Speak to Win: How to Present with Power in Any Situation

209 Pages·2008·1.05 MB·English

Speak to Win
How to Present with Power
in Any Situation
Brian Tracy
AmericanManagementAssociation
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LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Tracy,Brian.
Speaktowin:howtopresentwithpowerinanysituation/BrianTracy.
p. cm.
Includesindex.
ISBN-13:978–0-8144–0157–6
ISBN-10:0–8144–0157–0
1.Publicspeaking.I.Title.
PN4129.15.T73 2008
808.5(cid:2)1—dc22
2007043407
(cid:2)2008BrianTracy
Allrightsreserved.
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica.
Thispublicationmaynotbereproduced,storedinaretrievalsystem,ortransmitted
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Thisbookisfondlydedicatedtomywife,Barbara,whohasbeenwithme
andsupportedmeovertheyearswhileIhavebeentravelingandspeaking
allovertheworld.Shehasbeenaloyalandunderstandingpartner,friend,
andwonderfulmother.Withouther,nothingwouldhavebeenpossible,
andwithhersupport,therehavebeennolimits.
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PAGEiv
Contents
Introduction:SpeakingtoWin 1
Chapter1 TheArtsofSpeakingandRhetoric 8
Chapter2 PlanningandPreparationMadeSimple 18
Chapter3 Self-ConfidenceandMentalMastery:Eliminatingthe
FearofPublicSpeaking 41
Chapter4 StartStrongwithAnyAudience 55
Chapter5 MasteringMeetingswithSmallGroups 70
Chapter6 MasteringSmall-GroupPresentationsandNegotiations 81
Chapter7 PlatformMastery:ImpressingLargeAudiences 96
Chapter8 VocalMastery:PowerfulVoiceTechniques 118
Chapter9 TricksoftheTrade:TechniquesofMasterSpeakers 131
Chapter10 ControllingYourSpace 144
Chapter11 EndwithaBang:LeaveThemBreathless! 164
Chapter12 MakingPersuasiveSalesPresentations 173
Index 195
AbouttheAuthor 201
v
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PAGEvi
INTRODUCTION
Speaking to Win
Ourdestinychangeswithourthoughts;weshallbecomewhatwe
wishtobecome,dowhatwewishtodo,whenourhabitualthoughts
correspondwithourdesires.
—ORISON SWETT MARDEN
Y
our ability to speak to an audience is essential to your suc-
cess. Speaking well can garner the respect and esteem of
others, make you more valuable to your company, and get atten-
tionfrom peoplewhocan helpyou and opendoorsfor you.Good
speaking ability will also convince people that you are generally
more talented and intelligent than others who do not speak as
well.
What is your most valuable asset? Your mind. One of the most
preciousskillsyouhave isyourabilitytothinkwellandtoexpress
yourself clearly. This skill can help you earn more and get pro-
1
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2 Speak to Win
moted faster as much as any other talent you can develop. After
all,theonlywayyoucandemonstrateyourmasteryofa subjectis
by expressing your thoughts and ideas clearly aloud and in writ-
ing. When you speak well, people say, ‘‘He really knows what he’s
talking about.’’
The good news is that your mind is like a muscle. It grows
stronger and more capable with use. Organizing your thoughts
and words in advance makes you more alert and aware of what
you are saying and how you are saying it. The act of planning,
preparing,anddeliveringtalksandpresentationsforcesyoutouse
your mind at a higher level, and it actually makes you smarter.
Eliminate Your Fear and Turbocharge Your Career
Some years ago, I gave a one-day seminar on executive effective-
ness to a group of businesspeople. During the talk I emphasized
the importance of being able to speak well and influence people
in business.
At the end of the day, a somewhat shy businessman came up
to me and told me that, as a result of my comments, he had de-
cided that he was going to learn how to be a good speaker. He
was tired of being ignored by his supervisors and passed over for
promotions.
A year later, I received a letter from him telling me his story.
He had immediately taken action on his resolution. He joined a
local chapter of Toastmasters and began attending weekly meet-
ings.Ateachmeeting,eachmemberwasrequiredtostandupand
speak on some subject, and each person was given a grade at the
end of the meeting.
Toastmastersusestheprocessof‘‘systematicdesensitization.’’
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Introduction: Speaking to Win 3
This means that if you do something over and over, you finally
become desensitized to it. When you speak repeatedly in front of
others, you eventually lose your fears and misgivings.
He also took a Dale Carnegie course for 14 weeks. At each ses-
sion, he was required to speak in front of his peers. Within six
months, he had given so many long and short presentations to
friendly groups of peers that most of his fear and anxiety about
speaking was gone. In its place was a growing confidence in his
ability to express himself to an audience.
Doors Open for You
At about this point in his growth and development, there was a
small emergency at his engineering firm. One of the partners had
been scheduled to give a presentation to the members of a client
company.Butthepartnerwasillandunabletomakethemeeting.
The businessman’s boss asked him if he would prepare and pres-
entthe company’sproposalinstead. Heaccepted theassignment.
He prepared thoroughly throughout the evening and the fol-
lowing morning. He then went to the client’s office, made an ex-
cellent presentation for the firm’s services, and got the business.
When he returned to the office, his boss told him that the presi-
dent of the prospective client had called and thanked him for
sending someone to give such an excellent presentation of the
firm’s services.
Within a few weeks, he was being sent out regularly to call
on the firm’s prospects and clients. He was promoted, and then
promoted again. Soon he was a member of senior management
and on his way to becoming a partner. He told me that his whole
life changed by making a decision to become a good speaker and
following up that decision with specific actions.
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