Speak To Win

Until I read Speak To Win (by Brian Tracy) a few months ago, I mistakenly believed that all elements of great speaking and presenting could be observed and understood merely by watching great speeches. But I now realize that's like thinking you can become a great artist just by looking at paintings.

I learned many valuable insights about effective speaking and presenting by reading this book. A few examples:

• Preparation (and lots of it) is extremely important, even if you're giving a short talk.
• You should memorize your introduction and conclusion, even if you have to rely on prepared text for the rest. This allows you to deliver these super-important elements with maximum power.
• You should ensure that your face is well lit and that you're the focal point of the talk -- never let a PowerPoint presentation or other distraction stay up for too long or take the attention off yourself.
• A powerful speech can move people to great actions.

There are hundreds of other great points in the book. Profound gems that can bring improvement to any public speaker.