BiteBack Publishing

If you are looking for a standard public speaking book, this is not the title you want. If, however, you are looking to make a difference with your career then Speaking to Lead is the book for you.

As a speechwriter and consultant, John Shosky’s credentials are impeccable. During the last 25 years he has worked with people at the highest levels of government and business, including three US presidential administrations and many top executives from Fortune 500 companies.

He has written more than 2,500 speeches for government officials, corporate CEOs, political candidates, and those speaking before the Senate and Congress, and continues to advise and consult on speechwriting for people for whom words carry real weight, and can have real consequences. In this book Shosky distils his incomparable know-how into an accessible practical guide to the essentials of his art.

From the very basics – how to lay out an easily navigable manuscript to work from, getting the right words in the right order, researching your audience, venue and hot button issues and getting your body language right, to starting a speech, pacing it correctly and bringing the audience to a point of elective agreement, SPEAKING TO LEAD teaches the importance and use of speech as action: a tool to fix problems and push issues forward. As the title suggests, from the boardroom to the podium, this is a book for leaders.

SPEAKING TO LEAD demonstrates key principles of Delivery, Character, Persuasion, Audience analysis, Strategic argument, Inclusivity, Language of leadership, Instant progress, Dealing with Hecklers and hostile audiences, Going for the jugular, Developing a unique rhetorical persona, Effective debating, Handling interviews, Handling cultural differences.