How to speak so people listen: grab their attention and get your message heard

245 Pages·2013·5.244 MB·English

by  Clayton, Mike

H
‘ Great communication is at the heart of all business; O
Mike’s approach makes this accessible to everyone.’
W
Mike Ames, founder of Flair Business Growth Consultancy

T
In a busy world of noise, how do you get O
your message across?

S
P
Everyone knows how vital good communication is in any business.
E
But what’s the point if no-one’s listening to you? A
K
How to Speak so People Listen shows you how to make sure that

what you’re saying is being listened to and making a difference. S
O
Using proven techniques from the world’s most successful
communicators, debaters and conversationalists, you’ll discover
P
how to:
E
O
• Always be heard by speaking in a compelling, persuasive
and powerful way
P
• Seize attention, make an impact and leave a memorable L
E
fi rst impression

L
• Think fast and quickly adapt your message to suit
I
your audience S
T
• Stand out at meetings, conferences, networking events and E
chance encounters N
• Be confi dent at public speaking – someone people really
want to listen to
Effective tools, strategies, tips and tricks will make sure you’re able
to command attention and know that, whenever you speak,
M
people will want to hear what you have to say.
I
K
E

£10.99 C
L
BUSINESS A
Y
T
O
DESIGN DAVID CARROLL & CO N
Visit our website at
www.pearson-books.com
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How to Speak
so People
Listen
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A01_CLAY6375_01_SE_FM.indd 2 29/07/2013 11:55
How to Speak
so People
Listen
Grab their attention
and get your
message heard
Mike Clayton
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PEARSON EDUCATION LIMITED
Edinburgh Gate
Harlow CM20 2JE
United Kingdom
Tel: [phone]
Web: www.pearson.com/uk
First published 2013 (print and electronic)
© Pearson Education Limited 2013 (print and electronic)
The right of Mike Clayton to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in
accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
Pearson Education is not responsible for the content of third-party internet sites.
ISBN: 978-0-273-78637-5 (print)
978-0-273-78868-3 (PDF)
978-0-273-78861-4 (ePub)
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for the print edition is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Clayton, Mike.
How to speak so people listen : grab their attention and get your message heard / Mike Clayton.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-273-78637-5
1. Communication in organizations. 2. Oral communication. 3. Interpersonal communication.
I. Title.
HD30.3.C53 2013
658.4’52--dc23
2013024677
The print publication is protected by copyright. Prior to any prohibited reproduction, storage in a
retrieval system, distribution or transmission in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
recording or otherwise, permission should be obtained from the publisher or, where applicable, a
licence permitting restricted copying in the United Kingdom should be obtained from the Copyright
Licensing Agency Ltd, Saffron House, 6-10 Kirby Street, London EC1N 8TS.
The ePublication is protected by copyright and must not be copied, reproduced,
transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except
as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and
conditions under which it was purchased, or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any
unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and the
publishers’ rights and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.
All trademarks used herein are the property of their respective owners. The use of any trademark
in this text does not vest in the author or publisher any trademark ownership rights in such trade-
marks, nor does the use of such trademarks imply any affiliation with or endorsement of this book
by such owners.
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
17 16 15 14 13
Illustrations by Toni Goffe
Cover design by David Carroll & Co
Print edition typeset in 9/13pt Helvetica Neue LT Pro Light by 30
Printed in Great Britain by Henry Ling Ltd., at the Dorset Press, Dorchester, Dorset
NOTE THAT ANY PAGE CROSS REFERENCES REFER TO THE PRINT EDITION
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To Ade, a wise friend who always spoke
so people listened.
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Contents
About the author viii
Acknowledgements ix
Part One The way we speak
1 Thinking about speaking 3
2 Getting started 11
Part Two The four steps
3 Get something to say 19
4 Get attention 35
5 Get your message across 57
6 Get results 89
Part Three The four situations
7 Focus on conversations 111
8 Focus on complicated conversations 135
9 Focus on meetings 159
10 Focus on public speaking 175
Part Four Final insights
11 The 25 core concepts of How to Speak so People Listen 209
Closing words 221
Who else needs to speak so people listen? 222
Mike can speak so your audience listens 223
Also by Mike Clayton 224
Learn more 225
Index 227
vii
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About the author
Mike’s job is to speak so people listen.
And it has been for more than 20 years;
first as a consultant and business adviser,
then as a project manager and leader with
international consultancy firm Deloitte, then
as an executive performance coach and
trainer. Now Mike speaks to audiences large
and small for much of his professional time,
delivering seminars and keynotes.
And when he is not speaking, he is writing – which is a bit like
speaking to one person, whom you have never met. How do you do?
Writing has become such an important part of Mike’s life that per-
haps a future book will be How to Write so People will Read. But for
the time being he is focused on spoken communication: a skill, a tool,
an art – and something most of us take for granted.
Mike has never taken speaking for granted, because he knows its
importance. Mike also knows the value of listening; communication has
always been his passion, and being listened to – and read – is a great
honour.
How to Speak so People Listen is Mike’s tenth book, and his sixth
with Pearson.
viii
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Acknowledgements
Thank you to Toni Goffe once again for producing the illustrations for
this book.
Thank you to everyone who has sat in an audience or training room
listening to me.
... and thank you to Felicity for everything.
ix
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