Want to Improve Your Public Speaking? Read These 3 Books
I’m a nerdy girl when I’m not busy being a rebel. I love (more than I love Duran Duran or my Fluevogs) to read. Fun fact: As a kid, I taught myself to read – the curse of an only child!
On any given night, you’ll find my nose planted in a book or my eyes locked tight with my Kindle.
Want to improve your public speaking? Here are 3 books that have nothing to do with public speaking, but will make you a better speaker.
The Art of Asking by Amanda Palmer
Putting it all out there – your heart, your soul, your message – is terrifying. Speaking forces us to do just this. This book is based off of Amanda Palmer’s wildly popular TED talk. She’ll teach you through humor (and sometimes tears) how to put yourself out there, give to your audience, and ask with generosity.
How to the World Sees You by Sally Hogshead
Personality tests tell you how you see the world, but Sally Hogshead flips this and shows you how the world sees you. Imagine knowing exactly how your personality influences other people would be powerful for a speaker. Do people love you for your ideas, confidence, or your high achieving ways? However your personality fascinates, you need to use it to be a better speaker. Bonus: you get access to her online assessment when you buy the book!
The War of Art by Stephen Pressfield
Have you ever procrastinated on a presentation? You know you need to prepare. It’s out there, but you just can’t get to work on it. Pressfield calls this resistance and it’s blocking your dreams of getting your message out into the world. The War of Art shows you how to identify your unique brand of resistance and defeat it.
Because I love bonus – here's my 4th recommendation. It does have to do with speaking & it's my biggest accomplishment of 2015.
Speak Up for Your Business by Michelle Mazur
I had 2 goals when I wrote this book: 1) write a fun to read public speaking book (most have great info but it's a snooze fest); and, 2) make a book just for entrepreneurs. Since I struggle to toot my own horn, I'll let one of the reviewers on Amazon do it for me:
Michelle quickly gets you excited and passionate about what it is you do and what it is you are about. Her tips are easy to understand, illustrated with stories you can relate to, and a writing style that makes you feel like you have a presentation coach sitting right next to you. -B. Imei Hsu
As you relax over this holiday season, curl up with one of these books! You’ll grow as a speaker (and a person) in surprising and delightful way.
Do you have a great book recommendation? Tell me about it in the comments section below.
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