One Great Speech

Tell your story, change your life Think about people who are paid to speak at events. They're all celebrities, former politicians, or award-winning experts in their fields, right? Wrong. The truth is that every year, thousands of ordinary people generate five- and even six-figure incomes—just from speaking. And you can too. With the right know-how, anyone can harness the power of their own story to carve out a lucrative speaking career. Listen in as veteran speaking agent James Marshall Reilly shares insider knowledge and tells compelling stories about dozens of successful speakers. Packed with clearly defined strategies and techniques, this book offers the tips and information you'll need to be well positioned for success as a paid speaker, including how to: Identify, hone, and frame your personal story—or message—so other people will pay to hear it Create compelling marketing materials and get an agent Work with that agent to develop a personal brand and own your niche Increase your speaking fees over time, interact with audiences, and handle failure Use paid speeches to sell an idea, attract customers, build your profile, and generate revenue for your business or nonprofit One Great Speech is the only resource written by an insider that details the ins and outs of the paid speaking industry. It is the essential blueprint for finding that one great speech that will lead you to speaking success.

In May 2012, bestselling author Neil Gaiman delivered the commencement address at Philadelphia’s University of the Arts, in which he shared his thoughts about creativity, bravery, and strength. He encouraged the fledgling painters, musicians, writers, and dreamers to break rules and think outside the box. Most of all, he encouraged them to make good art. The book Make Good Art, designed by renowned graphic artist Chip Kidd, contains the full text of Gaiman’s inspiring speech.

Based on a Navy SEAL's inspiring graduation speech, this #1 New York Times bestseller of powerful life lessons "should be read by every leader in America" (Wall Street Journal). If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed. On May 17, 2014, Admiral William H. McRaven addressed the graduating class of the University of Texas at Austin on their Commencement day. Taking inspiration from the university's slogan, "What starts here changes the world," he shared the ten principles he learned during Navy Seal training that helped him overcome challenges not only in his training and long Naval career, but also throughout his life; and he explained how anyone can use these basic lessons to change themselves-and the world-for the better. Admiral McRaven's original speech went viral with over 10 million views. Building on the core tenets laid out in his speech, McRaven now recounts tales from his own life and from those of people he encountered during his military service who dealt with hardship and made tough decisions with determination, compassion, honor, and courage. Told with great humility and optimism, this timeless book provides simple wisdom, practical advice, and words of encouragement that will inspire readers to achieve more, even in life's darkest moments. "Powerful." --USA Today "Full of captivating personal anecdotes from inside the national security vault." --Washington Post "Superb, smart, and succinct." --Forbes

Getting Ready For Speech was a finalist in the Independent Publisher book awards of 2002. It features a wide variety of sample speeches; it includes storytelling, show and tell, and movie and book reviews; it is perfect practice for high school speech contests; it carefully controls grammar and vocabulary and recycles them again and again. "Getting Ready for Speech" is much more than the lowest level speech book on the market. Using a new approach, each unit develops both language skills and speech skills. Each unit introduces grammar, vocabulary, and listening skills along with speech delivery and organizational skills. Every unit features a different type of speech. Speech types include self-introduction speeches, speeches to introduce someone, layout speeches, demonstrations speeches, storytelling, show and tell, and movie and book reviews. Units have a proven step-by-step learner-friendly format: 1. MODEL--Each unit kicks off with a model, a focused listening task where students listen to simple mini-speeches modeling the units target speech. 2. LANGUAGE--These pages highlight and practice the specific language from the mini-speeches 3. DELIVERY--The ever-popular delivery pages isolate and practice the units delivery skill. 4. PRACTICE--These pages revise the listening task at the beginning of the unit into a pair work format that enables each student to integrate the units language and delivery skills. 5. SPEECH--These pages provide students with a clear, simple template for preparing and giving their own speeches. 6. GRAMMAR--Each unit concludes with a page summarizing the units grammar focus. Getting Ready for Speech--A four skills text disguised as a speech text!

Only once did David Foster Wallace give a public talk on his views on life, during a commencement address given in 2005 at Kenyon College. The speech is reprinted for the first time in book form in THIS IS WATER. How does one keep from going through their comfortable, prosperous adult life unconsciously' How do we get ourselves out of the foreground of our thoughts and achieve compassion' The speech captures Wallace's electric intellect as well as his grace in attention to others. After his death, it became a treasured piece of writing reprinted in The Wall Street Journal and the London Times, commented on endlessly in blogs, and emailed from friend to friend. Writing with his one-of-a-kind blend of causal humor, exacting intellect, and practical philosophy, David Foster Wallace probes the challenges of daily living and offers advice that renews us with every reading.

Do you remember the topic of the last speech you heard? If not, you're not alone. In fact, studies show that audiences remember only 10% to 30% of speech or presentation content. Given those bleak statistics, why do we give speeches at all? We give them, says communications expert Nick Morgan, because they remain the most powerful way of connecting with audiences since ancient Greek times. But as we've evolved to a more conversational mode of public speaking, thanks to television, we have forgotten much of what the Greeks taught us about the nonverbal aspects of speech-giving: the physical connection with audiences that can create an almost palpable emotional bond. Morgan says this "kinesthetic connection" comes from truly listening to your audience—not just with your brain but with your body. In this book, he draws from more than 20 years as a speech coach and consultant, combining the best of ancient Greek oratory with modern communications research to offer a new, audience-centered approach to public speaking. Through entertaining and insightful examples, Morgan illustrates a 3 part process—focusing on content development, rehearsal, and delivery—that will enable readers of all experience levels to give more effective, passion-filled speeches that move audiences to action.

For anyone who fears the thought of writing and giving a speech--be it to business associates, or at a wedding--help is at hand. Acclaimed presidential speechwriter Peggy Noonan shares her secrets to becoming a confidence, persuasive speaker demystifying topics including: Finding you own authentic voice Developing a text that interest you Acing the all-important first paragraph Using logic to move your audience Creating, developing, and reinventing the "core speech" for diverse audiences Strengthening your speech with a vital element: humor Winnowing your thought down to the essentials Handling professional jargon, clichés, and the sound bite syndrome Presenting your speech in the best way Collecting intellectual income--conversing your speech treasures Breaking all the rules and still succeeding Reading for inspiration--how to use the excellence of others Complete with lessons, tips and memorable examples, On Speaking Well shows us how to create forceful, persuasive, relevant speeches that will resonate with our audiences. Engaging, informative, and always entertaining, this is undoubtedly the authoritative how-to guide for anyone writing or giving a speech