Speaking to Lead How to Make Speeches That Make a Difference
By John Shosky
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 in your career, then Speaking to Lead is the book for you. As a speechwriter and consultant, John Shosky’s credentials are impeccable. Since 1984 he has worked with people at the highest levels of government and business, including three presidential administrations and many top executives from Fortune 500 companies. He has written nearly 3,000 speeches for government officials, corporate CEOs, political candidates and those speaking before Congress. In this book Shosky distills his incomparable know-how into an accessible practical guide to the essentials of his art.
From the very basics, such as how to lay out an easily navigable manuscript to work from, getting the right words in the right order, researching your audience and getting your body language right, to starting a speech, pacing it correctly and bringing the audience to a point of collective agreement, Speaking to Lead teaches the importance and use of speech as an action: a tool to persuade an audience and to solve problems. As the title suggests, from the boardroom to the podium, this is a book for leaders.
‘Behind every great speaker is a great speechwriter, and John Shosky is the master. This book is a thorough and entertaining how-to, with John able to draw back the curtain on oratory in a simple and understandable way. It should be required reading for anyone in the communications field.’ – D.J. Nordquist, former head of public affairs, Gulf Coast Rebuilding, US Department of Homeland Security.
