become an effective moderator and facilitator, and if you speak to the media, speak to foreign or international audiences, present on the web or the telephone, there are chapters for each of those. Probably the most vital skill for a speaker to possess is that of persuasion. There are two chapters on influencing skills. There are eight specialized checklists for speakers and a 218-word glossary of terms used in public speaking.

My Background In Speaking

The effectiveness of my presentation coaching is based on my own speaking, training, education and experience in peak performance, and also the knowledge and skills I have learned by undertaking extensive class work, seminars and workshops in this field, and in allied fields. I've been fortunate to rub elbows with many of the top professional speakers in the world, and took classes from many of them. I have attended specialized workshops and seminars on every aspect of the speaking business, including humor writing and performing, standup comedy, improv, platform skills, creating products, staging, showmanship, using technology in speaking and many more.

In the world of comedy, I was very fortunate to take classes from some major comedy gurus, such as touring comedian Kurtis Matthews, legendary humorist Larry Wilde and Gene Perret, Emmy Award winning writer on The Carol Burnett Show, and Head Writer for Bob Hope. I'm also a graduate of the San Francisco Comedy College.

How This Book Can Help You

This book gives you a broad overview of the essential skills required in public speaking, while also taking a deep dive into specialized psychological content that is not commonly discussed. The field of public speaking is far ranging, and no single book can do justice to all the knowledge required for excellence in speaking. The Mental Game of Speaking can be your launching pad for further exploration.

If you have never spoken in public, this book can give you a firm foundation. If you have been speaking, you can take your game to the next level. Whatever your purpose and your goals, I know you will find the world of public speaking to be a highly rewarding one. It's a subject that you can continue learning about for years to come.