speech of a book

Speech on Books for Students and Children

Speech on books.

Hello and a warm welcome to all my teachers and dear friends present in the Auditorium. I am here to deliver a speech on books. I would like to start my speech with a famous phrase of Ernest Hemingway which says, ” There is no friend as loyal as a book”. Books are like our fellow friend with no demands and complaints. They improve our knowledge, wisdom, and information, thus helping us in taking the right decisions in life.

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Books are the best option for self-learners to avail of information on all issues and topics. Great Authors, writers, and poets put all their emotions, thoughts and experience to make books important and beneficial for us. The treasure of books is inexhaustible, as they continuously extract the gold of art, literature, science, and philosophy for us. Books pass the knowledge from generation to generation which ultimately helps in the advancement of civilizations.

Types of Books

There are mainly two types of books, one is fictional while other is non-fictional. Fictional books are completely based on the author’s imagination, on the other hand, non-fictional are about a particular person, story, News or information. The different age group of people prefers different types of books like religious, comical, fantasy and educational.

The corporate world generally prefers business magazines and journals. Books under subcategory educational and guides, horoscope and scientific, articles and essays and many more. Generally, popularity in books depends on the age group and the mindset of people. Students prefer educational and professional books, kids mostly prefer stories and fantasy books, while the mature ones prefer the literature and novelistic books.

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Advantages of Reading Books

The habit of reading good books enables us to become well educated and informed. Books also help to change our physical and mental fitness in addition to building our lifestyle. Reading a book gives us kind of pleasure, energy, and confidence which we cannot find around any other place.

We feel fresh, happy and knowledgeable after reading a good book. When we feel down and negativity starts affecting us, books prove to be our best guide, inspiration and moral supporter. In the long run, we are not alone in the company of a good book.

The kingdom of books is vast providing pleasant pastime for many of us. Books spread our positive views and also popularize the fruits of our research and knowledge. Books are our permanent friends as they help enrich our thoughts. They inspire us to fight the odds and do great things in life.

In the current scenario of the advancement of science and technology, the utility of books is getting down. People are depending much on the Internet and social media platforms to gain knowledge. We must understand that Google gives us knowledge but books us wisdom.

We should never stop reading, while reading we always get something new that is valuable and informative in our future. Books take us to a journey with the author which widens our outlook. Books our minds with noble thoughts and awaken our soul.

Although books are very useful we must be very cautious while choosing one. Some books can mislead and spoil our life. A person reading a good book with a positive mindset is ultimately an asset to society and the country as well.

Our country is a land of great personalities whose biographies are available to us through books. We must step out and read them for the advancement of the country and its civilization. I will conclude my speech with a famous phrase of Fran Lebowitz which says “Think before you speak. Read before you think”

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• Speech Topics For Kids

Speech on Books

“Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counsellors and the most patient of teachers.” These are the words told by Charles W. Eliot. Do you agree with this statement? Read the article and realise the true power of books. Try to prepare an enlightening speech on books and let your friends reap some knowledge from you.

Table of Contents

Top quotes to use in a speech on books, speech on importance of reading books, short speech on books, speech on types of books, frequently asked questions on books.

• “Some books should be tasted, some devoured, but only a few should be chewed and digested thoroughly.” – Sir Francis Bacon.
• “If you don’t like to read, you haven’t found the right book.” – J.K. Rowling.
• “That’s the thing about books. They let you travel without moving your feet.” – Jhumpa Lahiri.
• “There is more treasure in books than in all the pirate’s loot on Treasure Island.” – Walt Disney.
• “No man can be called friendless who has God and the companionship of good books.” – Elizabeth Barrett Browning.
• “If there is a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, you must be the one to write it.” – Toni Morrison.
• “Show me a family of readers, and I will show you the people who move the world.” – Napoleon Bonaparte.
• “Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body.” – Joseph Addison.
• “I read for pleasure, and that is the moment I learn the most.” – Margaret Atwood.
• “A word after a word after a word is power.” – Margaret Atwood.

Sample Speeches on Books

A couple of sample speeches on books are given below. Take a dive into these speeches and utilise the resource to better understand the topic.

Books aid the evolution of human beings. It fosters character formation, builds confidence, and changes our lives’ perceptions. The practice of reading books increases the insight of individuals and helps to mould out the best personality. By reading books, a person can experience multiple emotions; it keeps one energetic and refreshed.

People can explore many wonderlands with the guidance of a book. That is the reason why many people consider books as their best companions. People can easily elope from solitude with the help of books. Books mark their appearance as a saviour from depression, anxieties, and emotional distress, and it fills our soul with wonderful ideas.

The inspirational and moral support provided by books is boundless. They enrich our minds with good thoughts. The true taste of wisdom can be experienced by reading books. Just like there are good things and bad things, books are also of two types. Try to pick out the best ones. We always have to be very cautious while selecting books, like the words of Malala Yousafzai, “One book, one pen, one child, and one teacher can change the world.”

Books play a very important role in the life of every individual. From the early age itself, books are introduced for assisting the child in bettering academics. Most of the basic information is taught to the children with the help of books. Books are a powerhouse of knowledge. People can gather information on different subjects and can improve their comprehensive knowledge by reading books. In today’s world, the empire of books is so vast, and everyone can easily enter it. Other than the typical print format, books are available to us online in the form of e-books and audiobooks.

The capability of books for influencing human lives is really high. They motivate, nourish, and charge us to be better. The habit of reading improves vocabulary, quality of thoughts and mental health of a person. They eventually help the transformation of our lives. Like the words of Walter Mosley, “A peasant that reads is a prince in waiting.”

Books can be broadly classified as fiction and non-fiction. A fictional book is a book that is completely based on the imagination of the writer. The types of stories developed with the creative talent of the writers are presented in the fictional stories. Rather than providing information, such books focus on entertaining the readers by offering imaginary experiences.

A non-fictional book is exactly the opposite of a fictional one. Non-fictional books are based on truth, real incidents, and facts. More than the essence of imagination, writers of non-fictional works add reality to it. Such types of books are produced with the major objective of providing information to the readers. Some of the popular types of non-fictional works are autobiographies, biographies, encyclopaedias, etc.

Multiple kinds of books are available to us; people can choose any genre based on their mood or interest. Some of the most popular genres of books are classics, tragedy, comedy, fantasy, fairy tales, detective and mystery, thriller, science fiction, historical fiction, horror, literary fiction, women’s fiction, romance, short stories, etc. The availability of these many options to read is a great boon to humankind. According to the words of George R. R. Martin, “A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies . . . The man who never reads lives only one.”

Two is always better than one, right? So utilise your options, read as many as you can, and start living your lives.

These speeches will prove to be one of the beneficial speech topics for kids who want help in composing a speech.

List some quotes to use in a speech on books.

• “Some books should be tasted, some devoured, but only a few should be chewed and digested thoroughly.” – Sir Francis Bacon.
• “If you don’t like to read, you haven’t found the right book.” – J.K. Rowling.
• That’s the thing about books. They let you travel without moving your feet.” – Jhumpa Lahiri.

What are the benefits of reading books?

Books play a very important role in the life of every individual. People can gather information on different subjects and can improve their comprehensive knowledge by reading books. The practice of reading books increases the insight of an individual and moulds out the best personality. It helps for character formation, building confidence, and changing perception of our lives.

What are the different genres of books available to us?

Multiple kinds of books are available to us; people can choose any genre based on their mood or interest. Some of the most popular genres of books are classics, tragedy, comedy, fantasy, fairy tales, detective and mystery, thriller, science fiction, historical fiction, horror, literary fiction, women’s fiction, romance, short stories, etc.

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• Speech on Books

Introduction

Books can be our best friends and guide us to build up our personality. There is a suitable book for every mood, and you can enjoy reading various genres of books to cheer yourself up. Reading books helps us to gather information on various subjects. Here we present a long speech on books for children stating several aspects of reading books in our lives. The long speech is followed by a short speech on books for students and children of Classes 4 to 10, and a 10-line-speech on books for the reference of young students of Classes 1 to 3.

Short Speech on Books for Students and Children

Hello everyone! I, (ABC), am here today to deliver a speech on books for children. Well, as we all know, books make an integral part of our lives, as we are introduced to books since childhood, for academics. Books are the basic source of knowledge and information. There are various categories of books, for example, fiction, non-fiction, science-fiction, comedy, romantic, biographies, historical, horror, thriller, and so on. 

Reading books helps children to learn many new words and they get a good grip on how to use those words in meaningful sentences as well. Hence, books help to improve their vocabulary. Also, when children start reading books, they develop an understanding of grammatically correct sentences. 

Kids are mostly interested in fairy tales or comics, and some find horror-based books more fun to read. I personally prefer reading detective storybooks. Well, there is a lot more than fiction that books offer to us. We cannot time-travel to witness the historic incidents, but we can get a detailed knowledge of those incidents, with the help of books. The life stories of the great personalities of the world are available through biographical books. These books help us to know their family background, contribution to society, achievements, and struggles.  

The knowledge that we gather by reading books stays with us forever. It helps us to know about the various historic places of the world, and about the world leaders, right at our home. There are plenty of benefits of reading books for students and children. So here to conclude my speech, I would like to emphasize that cultivating the habit of reading books among children will make them more aware of many important aspects of life. It will help them stride towards a brighter tomorrow.

10 Lines Speech on Books for Students and Children

Books can be our best guide and friend.

Fiction and non-fiction are the two types of books.

The common genres of books are comedy, thriller, science fiction, romance, biographies, etc.

Reading books is a good habit and it helps to improve our comprehensive skills.

We can practice reading a book loudly to improve our pronunciation.

As we read various books, we get an opportunity to learn many new words. 

I like reading fairy tales and comic books. 

I am currently reading an abridged version of Alice in a Wonderland by Lewis Caroll. I got this book as a birthday present.

I also like to read books on Noddy and his adventures by Enid Blyton

Reading books helps us to gather knowledge on a language and other important subjective information. 

Long Speech on Books in English

Our finest companion and a great approach to learning new abilities are books. Reading books allows us to expand our knowledge and expand our minds. Your mental growth will be favorable and your thinking will be rich. In front of you, a new world will open up. An excellent book has the power to transform your life. When we are sad or lonely, we can read an excellent book. That will make us happy and relieve our loneliness. Reading books provides a great deal of enjoyment. When we read a new book, we get to see new locations, learn new things, and receive new ideas, all of which is beneficial to our mental health.

My warmest greetings to everyone in this room. Today I'm going to talk about books and how they play an important role in forming children's personalities. The primary source of knowledge books. Reading books helps children acquire a strong sense of language and expand their vocabulary. I believe that instilling the habit of reading in children at an early age is critical. Reading books can help them improve their concentration and comprehension skills.

It is true that books are our best friends. Books will not abandon us in the face of adversity. They will be a terrific company for us at all times. There are a lot of fantastic books out there that can help us modify our minds. To be motivated and inspired in our daily lives, we need a lot of good thoughts. Learning new abilities by reading a book is a great approach to do so. Experts and experts publish books based on their knowledge and experience. They provide a wealth of knowledge on the subject.

We can gain a comprehensive understanding of a subject. When we are feeling lonely, we can curl up with a nice book. I can assure you that you will begin to feel better. We must constantly avoid reading terrible novels. A poor book can destroy your head and cause you to think negatively. So it is always advised to refer to a friend or to the internet for good books. 

Books can be compared to gold mines. When we go astray, they correct us, amuse us when we're bored, and provide us with nice companionship when we're lonely. They give us a new perspective on beauty. They carry us to places we've never seen before, to heights we've never felt before, and to lands we've never imagined. If you want to choose a best friend for the rest of your life, choose books since books can keep us company in both good and terrible times and teach us a lesson.

Books are also changing their look in the modern world, from a hard copy in paperbacks to digital on the Internet. It is dependent on whether we want to read a hard copy or a soft copy on a computer. Finally, I'll argue that we've gone so far in this century due to our forefathers' wonderful laws, conceptions, sciences, thoughts, inventions, discoveries, and endeavors, all of which were written in books. That literature hastened the advancement of our civilization. Great people's books inspire us to think about noble things. They teach us how to think critically. They aid in the conception of concepts and the solution of practical issues. Some people make fun of dedicated book readers. It's crucial to put what you've learned in the books into practice rather than merely reading them.

Learning the relevant knowledge, whether technical, language skills, general knowledge, or fun-related information, is essential to making good use of books. When we use books, we have a brighter face and more confidence in ourselves. When reading a book, it's also crucial to jot down essential points, thoughts, doubts, or footnotes in a decent notebook. Every page of a great book contains the best and noblest thoughts of man. In a library, you can encounter all of the world's most brilliant brains. However, not all novels are created equal. Today, there is a deluge of books. Flooding is never a good thing. You can take up undesirable behaviors without even realizing it because of the effect of poor books. As a result, you must choose your allies carefully. You must make an informed decision.

Man's life and nature's life must be mingled up with the company of literature. A break between the pages of a book and the real world is fraught with peril. So, not only should you read books, but you should also read the vast Book of Life and Nature.

The book chooses the reader, the kind of book we read is a reflection of our own self. With this I conclude my speech. Have a great day. 

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Speech on Books | Books Speech for Students and Children in English

April 5, 2023 by Prasanna

Speech On Books:  Books are the storehouse of man’s best thoughts and discoveries. And it is the medium through which writers connect with their readers and vice versa.

And in the company of a book, we become enlightened about a topic. Therefore many consider it to be one of the most superior friends a person can ever have because it provides us with knowledge unconditionally.

Students can also find more  English Speech Writing  about Welcome Speeches, Farewell Speeches, etc

Long And Short Speeches On Books for Kids And Students in English

We are providing a long Speech On Books of 500 words and a short Speech On Books of 150 words along with ten lines on the same topic for the ease of students.

These speeches will be useful for students for their assignments or exam. People can also use these speeches as a reference to write their own.

A Long Speech on Books is helpful to students of classes 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12. A Short Speech on Books is helpful to students of classes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6.

Long Speech On Books 500 Words In English

Good morning to everyone present here.

Can I get a show of hands of all the avid readers seated in front of me? We have quite a good number of them, and may I admit I am one of you as well. Avid readers like us are also referred to as ‘bookworms’ by many people.

We are often asked the question of what is so interesting in a book or have been advised to get our nose out of a book and explore the world. Well, today, I stand here with the opportunity to answer those stereotypical questions and voice my passion for books.

The exploration they ask us to do in the world outside has already been written about in books, and we have probably discovered more of than half of the world that a non-reader will be able to do in two lifetimes.

Books store knowledge about the world and beyond it and if I start describing how vast and advance the imagination of human mind is then we would probably be stuck here all night. Books have always been very loyal companions as they improve our wisdom and keep us company without ever asking for anything in return.

A book gives a writer the power to create and allows them to pen those emotions that burden us. If you ever need to understand how vivid and compelling words are pick up a novel of your choice and let it engulf you.

The right way to enjoy an excellent storybook is by completely surrendering your concentration. For an even better experience of reading allow yourself to walk through the plot imagining the images portrayed by the writer in your mind like an elaborate movie.

The key to intelligence is knowledge, and the key to knowledge is information that resides abundantly inside books. Reading is a noble and extremely beneficial habit because the more books a person reads, the more that individual practices thinking and this enlightens their conscience and makes them wiser.

The lessons of life packed in books are invaluable as the reading of a good book is a very enlightening experience for the readers. Books provide concepts like morals, love, joy, sorrow, advice, and many more such insights.

Books are a safe haven for writers to store their thoughts and voice their opinions. A profession as influential is that of a writer is of much respect, but seldom does the world realize this. Writers can express the information they have, and the audience knows in a new creative and in a more striking way.

Lastly, since I have got this opportunity today to address a vast audience, I would give a piece of advice that you should never be ashamed of your reading choices. Your favourite book might not be liked by your friend(s), or it might not be a popular book in the society, but the way that book will affect your emotions will not be achieved by reading others’ choice of books.

Thank you for being a great set of audience.

Short Speech On Books 150 Words In English

Greetings to everyone present here. I am (your name), and today I am going to give a speech on the topic of ‘books’.

Books have been our knowledge hub since way before the Internet came into existence. A very passionate girl named Madison made it to the news with her powerful speech claiming that books are what fuels the human mind just like gas does to cars.

Reading of books helps us articulate our thoughts, increase our vocabulary, enhance our imagination and increase our writing skills as well. Fictions are a great example to describe how great and diverse the human mind is and that there is almost no limit to the extent of the imagination.

As long as you keep a good practice of reading enriching books regularly, improvement in several vocabulary and writing skills will be evident. Eventually, you might come to like reading for pleasure as well.

Thank you as I end by saying that it was a pleasure addressing this patient’s set of audiences.

10 Lines On Speech On Books In English

• Some of the famous genres of books are classics, fiction, detective, romance, fantasy, young adult (YA), horror, action and adventure, etc.
• As an avid reader, it feels there are not enough books in the world to satisfy my thirst of reading.
• Just like friends should be chosen wisely and books should be chosen in the same way.
• A book will never betray as a friend.
• It is essential to take advice from elders as a novice reader.
• Books will be relatable for people of every generation.
• The quest of a person’s knowledge can be easily satisfied with books.
• The relation between books and readers is solely fruitful.
• The bond between a reader and books is a demand-less and complaint-less bond.
• Reading is considered to be one of the best habits of an individual.

FAQ’s On Speech On Books

Question 1. What are the consequences of not reading books?

Answer: If an individual fails in reading enough books, then they might have very little knowledge about many things and might fail to see the correlation between many aspects of life.

Question 2. Is it better to read one book or multiple books at a time?

Answer: It all depends on the reader. If you are a type of reader, who likes to concentrate on one plot at a time then for you juggling multiple books might be a little tough. And for those who easily maintain their book reading pace while reading more than one books or novels in the same can do as pleases them.

Question 3. What to do with books after we have read it once?

Answer: You can either keep the books as just like many other people do or resell it as a second-hand at a cheaper price. But it is a really noble act to donate books to kids or libraries in need of books.

Question 4. How does reading books more than once help?

Answer: Well for starters, you get a better grasp of the plot concept. Secondly, you are after a few reads capable of quoting lines from the book. And after reading much, an individual becomes capable of penning their own thoughts as well.

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• Speech Writing /

Speech on Why Books are Better Than Movies?

• Updated on  
• Dec 22, 2023

What would be your choice – Detailed information, character development, intricate plots, or just some animation on screen? Arguments for and against the idea that books are better than movies depend on the individual.

Johannes Gutenberg, a German Goldsmith, invented the printing press in 1436, which paved the way for publishing books. Today, more than 100 million books exist in multiple fields. Books are often considered our best friend because of the knowledge they offer us. In recent years, there has been a debate on ‘Whether are books better than movies, what can we learn from books which movies lack, etc.’ Today, we will provide you with a speech on why books are better than their movies.

10 Lines on Books Are Better Than Movies

Here are 10 lines on why books are better than movies. Feel free to use them in your school topics.

• Books offer an extensive exploration of characters, providing in-depth insights into their thoughts, feelings, and backgrounds.
• Reading books allows us to personalize and imagine experiences.
• Reading books helps us to visualize scenes and characters according to our interpretations and preferences.
• The literary format allows authors to delve into intricate details, nuanced emotions, and complex plots that may be challenging to convey in a condensed movie format.
• Books empower us to use our creativity, filling in gaps and envisioning the story in our minds, fostering a deeper connection to the narrative.
• Books offer a more leisurely and comprehensive exploration of the story, subplots, and character arcs.
• Internal dialogues and character introspection are more effectively conveyed in books.
• Books provide a richer understanding of the character’s motivations and growth throughout the narrative.
• The reader has the flexibility to pause, reflect, and return to any part of the story, 
• Books foster a more immersive and contemplative reading experience.

Books are better than movies because you design the set the way you want it to look pic.twitter.com/pImXogDi0i — MobiQuotes (@mobiquotes) December 20, 2023

Also Read: How to Prepare for UPSC in 6 Months?

2-Minute Speech on Books Are Better Than Movies

‘Good morning my classmates and teacher. Today, I would like to express my speech on why books are better than movies. From our imagination to language skills, books offer a more comprehensive understanding of the subject. Books provide us with detailed information, character development, and complicated plots.’

‘Reading the written words allows us a deep exploration of the character’s thoughts, emotions, and motivation that is more challenging to convey through a movie. We can visualize the character through our imaginations. Books can delve into the internal thoughts and monologues of characters, providing insights into their minds.’

‘The visualization power offered by books does not judge characters based on their looks, something which movies do. In a movie, only a selected character can play a role, but in books, no such thing exists.’

‘As readers, we can control the pace at which we want to consume a story. we can linger over a beautifully written passage, reread sections for better understanding, or skip ahead if we are eager to know what happens next. Movies, on the other hand, have a fixed pace set by the director and editors.’

‘Movies have time constraints because of which certain elements of a story are omitted or skipped. Reading books requires active mental participation, as we need to interpret the text, imagine the scenes, and connect the dots.’

‘Books can offer multiple perspectives, internal dialogues, and diverse narrative styles that may not be as easily conveyed in a visual medium. 

‘Books possess a transformative power, which moves lack. This power goes beyond time and technology, through which we can embark on our personal growth, self-discovery and exploration.’

‘Whether we are reading academic or non-academic books, it’s always a great experience to understand it from our perspective. Whether books are better than movies depends on individual preferences, and both mediums have their strengths and unique ways of storytelling.

Thank you.’

Ans: Books offer in-depth details about the characters, their personalities, thoughts, emotions, and background. Almost every movie has time constraints, where we are required to finish it in the given time frame. On the other hand, books offer us the flexibility to read anything and anywhere. To watch movies, we need proper resources like a TV, laptop or cell phone with an internet connection. Books are easy to carry and don’t need any resources.

Ans: Books keep our minds active and engaged, and offer is diverse range of words and expressions which enhance our vocabulary. Reading books reduces stress levels, improves focus and concentration, enhances imagination and creativity, etc.

Ans: Books provide us with detailed information, character development, and complicated plots. Reading the written words allows us a deep exploration of the character’s thoughts, emotions, and motivation which is more challenging to convey through a movie. We can visualize the character through our imaginations. Books can delve into the internal thoughts and monologues of characters, providing insights into their minds.

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Shiva Tyagi

With an experience of over a year, I've developed a passion for writing blogs on wide range of topics. I am mostly inspired from topics related to social and environmental fields, where you come up with a positive outcome.

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5 Minute Speech on Importance of Reading Books in English for Students

Everywhere we go, we have heard on the importance of reading books. Reading books is a very practical hobby. Reading a good book will improve out vocabulary, our speaking and will help us even in our writing. It is very important for anyone to put this into a habit at the same time keep in mind that it is vital to choose a good book. Books are so powerful. It has the power to change a person’s mindset. It can alter a persons personality and character. Reading a book also increases concentration which is needed especially in a world filled with gadgets. Children are seen to struggle with concentration. It helps a kid and even an adult. A person is able to think and ponder upon things. Deep thought is necessary in life. It also open doors to questions, curiosity and broader view points. It strengthens the mental ability through exercising the mind to think and question. It influences many to create ideas and come up with various outcomes.

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Preparing Your Book Launch Speech: Examples, Tips, And What You Should Say!

Are you an author who is preparing to launch your new book? If so, you may be wondering what you should say during your book launch speech. How long should it be? What are the key points that you need to cover?

In this article, we will provide examples of what you can say at your book launch, as well as tips on how to deliver a successful speech.

By following these tips and using our examples, you can create a powerful and memorable book launch speech that will help introduce your new book to the world!

What Do You Say at A Book Launch?

You might also talk about any interesting tidbits you uncovered while researching or writing the book . If you have any author friends or colleagues who would be willing to join you on stage for a panel discussion or Q&A session, that could be a lot of fun too.

The Writing Process, and Any Challenges You Faced While Writing

How do you introduce a book launch.

It is always a good idea to start by expressing your gratitude to the people who have come to support you and who have helped make the book possible (if any). You can thank your family, friends, and anyone else who has helped you along the way.

Next, you will want to give a brief overview of your inspiration for writing the book. What made you want to write it? Was there a specific event or experience that inspired you?

These things should be said before you get into the nitty-gritty of the book itself.

How Long Should A Book Launch Speech Be?

A book launch speech should be around 10-15 minutes long. This gives you enough time to cover the key points without boring your audience.

Book Launch Speech Example

Thank you all for coming! I’m really excited to be here tonight. I want to start by thanking my publisher and everyone who helped make this book possible. It’s been a long journey, and I couldn’t have done it without all of your support!

Thank you all for coming! This is a very special day for me. I want to start by thanking my friends and family who have supported me throughout this process. Your encouragement has meant the world to me. Next, I want to talk about the book itself. I wrote this book because I believe that everyone has a story to tell, and I wanted to share mine with the world.

How to Make Your Book Launch Speech Stand Out: 4 Tips

3. Make it inspiring. Share why you wrote the book and what you hope readers will take away from it.

What Not To Say In Your Book Launch Speech...

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Blog – Posted on Friday, Mar 29

17 book review examples to help you write the perfect review.

It’s an exciting time to be a book reviewer. Once confined to print newspapers and journals, reviews now dot many corridors of the Internet — forever helping others discover their next great read. That said, every book reviewer will face a familiar panic: how can you do justice to a great book in just a thousand words?

As you know, the best way to learn how to do something is by immersing yourself in it. Luckily, the Internet (i.e. Goodreads and other review sites , in particular) has made book reviews more accessible than ever — which means that there are a lot of book reviews examples out there for you to view!

In this post, we compiled 17 prototypical book review examples in multiple genres to help you figure out how to write the perfect review . If you want to jump straight to the examples, you can skip the next section. Otherwise, let’s first check out what makes up a good review.

Are you interested in becoming a book reviewer? We recommend you check out Reedsy Discovery , where you can earn money for writing reviews — and are guaranteed people will read your reviews! To register as a book reviewer, sign up here.

Pro-tip : But wait! How are you sure if you should become a book reviewer in the first place? If you're on the fence, or curious about your match with a book reviewing career, take our quick quiz:

Should you become a book reviewer?

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What must a book review contain?

Like all works of art, no two book reviews will be identical. But fear not: there are a few guidelines for any aspiring book reviewer to follow. Most book reviews, for instance, are less than 1,500 words long, with the sweet spot hitting somewhere around the 1,000-word mark. (However, this may vary depending on the platform on which you’re writing, as we’ll see later.)

In addition, all reviews share some universal elements, as shown in our book review templates . These include:

• A review will offer a concise plot summary of the book. 
• A book review will offer an evaluation of the work. 
• A book review will offer a recommendation for the audience. 

If these are the basic ingredients that make up a book review, it’s the tone and style with which the book reviewer writes that brings the extra panache. This will differ from platform to platform, of course. A book review on Goodreads, for instance, will be much more informal and personal than a book review on Kirkus Reviews, as it is catering to a different audience. However, at the end of the day, the goal of all book reviews is to give the audience the tools to determine whether or not they’d like to read the book themselves.

Keeping that in mind, let’s proceed to some book review examples to put all of this in action.

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Book review examples for fiction books

Since story is king in the world of fiction, it probably won’t come as any surprise to learn that a book review for a novel will concentrate on how well the story was told .

That said, book reviews in all genres follow the same basic formula that we discussed earlier. In these examples, you’ll be able to see how book reviewers on different platforms expertly intertwine the plot summary and their personal opinions of the book to produce a clear, informative, and concise review.

Note: Some of the book review examples run very long. If a book review is truncated in this post, we’ve indicated by including a […] at the end, but you can always read the entire review if you click on the link provided.

Examples of literary fiction book reviews

Kirkus Reviews reviews Ralph Ellison’s The Invisible Man :

An extremely powerful story of a young Southern Negro, from his late high school days through three years of college to his life in Harlem.

His early training prepared him for a life of humility before white men, but through injustices- large and small, he came to realize that he was an "invisible man". People saw in him only a reflection of their preconceived ideas of what he was, denied his individuality, and ultimately did not see him at all. This theme, which has implications far beyond the obvious racial parallel, is skillfully handled. The incidents of the story are wholly absorbing. The boy's dismissal from college because of an innocent mistake, his shocked reaction to the anonymity of the North and to Harlem, his nightmare experiences on a one-day job in a paint factory and in the hospital, his lightning success as the Harlem leader of a communistic organization known as the Brotherhood, his involvement in black versus white and black versus black clashes and his disillusion and understanding of his invisibility- all climax naturally in scenes of violence and riot, followed by a retreat which is both literal and figurative. Parts of this experience may have been told before, but never with such freshness, intensity and power.

This is Ellison's first novel, but he has complete control of his story and his style. Watch it.

Lyndsey reviews George Orwell’s 1984 on Goodreads:

YOU. ARE. THE. DEAD. Oh my God. I got the chills so many times toward the end of this book. It completely blew my mind. It managed to surpass my high expectations AND be nothing at all like I expected. Or in Newspeak "Double Plus Good." Let me preface this with an apology. If I sound stunningly inarticulate at times in this review, I can't help it. My mind is completely fried.

This book is like the dystopian Lord of the Rings, with its richly developed culture and economics, not to mention a fully developed language called Newspeak, or rather more of the anti-language, whose purpose is to limit speech and understanding instead of to enhance and expand it. The world-building is so fully fleshed out and spine-tinglingly terrifying that it's almost as if George travelled to such a place, escaped from it, and then just wrote it all down.

I read Fahrenheit 451 over ten years ago in my early teens. At the time, I remember really wanting to read 1984, although I never managed to get my hands on it. I'm almost glad I didn't. Though I would not have admitted it at the time, it would have gone over my head. Or at the very least, I wouldn't have been able to appreciate it fully. […]

The New York Times reviews Lisa Halliday’s Asymmetry :

Three-quarters of the way through Lisa Halliday’s debut novel, “Asymmetry,” a British foreign correspondent named Alistair is spending Christmas on a compound outside of Baghdad. His fellow revelers include cameramen, defense contractors, United Nations employees and aid workers. Someone’s mother has FedExed a HoneyBaked ham from Maine; people are smoking by the swimming pool. It is 2003, just days after Saddam Hussein’s capture, and though the mood is optimistic, Alistair is worrying aloud about the ethics of his chosen profession, wondering if reporting on violence doesn’t indirectly abet violence and questioning why he’d rather be in a combat zone than reading a picture book to his son. But every time he returns to London, he begins to “spin out.” He can’t go home. “You observe what people do with their freedom — what they don’t do — and it’s impossible not to judge them for it,” he says.

The line, embedded unceremoniously in the middle of a page-long paragraph, doubles, like so many others in “Asymmetry,” as literary criticism. Halliday’s novel is so strange and startlingly smart that its mere existence seems like commentary on the state of fiction. One finishes “Asymmetry” for the first or second (or like this reader, third) time and is left wondering what other writers are not doing with their freedom — and, like Alistair, judging them for it.

Despite its title, “Asymmetry” comprises two seemingly unrelated sections of equal length, appended by a slim and quietly shocking coda. Halliday’s prose is clean and lean, almost reportorial in the style of W. G. Sebald, and like the murmurings of a shy person at a cocktail party, often comic only in single clauses. It’s a first novel that reads like the work of an author who has published many books over many years. […]

Emily W. Thompson reviews Michael Doane's The Crossing on Reedsy Discovery :

In Doane’s debut novel, a young man embarks on a journey of self-discovery with surprising results.

An unnamed protagonist (The Narrator) is dealing with heartbreak. His love, determined to see the world, sets out for Portland, Oregon. But he’s a small-town boy who hasn’t traveled much. So, the Narrator mourns her loss and hides from life, throwing himself into rehabbing an old motorcycle. Until one day, he takes a leap; he packs his bike and a few belongings and heads out to find the Girl.

Following in the footsteps of Jack Kerouac and William Least Heat-Moon, Doane offers a coming of age story about a man finding himself on the backroads of America. Doane’s a gifted writer with fluid prose and insightful observations, using The Narrator’s personal interactions to illuminate the diversity of the United States.

The Narrator initially sticks to the highways, trying to make it to the West Coast as quickly as possible. But a hitchhiker named Duke convinces him to get off the beaten path and enjoy the ride. “There’s not a place that’s like any other,” [39] Dukes contends, and The Narrator realizes he’s right. Suddenly, the trip is about the journey, not just the destination. The Narrator ditches his truck and traverses the deserts and mountains on his bike. He destroys his phone, cutting off ties with his past and living only in the moment.

As he crosses the country, The Narrator connects with several unique personalities whose experiences and views deeply impact his own. Duke, the complicated cowboy and drifter, who opens The Narrator’s eyes to a larger world. Zooey, the waitress in Colorado who opens his heart and reminds him that love can be found in this big world. And Rosie, The Narrator’s sweet landlady in Portland, who helps piece him back together both physically and emotionally.

This supporting cast of characters is excellent. Duke, in particular, is wonderfully nuanced and complicated. He’s a throwback to another time, a man without a cell phone who reads Sartre and sleeps under the stars. Yet he’s also a grifter with a “love ‘em and leave ‘em” attitude that harms those around him. It’s fascinating to watch The Narrator wrestle with Duke’s behavior, trying to determine which to model and which to discard.

Doane creates a relatable protagonist in The Narrator, whose personal growth doesn’t erase his faults. His willingness to hit the road with few resources is admirable, and he’s prescient enough to recognize the jealousy of those who cannot or will not take the leap. His encounters with new foods, places, and people broaden his horizons. Yet his immaturity and selfishness persist. He tells Rosie she’s been a good mother to him but chooses to ignore the continuing concern from his own parents as he effectively disappears from his old life.

Despite his flaws, it’s a pleasure to accompany The Narrator on his physical and emotional journey. The unexpected ending is a fitting denouement to an epic and memorable road trip.

The Book Smugglers review Anissa Gray’s The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls :

I am still dipping my toes into the literally fiction pool, finding what works for me and what doesn’t. Books like The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls by Anissa Gray are definitely my cup of tea.

Althea and Proctor Cochran had been pillars of their economically disadvantaged community for years – with their local restaurant/small market and their charity drives. Until they are found guilty of fraud for stealing and keeping most of the money they raised and sent to jail. Now disgraced, their entire family is suffering the consequences, specially their twin teenage daughters Baby Vi and Kim.  To complicate matters even more: Kim was actually the one to call the police on her parents after yet another fight with her mother. […]

Examples of children’s and YA fiction book reviews

The Book Hookup reviews Angie Thomas’ The Hate U Give :

♥ Quick Thoughts and Rating: 5 stars! I can’t imagine how challenging it would be to tackle the voice of a movement like Black Lives Matter, but I do know that Thomas did it with a finesse only a talented author like herself possibly could. With an unapologetically realistic delivery packed with emotion, The Hate U Give is a crucially important portrayal of the difficulties minorities face in our country every single day. I have no doubt that this book will be met with resistance by some (possibly many) and slapped with a “controversial” label, but if you’ve ever wondered what it was like to walk in a POC’s shoes, then I feel like this is an unflinchingly honest place to start.

In Angie Thomas’s debut novel, Starr Carter bursts on to the YA scene with both heart-wrecking and heartwarming sincerity. This author is definitely one to watch.

♥ Review: The hype around this book has been unquestionable and, admittedly, that made me both eager to get my hands on it and terrified to read it. I mean, what if I was to be the one person that didn’t love it as much as others? (That seems silly now because of how truly mesmerizing THUG was in the most heartbreakingly realistic way.) However, with the relevancy of its summary in regards to the unjust predicaments POC currently face in the US, I knew this one was a must-read, so I was ready to set my fears aside and dive in. That said, I had an altogether more personal, ulterior motive for wanting to read this book. […]

The New York Times reviews Melissa Albert’s The Hazel Wood :

Alice Crewe (a last name she’s chosen for herself) is a fairy tale legacy: the granddaughter of Althea Proserpine, author of a collection of dark-as-night fairy tales called “Tales From the Hinterland.” The book has a cult following, and though Alice has never met her grandmother, she’s learned a little about her through internet research. She hasn’t read the stories, because her mother, Ella Proserpine, forbids it.

Alice and Ella have moved from place to place in an attempt to avoid the “bad luck” that seems to follow them. Weird things have happened. As a child, Alice was kidnapped by a man who took her on a road trip to find her grandmother; he was stopped by the police before they did so. When at 17 she sees that man again, unchanged despite the years, Alice panics. Then Ella goes missing, and Alice turns to Ellery Finch, a schoolmate who’s an Althea Proserpine superfan, for help in tracking down her mother. Not only has Finch read every fairy tale in the collection, but handily, he remembers them, sharing them with Alice as they journey to the mysterious Hazel Wood, the estate of her now-dead grandmother, where they hope to find Ella.

“The Hazel Wood” starts out strange and gets stranger, in the best way possible. (The fairy stories Finch relays, which Albert includes as their own chapters, are as creepy and evocative as you’d hope.) Albert seamlessly combines contemporary realism with fantasy, blurring the edges in a way that highlights that place where stories and real life convene, where magic contains truth and the world as it appears is false, where just about anything can happen, particularly in the pages of a very good book. It’s a captivating debut. […]

James reviews Margaret Wise Brown’s Goodnight, Moon on Goodreads:

Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown is one of the books that followers of my blog voted as a must-read for our Children's Book August 2018 Readathon. Come check it out and join the next few weeks!

This picture book was such a delight. I hadn't remembered reading it when I was a child, but it might have been read to me... either way, it was like a whole new experience! It's always so difficult to convince a child to fall asleep at night. I don't have kids, but I do have a 5-month-old puppy who whines for 5 minutes every night when he goes in his cage/crate (hopefully he'll be fully housebroken soon so he can roam around when he wants). I can only imagine! I babysat a lot as a teenager and I have tons of younger cousins, nieces, and nephews, so I've been through it before, too. This was a believable experience, and it really helps show kids how to relax and just let go when it's time to sleep.

The bunny's are adorable. The rhymes are exquisite. I found it pretty fun, but possibly a little dated given many of those things aren't normal routines anymore. But the lessons to take from it are still powerful. Loved it! I want to sample some more books by this fine author and her illustrators.

Publishers Weekly reviews Elizabeth Lilly’s Geraldine :

This funny, thoroughly accomplished debut opens with two words: “I’m moving.” They’re spoken by the title character while she swoons across her family’s ottoman, and because Geraldine is a giraffe, her full-on melancholy mode is quite a spectacle. But while Geraldine may be a drama queen (even her mother says so), it won’t take readers long to warm up to her. The move takes Geraldine from Giraffe City, where everyone is like her, to a new school, where everyone else is human. Suddenly, the former extrovert becomes “That Giraffe Girl,” and all she wants to do is hide, which is pretty much impossible. “Even my voice tries to hide,” she says, in the book’s most poignant moment. “It’s gotten quiet and whispery.” Then she meets Cassie, who, though human, is also an outlier (“I’m that girl who wears glasses and likes MATH and always organizes her food”), and things begin to look up.

Lilly’s watercolor-and-ink drawings are as vividly comic and emotionally astute as her writing; just when readers think there are no more ways for Geraldine to contort her long neck, this highly promising talent comes up with something new.

Examples of genre fiction book reviews

Karlyn P reviews Nora Roberts’ Dark Witch , a paranormal romance novel , on Goodreads:

4 stars. Great world-building, weak romance, but still worth the read.

I hesitate to describe this book as a 'romance' novel simply because the book spent little time actually exploring the romance between Iona and Boyle. Sure, there IS a romance in this novel. Sprinkled throughout the book are a few scenes where Iona and Boyle meet, chat, wink at each, flirt some more, sleep together, have a misunderstanding, make up, and then profess their undying love. Very formulaic stuff, and all woven around the more important parts of this book.

The meat of this book is far more focused on the story of the Dark witch and her magically-gifted descendants living in Ireland. Despite being weak on the romance, I really enjoyed it. I think the book is probably better for it, because the romance itself was pretty lackluster stuff.

I absolutely plan to stick with this series as I enjoyed the world building, loved the Ireland setting, and was intrigued by all of the secondary characters. However, If you read Nora Roberts strictly for the romance scenes, this one might disappoint. But if you enjoy a solid background story with some dark magic and prophesies, you might enjoy it as much as I did.

I listened to this one on audio, and felt the narration was excellent.

Emily May reviews R.F. Kuang’s The Poppy Wars , an epic fantasy novel , on Goodreads:

“But I warn you, little warrior. The price of power is pain.”

Holy hell, what did I just read??

➽ A fantasy military school

➽ A rich world based on modern Chinese history

➽ Shamans and gods

➽ Detailed characterization leading to unforgettable characters

➽ Adorable, opium-smoking mentors

That's a basic list, but this book is all of that and SO MUCH MORE. I know 100% that The Poppy War will be one of my best reads of 2018.

Isn't it just so great when you find one of those books that completely drags you in, makes you fall in love with the characters, and demands that you sit on the edge of your seat for every horrific, nail-biting moment of it? This is one of those books for me. And I must issue a serious content warning: this book explores some very dark themes. Proceed with caution (or not at all) if you are particularly sensitive to scenes of war, drug use and addiction, genocide, racism, sexism, ableism, self-harm, torture, and rape (off-page but extremely horrific).

Because, despite the fairly innocuous first 200 pages, the title speaks the truth: this is a book about war. All of its horrors and atrocities. It is not sugar-coated, and it is often graphic. The "poppy" aspect refers to opium, which is a big part of this book. It is a fantasy, but the book draws inspiration from the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Rape of Nanking.

Crime Fiction Lover reviews Jessica Barry’s Freefall , a crime novel:

In some crime novels, the wrongdoing hits you between the eyes from page one. With others it’s a more subtle process, and that’s OK too. So where does Freefall fit into the sliding scale?

In truth, it’s not clear. This is a novel with a thrilling concept at its core. A woman survives plane crash, then runs for her life. However, it is the subtleties at play that will draw you in like a spider beckoning to an unwitting fly.

Like the heroine in Sharon Bolton’s Dead Woman Walking, Allison is lucky to be alive. She was the only passenger in a private plane, belonging to her fiancé, Ben, who was piloting the expensive aircraft, when it came down in woodlands in the Colorado Rockies. Ally is also the only survivor, but rather than sitting back and waiting for rescue, she is soon pulling together items that may help her survive a little longer – first aid kit, energy bars, warm clothes, trainers – before fleeing the scene. If you’re hearing the faint sound of alarm bells ringing, get used to it. There’s much, much more to learn about Ally before this tale is over.

Kirkus Reviews reviews Ernest Cline’s Ready Player One , a science-fiction novel :

Video-game players embrace the quest of a lifetime in a virtual world; screenwriter Cline’s first novel is old wine in new bottles.

The real world, in 2045, is the usual dystopian horror story. So who can blame Wade, our narrator, if he spends most of his time in a virtual world? The 18-year-old, orphaned at 11, has no friends in his vertical trailer park in Oklahoma City, while the OASIS has captivating bells and whistles, and it’s free. Its creator, the legendary billionaire James Halliday, left a curious will. He had devised an elaborate online game, a hunt for a hidden Easter egg. The finder would inherit his estate. Old-fashioned riddles lead to three keys and three gates. Wade, or rather his avatar Parzival, is the first gunter (egg-hunter) to win the Copper Key, first of three.

Halliday was obsessed with the pop culture of the 1980s, primarily the arcade games, so the novel is as much retro as futurist. Parzival’s great strength is that he has absorbed all Halliday’s obsessions; he knows by heart three essential movies, crossing the line from geek to freak. His most formidable competitors are the Sixers, contract gunters working for the evil conglomerate IOI, whose goal is to acquire the OASIS. Cline’s narrative is straightforward but loaded with exposition. It takes a while to reach a scene that crackles with excitement: the meeting between Parzival (now world famous as the lead contender) and Sorrento, the head of IOI. The latter tries to recruit Parzival; when he fails, he issues and executes a death threat. Wade’s trailer is demolished, his relatives killed; luckily Wade was not at home. Too bad this is the dramatic high point. Parzival threads his way between more ’80s games and movies to gain the other keys; it’s clever but not exciting. Even a romance with another avatar and the ultimate “epic throwdown” fail to stir the blood.

Too much puzzle-solving, not enough suspense.

Book review examples for non-fiction books

Nonfiction books are generally written to inform readers about a certain topic. As such, the focus of a nonfiction book review will be on the clarity and effectiveness of this communication . In carrying this out, a book review may analyze the author’s source materials and assess the thesis in order to determine whether or not the book meets expectations.

Again, we’ve included abbreviated versions of long reviews here, so feel free to click on the link to read the entire piece!

The Washington Post reviews David Grann’s Killers of the Flower Moon :

The arc of David Grann’s career reminds one of a software whiz-kid or a latest-thing talk-show host — certainly not an investigative reporter, even if he is one of the best in the business. The newly released movie of his first book, “The Lost City of Z,” is generating all kinds of Oscar talk, and now comes the release of his second book, “Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI,” the film rights to which have already been sold for $5 million in what one industry journal called the “biggest and wildest book rights auction in memory.”

Grann deserves the attention. He’s canny about the stories he chases, he’s willing to go anywhere to chase them, and he’s a maestro in his ability to parcel out information at just the right clip: a hint here, a shading of meaning there, a smartly paced buildup of multiple possibilities followed by an inevitable reversal of readerly expectations or, in some cases, by a thrilling and dislocating pull of the entire narrative rug.

All of these strengths are on display in “Killers of the Flower Moon.” Around the turn of the 20th century, oil was discovered underneath Osage lands in the Oklahoma Territory, lands that were soon to become part of the state of Oklahoma. Through foresight and legal maneuvering, the Osage found a way to permanently attach that oil to themselves and shield it from the prying hands of white interlopers; this mechanism was known as “headrights,” which forbade the outright sale of oil rights and granted each full member of the tribe — and, supposedly, no one else — a share in the proceeds from any lease arrangement. For a while, the fail-safes did their job, and the Osage got rich — diamond-ring and chauffeured-car and imported-French-fashion rich — following which quite a large group of white men started to work like devils to separate the Osage from their money. And soon enough, and predictably enough, this work involved murder. Here in Jazz Age America’s most isolated of locales, dozens or even hundreds of Osage in possession of great fortunes — and of the potential for even greater fortunes in the future — were dispatched by poison, by gunshot and by dynamite. […]

Stacked Books reviews Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers :

I’ve heard a lot of great things about Malcolm Gladwell’s writing. Friends and co-workers tell me that his subjects are interesting and his writing style is easy to follow without talking down to the reader. I wasn’t disappointed with Outliers. In it, Gladwell tackles the subject of success – how people obtain it and what contributes to extraordinary success as opposed to everyday success.

The thesis – that our success depends much more on circumstances out of our control than any effort we put forth – isn’t exactly revolutionary. Most of us know it to be true. However, I don’t think I’m lying when I say that most of us also believe that we if we just try that much harder and develop our talent that much further, it will be enough to become wildly successful, despite bad or just mediocre beginnings. Not so, says Gladwell.

Most of the evidence Gladwell gives us is anecdotal, which is my favorite kind to read. I can’t really speak to how scientifically valid it is, but it sure makes for engrossing listening. For example, did you know that successful hockey players are almost all born in January, February, or March? Kids born during these months are older than the others kids when they start playing in the youth leagues, which means they’re already better at the game (because they’re bigger). Thus, they get more play time, which means their skill increases at a faster rate, and it compounds as time goes by. Within a few years, they’re much, much better than the kids born just a few months later in the year. Basically, these kids’ birthdates are a huge factor in their success as adults – and it’s nothing they can do anything about. If anyone could make hockey interesting to a Texan who only grudgingly admits the sport even exists, it’s Gladwell. […]

Quill and Quire reviews Rick Prashaw’s Soar, Adam, Soar :

Ten years ago, I read a book called Almost Perfect. The young-adult novel by Brian Katcher won some awards and was held up as a powerful, nuanced portrayal of a young trans person. But the reality did not live up to the book’s billing. Instead, it turned out to be a one-dimensional and highly fetishized portrait of a trans person’s life, one that was nevertheless repeatedly dubbed “realistic” and “affecting” by non-transgender readers possessing only a vague, mass-market understanding of trans experiences.

In the intervening decade, trans narratives have emerged further into the literary spotlight, but those authored by trans people ourselves – and by trans men in particular – have seemed to fall under the shadow of cisgender sensationalized imaginings. Two current Canadian releases – Soar, Adam, Soar and This One Looks Like a Boy – provide a pointed object lesson into why trans-authored work about transgender experiences remains critical.

To be fair, Soar, Adam, Soar isn’t just a story about a trans man. It’s also a story about epilepsy, the medical establishment, and coming of age as seen through a grieving father’s eyes. Adam, Prashaw’s trans son, died unexpectedly at age 22. Woven through the elder Prashaw’s narrative are excerpts from Adam’s social media posts, giving us glimpses into the young man’s interior life as he traverses his late teens and early 20s. […]

Book Geeks reviews Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love :

WRITING STYLE: 3.5/5

SUBJECT: 4/5

CANDIDNESS: 4.5/5

RELEVANCE: 3.5/5

ENTERTAINMENT QUOTIENT: 3.5/5

“Eat Pray Love” is so popular that it is almost impossible to not read it. Having felt ashamed many times on my not having read this book, I quietly ordered the book (before I saw the movie) from amazon.in and sat down to read it. I don’t remember what I expected it to be – maybe more like a chick lit thing but it turned out quite different. The book is a real story and is a short journal from the time when its writer went travelling to three different countries in pursuit of three different things – Italy (Pleasure), India (Spirituality), Bali (Balance) and this is what corresponds to the book’s name – EAT (in Italy), PRAY (in India) and LOVE (in Bali, Indonesia). These are also the three Is – ITALY, INDIA, INDONESIA.

Though she had everything a middle-aged American woman can aspire for – MONEY, CAREER, FRIENDS, HUSBAND; Elizabeth was not happy in her life, she wasn’t happy in her marriage. Having suffered a terrible divorce and terrible breakup soon after, Elizabeth was shattered. She didn’t know where to go and what to do – all she knew was that she wanted to run away. So she set out on a weird adventure – she will go to three countries in a year and see if she can find out what she was looking for in life. This book is about that life changing journey that she takes for one whole year. […]

Emily May reviews Michelle Obama’s Becoming on Goodreads:

Look, I'm not a happy crier. I might cry at songs about leaving and missing someone; I might cry at books where things don't work out; I might cry at movies where someone dies. I've just never really understood why people get all choked up over happy, inspirational things. But Michelle Obama's kindness and empathy changed that. This book had me in tears for all the right reasons.

This is not really a book about politics, though political experiences obviously do come into it. It's a shame that some will dismiss this book because of a difference in political opinion, when it is really about a woman's life. About growing up poor and black on the South Side of Chicago; about getting married and struggling to maintain that marriage; about motherhood; about being thrown into an amazing and terrifying position.

I hate words like "inspirational" because they've become so overdone and cheesy, but I just have to say it-- Michelle Obama is an inspiration. I had the privilege of seeing her speak at The Forum in Inglewood, and she is one of the warmest, funniest, smartest, down-to-earth people I have ever seen in this world.

And yes, I know we present what we want the world to see, but I truly do think it's genuine. I think she is someone who really cares about people - especially kids - and wants to give them better lives and opportunities.

She's obviously intelligent, but she also doesn't gussy up her words. She talks straight, with an openness and honesty rarely seen. She's been one of the most powerful women in the world, she's been a graduate of Princeton and Harvard Law School, she's had her own successful career, and yet she has remained throughout that same girl - Michelle Robinson - from a working class family in Chicago.

I don't think there's anyone who wouldn't benefit from reading this book.

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8 Opening a Speech: Get Their Attention from the Start!

Get the audience’s attention, or the rest of your speech is a waste. I mean it!  Most people spend the majority of their speech preparation time working on the body of their speech and then they tack on an opening and a closing last minute.

The opening and closing deserve the most attention. Why?  If you don’t get the audience’s attention and get them to pay attention to you instead of…  the thoughts in their heads, their grocery lists, their neighbors, their social media…then all the rest of your brilliant content is wasted because they will never hear it. Lisa Marshall of Toastmasters International stresses the opening words are so important that “I spend 10 times more time developing and practicing the opener than any other part of the speech.”

Look at the description of Person A and Person B and tell me which person you like more.

Person A envious, stubborn, critical, impulsive, industrious, and intelligent

Person B intelligent, industrious, impulsive, critical, stubborn, and envious

If you are like most people, you have a preference for Person B.  This illustrates a study by Solomon Ashe. He had subjects rate these two people using a string of descriptive words. Now look back at the descriptions. Look closely and you will notice they are the same words in a different order. Most people put the most emphasis on the first three words in determining how they will create the person. Like Asche’s subjects, your audience will be evaluating those first three words. Let’s bring it back around to speechmaking. The first sentence out of your mouth is crucial and the first three words are especially important.

I am sure you are not surprised to know that people form opinions quickly. To prove this, researchers showed subjects either a 20-minute clip of a job applicant or a 20-30 second clip of a job applicant. They were asked to rate the person on likeability and self-assurance. People were able to form an opinion in under thirty seconds. Not only that but they were able to form the same opinions from a 30-second clip as a 20-minute exposure.

The Battle for Attention

Remember that every piece of content in our modern era is part of an attention war. It’s fighting against thousands of other claims on people’s time and energy. This is true even when you’re standing on a stage in front of a seated audience. They have deadly distracters in their pockets called smartphones, which they can use to summon to their eyes a thousand outside alternatives. Once emails and texts make their claim, your talk may be doomed. And then there’s that lurking demon of modern life, fatigue. All these are lethal enemies. You never want to provide someone with an excuse to zone out. You have to be a savvy general directing this war’s outcome. Starting strong is one of your most important weapons. Chris Anderson, TED Talks, The Official TED Guide to Public Speaking.

“People don’t pay attention to boring things,” according to John Medina, author of Brain Rules, “You’ve got 30 seconds before they start asking the question, ‘Am I going to pay attention to you or not?'” It is important to get your audience’s attention right away. In this chapter, I will share with you several ways to win the war for attention and to start your speech right. I will show you the basic opening and closing structure of speeches and give you many examples of what that looks like.  A speech, like an airplane, needs a good take-off and a good landing. Now it’s time to prepare to have a strong take-off and learn everything that goes into a speech introduction. This chapter is full of examples from a variety of talks. I included quotes from those introductions, but I also included links to each of those talks hoping you will be interested enough to want to listen.

Ways to Start a Speech

Chris Anderson likens this to battle. “First there is the 10-second war: can you do something in your first moments on stage to ensure people’s eager attention while you set up your talk topic? Second is the 1-minute war: can you then use that first minute to ensure that they’re committed to coming on the full talk journey with you?”

When thinking about your speech, spend a lot of time thinking about how to win the battle for their attention. Your introduction should make your audience want to put down their phones and listen. Your introduction should be so compelling they stop their wandering minds and turn their thoughts to you and you alone. Your introduction should start with three strong words where they form a strong opinion of you and your speech.  Let me share how to accomplish this. 

Capturing the audience through the story is one of the most powerful ways to start a speech. A story engages the brain in powerful ways and causes the audience’s brains to sync with the speakers. A well-told story will allow the audience to “see” things in their mind’s eye and to join the speaker’s emotions.

Watch this clip by Ric Elias for how he begins his speech with a powerful story. Particularly notice his first four words, “Imagine a big explosion.” 

Imagine a big explosion as you climb through 3,000 ft.   Imagine a plane full of smoke.   Imagine an engine going clack, clack, clack.   It sounds scary.   Well, I had a unique seat that day. I was sitting in 1D. I was the only one who could talk to the flight attendants. So I looked at them right away, and they said, “No problem. We probably hit some birds.” The pilot had already turned the plane around, and we weren’t that far. You could see Manhattan. Two minutes later, three things happened at the same time.

Ric Elias, Three Things I Learned While My Plane Crashed. 

Consider these other examples and notice how the speaker uses a story.

More powerful introductions using story:

I love you, I believe in you and it’s going to be OK. The three things that I needed to hear three years ago when I felt more abandoned than ever. I remember that day as if it happen this morning. It was Sunday and I had just woken up early at a brisk 12:30 in the afternoon. Ryan Brooks, Honesty, courage, and the importance of brushing your teeth.  When I was nine years old I went off to summer camp for the first time. And my mother packed me a suitcase full of books, which to me seemed like a perfectly natural thing to do. Because in my family, reading was the primary group activity. And this might sound antisocial to you, but for us, it was really just a different way of being social. You have the animal warmth of your family sitting right next to you, but you are also free to go roaming around the adventureland inside your own mind. And I had this idea that camp was going to be just like this, but better. Susan Cain. The Power of Introverts. I grew up to study the brain because I have a brother who has been diagnosed with a brain disorder: schizophrenia. Jill Bolte Taylor, My Stroke of Insight. A few years ago, I got one of those spam emails. I’m not quite sure how, but it turned up in my inbox, and it was from a guy called Solomon Odonkoh.  James Veitch This is What Happens When You Reply to Spam Email. Eleven years ago, while giving birth to my first child, I hemorrhaged and was transfused with seven pints of blood. Four years later, I found out that I had been infected with the AIDS virus and had unknowingly passed it to my daughter, Ariel, through my breast milk, and my son, Jake, in utero. Elizabeth Glaser,  Address to the 1992 Democratic National Convention.

Good stories immediately set the stage and introduce you to the place and to the people. Doing this helps your brain can form a structure where the story takes place. It helps you see the story unfold in your mind.  If you need help starting a story, Vanessa Van Edwards suggests these prompts:

• Once upon a time.
• I’m here for a reason, and it’s an interesting story.
• The best thing that ever happened to me was.

There is an entire chapter on the Power of Story that can be found here.

Humor is a rubber sword – it allows you to make a point without drawing blood. – Mary Hirsch

  When Family Guy’s Seth MacFarlane spoke at Harvard Commencemen t in the rain, he started with “There’s nowhere I would rather be on a day like this than around all this electrical equipment.” People laughed, people smiled, and the speech was off to a strong start. Humor works because it gives the audience a hit of the feel-good hormone dopamine. That is … if you are funny. If you decide to use humor, make sure you are funny. Test your humor on honest friends. In addition, the humor you use should fit your personality and your audience. Be warned, some groups would find humor inappropriate, do your research.

Watch this clip for how Tshering Tobgay begins his speech with humor. 

In case you are wondering, no, I’m not wearing a dress, and no, I’m not saying what I’m wearing underneath. (Laughter) This is a go. This is my national dress. This is how all men dress in Bhutan. That is how our women dress. Like our women, we men get to wear pretty bright colors, but unlike our women, we get to show off our legs. Our national dress is unique, but this is not the only thing that’s unique about my country. Our promise to remain carbon neutral is also unique, and this is what I’d like to speak about today, our promise to remain carbon neutral.

Tshering Tobgay, This Country Isn’t Just Carbon Neutral–Its Carbon Negative. 

More powerful introductions using humor

I didn’t rebel as a teenager.   I started late and was still going at it the summer I turned thirty. I just became an American citizen, I divorced my husband, I got a big tattoo of a bat on my arm, and I joined a New York City punk band. Danusia Trevino, Guilty I need to make a confession at the outset here. A little over 20 years ago, I did something that I regret, something that I’m not particularly proud of.   Something that, in many ways, I wish no one would ever know, but that here I feel kind of obliged to reveal. In the late 1980s, in a moment of youthful indiscretion, I went to law school. Dan Pink, The Puzzle of Motivation.  It is really interesting to be a woman and to get to 45 and to not be married yet and to not have kids, especially when you have pushed out your fifth kid on television. Tracee Ellis Ross, 2017 Glamour Woman of the Year. I am not drunk …but the doctor who delivered me was.” (reference the shake she has due to a botched medical procedure at birth causing her cerebral palsey). Maysoon Zayid, I’ve Got 99 Prolbems and Cerebral Palsey is Not One of Them .

Salutation followed by humor

Oh boy, thank you so much, thank you so much.   Thank you, President Cowan, Mrs. President Cowen; distinguished guests, undistinguished guests, you know who you are, honored faculty and creepy Spanish teacher.   And thank you to all the graduating Class of 2009, I realize most of you are hungover and have splitting headaches and haven’t slept since Fat Tuesday, but you can’t graduate ’til I finish, so listen up. When I was asked to make the commencement speech, I immediately said yes.   Then I went to look up what commencement meant which would have been easy if I had a dictionary, but most of the books in our house are Portia’s, and they’re all written in Australian.   So I had to break the word down myself, to find out the meaning. Commencement: common, and cement, common cement.   You commonly see cement on sidewalks.   Sidewalks have cracks, and if you step on a crack, you break your mother’s back.   So there’s that.   But I’m honored that you’ve asked me here to speak at your common cement Ellen DeGenres, Commencement Speech at Tulane. Well, thank you. Thank you Mr. President, First Lady, King Abdullah of Jordan, Norm, distinguished guests. Please join me in praying that I don’t say something we’ll all regret. That was for the FCC. If you’re wondering what I’m doing here, at a prayer breakfast, well so am I. I’m certainly not here as a man of the cloth, unless that cloth is — is leather. Bono at  the  54th annual National Prayer Breakfast.  

Starting your speech by sharing a little-known fact, can be powerful. For this to fully work, you need to have the audience’s attention from the very first word. Read on for how these speakers started strong.

Powerful introductions using facts

Sadly, in the next 18 minutes when I do our chat, four Americans that are alive will be dead from the food that they eat. Jamie Oliver, Teach Every Child About Food. So I want to start by offering you a free, no-tech life hack, and all it requires of you is this: that you change your posture for two minutes. Amy Cuddy, Your Body Language May Shape Who You Are. Okay, now I don’t want to alarm anybody in this room, but it’s just come to my attention that the person to your right is a liar. (Laughter) Also, the person to your left is a liar. Also the person sitting in your very seats is a liar. We’re all liars. What I’m going to do today is I’m going to show you what the research says about why we’re all liars, how you can become a lie spotter and why you might want to go the extra mile and go from lie spotting to truth seeking, and ultimately to trust building. Pamela Meyer, How to Spot a Liar. You will live 7.5 minutes longer than you would have otherwise, just because you watched this talk.  Jane McGonigal. The Game That Can Give You Ten Extra Years of Life. There are 900,000 divorces   in the United States of America every year.   Fewer than 10% of them   ever talked to anybody about their relationship.   So why would you need a science?   Well, we need a science to develop effective treatment   and understanding of how to make love work.   Why?   Why should we care about having great relationships?   Well, it turns out that in the past 50 years,   a field called social epidemiology has emerged,   and it shows that great friendships,   great love relationships between lovers and parents and children   lead to greater health – mental health as well as physical health –   greater wealth, greater resilience,   faster recovery from illness,   greater longevity –   if you want to live 10 to 15 years longer, work on your relationships,   not just your exercise –   and more successful children as well.   John Gottman. The Science of Love.  This room may appear to be holding 600 people but there is actually so many more because within each of us there is a multiple of personalities. Elizabeth Lesser,  Take the Other to Lunch.

Using a physical object can draw the audience’s attention. Make sure you plan the timing of the prop, and you practice with it. It is important that it is large enough for the audience to see and they can see it well enough that they are not frustrated. Depending on your speech, it may be appropriate to put it away, so it is not distracting.

Powerful introductions using props

Darren Tay walks onto the stage and stares at the audience. He pulls a pair of underwear out of his pocket and puts them on over his suit. “Hey loser how do you like your new school uniform. I think it looks great on you. Those were the words of my high school bully Greg Upperfield. Now if you are all wondering if the underwear that Greg used was clean, I had the same questions. Darren Tay, Outsmart, Outlast. Toastmasters 2016 World Champion of Public Speaking . Mohammed Qahtani walks onstage, puts a cigarette in his mouth … then looks up as if noticing the audience and says, “What?” As the audience laughs, he continues. “Oh, you all think smoking kills? Ha-ha, let me tell you something. Do you know that the amount of people dying from diabetes are three times as many [as the] people dying from smoking? Yet if I pulled out a Snickers bar, nobody would say anything.” He goes on to say, his facts are made up and his real topic is about how words have power. Mohammed Qahtani, Toastmasters 2015 World Champion of Public Speaking

JA Gamach blows a train whistle and then starts his speech as if he were a conductor, “All aboard! It’s a bright sunny day and you are taking a train. You are wearing a pair of sandals you proudly made yourself. As you board the train one of your sandals slips off and falls beside the track.  (J.A. loses one sandal that falls down the platform.)  You try to retrieve it. Too late. The train starts to pull away. What would you have done? I would have cursed my bad luck, mad at losing a sandal. JA Gamache, Toastmasters 2007 World Championship. 

Use a Quotation

Powerful introductions using quotes.

Rules for using quotes

• Be sure to use the quote purposefully and not just as placeholders.
• Quotes can just take up valuable space where you could put content unless they are not properly used.
• Let the quote be more important than the author. When using a quote at the opening, say the quote first and then the author. When using a quote at the end of a speech, say the author first and then the quote.
• Keep it short and sweet. Use a quote that gets to the point quickly.
• If you must use long quotes–put them on your slide.
• If you project a quote, read it to the audience. Never expect them to read it while you talk about something else. Never say stupid things like, “You can read, I’ll let you read this for yourselves” or “Your adults, I’ll let you process this.”
• Check the authorship and authenticity of the quote. There are so many quotes on the internet that are misattributed and misquoted. For example, who wrote the quote: “They may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel”?
• Do not go for the overused quote or your audience is prone to dismiss it.  Instead of quoting an overused “I have a dream quote” do as Jim Key, the 2003 Toastmasters International World Championship of Public Speaking did and pick an equally great but lesser-used Martin Luther King Quote: “The time is always right to do what is right!”

Watch Nate Stauffer at a Moth Grand Slam as he uses poetry to start and carry his story.

Watch this clip for how Andrew Solomon opens with a quote to make us think about depression. 

Andrew Solomon, Depression, The Secret We Share. 

Reference the Occasion

Ceremonial speeches often call for acknowledgment of those in attendance or a mention of the occasion. Here is how Martin Luther King Junior set up his famous speech. I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation. Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. Martin Luther King Junior, I Have a Dream.

Get the Audience Involved

Having the audience stand, raise their hand, or even nod in encouragement can cause them to focus on your message. This can be particularly helpful if the audience has been sitting for a while. Let me show you a few examples of how that works.

Ask a Question

You can involve the audience from the start by asking them a question.

Watch the first few minutes of Amy Purdy’s speech and how she starts with a question, “ If your life were a book   and you were the author,   how would you want your story to go?” 

More powerful introductions using a question

I’m here today to talk about a disturbing question, which has an equally disturbing answer. My topic is the secret of domestic violence and the question I’m going to tackle is the one everyone always asks. Why would she stay? Why would anyone stay with a man who beats her? Why Domestic Violence Victims Don’t Leave- Leslie Morgan Steiner Here’s a question we need to rethink together: What should be the role of money and markets in our societies? Today, there are very few things that money can’t buy. If you’re sentenced to a jail term in Santa Barbara, California, you should know that if you don’t like the standard accommodations, you can buy a prison cell upgrade. It’s true. For how much, do you think? What would you guess? Five hundred dollars? It’s not the Ritz-Carlton. It’s a jail! Eighty-two dollars a night. Eighty-two dollars a night. Michael Sandel, Why We Shouldn’t Trust Markets with Our Civic Life.

How do you explain when things don’t go as we assume? Or better, how do you explain when others are able to achieve things that seem to defy all of the assumptions? For example: Why is Apple so innovative? Year after year, after year, after year, they’re more innovative than all their competition. Simon Sinek, How Great Leaders Inspire Action.  Can you remember a moment when a brilliant idea flashed into your head? Darren LaCroix,  Ouch! World Champion of Public Speaking.

Have the Audience Participate

If you ask a question you want the audience to answer, be sure to give them time to respond. If they raise their hands, be sure to acknowledge their response. You might have the answer by standing, by raising their hands, by speaking to their neighbor. You might call on one member of the audience to answer for the group.

If you ask a question you want the audience to answer, don’t let your presentation slide give away the answer. For example, one speaker had a slide behind him that said, “Lesson 1: Don’t Worry About IQ.” He has the audience raise their hand if they want to improve their grades then he asks, “So can I get a show of hands, how many would say IQ is going to be the most important to get those marks to go up?” Very few people responded because the answer was “written on the wall” literally.

Watch this clip as Allan Pease engages the audience.

Everybody hold your right hand in front like this in a handshaking position. Uncross your legs. Relaxed position. Right hand in front. When I say the word, “Now” here’s what we’re going to do. I am going to ask you to turn to someone besides you, shake hands as if you’re meeting for the first time, and keep pumping till I ask you to stop. Then you’ll stop and freeze it and we’re going to analyze what’s happening. You got that? You don’t have time to think about this. Do it now. Pick anybody and pump. Pump, everybody. Freeze it. Hold it. Stop. Hold it. Freeze it. Keep your hands locked. Keep them locked. The person whose hand is most on top is saying “I’ll be the boss for the rest of the day.” Allan Pease, Body Language, the Power is in the Palm of Your Hands. 

More powerful introductions using audience participation

I have a confession to make. But first, I want you to make a little confession to me. In the past year, I want you to just raise your hand if you’ve experienced relatively little stress? Kelly McGonigal, How to Make Stress Your Friend. So I’d like to start, if I may, by asking you some questions. If you’ve ever lost someone you truly loved, ever had your heartbroken, ever struggled through an acrimonious divorce, or being the victim of infidelity, please stand up. If standing up isn’t accessible to you, you can put your hand up. Please stay standing and keep your hand up there. If you’ve ever lived through a natural disaster, being bullied or made redundant, stand on up. If you’ve ever had a miscarriage, if you’ve ever had an abortion or struggled through infertility, please stand up. Finally, if you or anyone you love has had to cope with mental illness, dementia, some form of physical impairment or cope with suicide, please stand up. Look around you. Adversity doesn’t discriminate. If you are alive, you are going to have to, or you’ve already had to, deal with some tough times Thank you, everyone. Take a seat. Lucy Hone: The Three Secrets of Resilient People.  Advice from Moth Storytelling Club Have a great first line that sets up the stakes and grabs attention No: “So I was thinking about climbing this mountain. But then I watched a little TV and made a snack and took a nap and my mom called and vented about her psoriasis then I did a little laundry (a whites load) (I lost another sock, darn it!) and then I thought about it again and decided I’d climb the mountain the next morning.” Yes: “The mountain loomed before me. I had my hunting knife, some trail mix and snow boots. I had to make it to the little cabin and start a fire before sundown or freeze to death for sure.”  

Arouse Suspense or Curiosity

Watch this clip for how Kathryn Schulz creates curiosity by showing us Johnny Depp’s tattoo and then talks about her tattoo of regret. We hang on to her every word wondering, “Where is all this going and how bad can her tattoo really be?”

So that’s Johnny Depp, of course.   And that’s Johnny Depp’s shoulder.   And that’s Johnny Depp’s famous shoulder tattoo.   Some of you might know that, in 1990,   Depp got engaged to Winona Ryder,   and he had tattooed on his right shoulder   “Winona forever.”   And then three years later —   which in fairness, kind of is forever by Hollywood standards —   they broke up,   and Johnny went and got a little bit of repair work done.   And now his shoulder says, “Wino forever.”

Kathryn Schulz, Don’t Regret, Regret. 

  Saying unexpected things or challenging assumptions can get a speech started off right. A herd of wildebeests, a shoal of fish, a flock of birds. Many animals gather in large groups that are among the most wonderful spectacles in the natural world. But why do these groups form? The common answers include things like seeking safety in numbers or hunting in packs or gathering to mate or breed, and all of these explanations, while often true, make a huge assumption about animal behavior, that the animals are in control of their own actions, that they are in charge of their bodies. And that is often not the case. Ed Yong. Zombie Roaches and Other Parasite Tales. TED Talk

 Keys to Success

Memorize your first sentence so you can deliver it with impact. Memorize your whole speech opening if possible. Make sure your first three words have an impact.

Typical Patterns for Speech Openings

• Get the audience’s attention–called a hook or a grabber.
• Establish rapport and tell the audience why you care about the topic of why you are credible to speak on the topic.
• Introduce the speech thesis/preview/good idea.
• Tell the audience why they should care about this topic.
• Give a transition statement to the body of the speech.

Step Two: Credibility

First, you hook the audience with your powerful grabber, then you tell them why you are credible to speak on the topic and why the topic is important. If they know your credentials, you would not need to tell them your credibility but you may still want to tell them why you are interested in the topic. Here are a few examples of how some speakers included credibility.

Tell Why You Are Credible

I’m a doctor, but I kind of slipped sideways into research, and now I’m an epidemiologist. Ben Goldacre, Battling Bad Science.  I started studying resilience research a decade ago at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. It was an amazing time to be there because the professors who trained me had just picked up the contract to train all 1.1 million American soldiers to be as mentally fit as they always have been physically fit. Lucy Hone: The Three Secrets of Resilient People.  What I’m going to do is to just give a few notes,   and this is from a book I’m preparing called   “Letters to a Young Scientist.”   I’d thought it’d be appropriate to   present it, on the basis that I have had extensive experience   in teaching, counseling scientists across a broad array of fields.   And you might like to hear some of the principles that I’ve developed in doing   that teaching and counseling. EO Wilson: Advice to a Young Scientist. 

Step Three: Tell Why it is Important

Early on in your speech, you should tell the audience why they should care. You should connect the speech to things they care about. This is where you answer, so what, who cares?

You know, I didn’t set out to be a parenting expert. In fact, I’m not very interested in parenting, per se. It’s just that there’s a certain style of parenting these days that is kind of messing up kids, impeding their chances to develop.  Julie Lythcott-Haims, How to Raise Successful Kids – Without Over-Parenting

Step Four: Tell the Purpose of the Talk (aka Preview/ Thesis)

“If you don’t know what you want to achieve in your presentation your audience never will.” – Harvey Diamond, author

Tell the audience your purpose, clearly give them an overview of the main points.  MIT professor, Patrick Winston says one of the best things to add to your speech is an empowerment promise. You want to tell people what they will know at the end of your speech that they didn’t know at the beginning. It’s their reason for being here.  His empowerment promise was, “Today you will see some examples of what you can put in your armory of speaking techniques and it will be the case that one of those examples–some heuristic, some technique, maybe only one will be the one that will get you the job. By the end of the next 60 minutes, you will have been exposed to a lot of ideas, some of which you will incorporate into your own repertoire, and they will ensure that you get the maximum opportunity to have your ideas valued and accepted by the people you speak with.” Notice that this statement told you what to expect and why it mattered.

Here are examples of how various speakers accomplished this.

For years, I’ve been telling people, stress makes you sick. It increases the risk of everything from the common cold to cardiovascular disease. Basically, I’ve turned stress into the enemy. But I have changed my mind about stress, and today, I want to change yours. Kelly McGonigal, How to Make Stress Your Friend.   We’ve been sold the lie that disability is a Bad Thing, capital B, capital T. It’s a bad thing, and to live with a disability makes you exceptional. It’s not a bad thing, and it doesn’t make you exceptional. Stella Young, I’m Not Your Inspiration, Thank You Very Much

What I’m going to show you is all of the main things, all of the main features of my discipline, evidence-based medicine. And I will talk you through all of these and demonstrate how they work, exclusively using examples of people getting stuff wrong. Ben Goldacre, Battling Bad Science.  I would like to think that we (Arab women) poor, oppressed women actually have some useful, certainly hard-earned lessons to share, lessons that might turn out useful for anyone wishing to thrive in the modern world. Here are three of mine. Leila Hoteit, Three Lessons on Success from an Arab businesswoman We are often terrified and fascinated by the power hackers now have. They scare us. But the choices they make have dramatic outcomes that influence us all. So I am here today because I think we need hackers, and in fact, they just might be the immune system for the information age. Sometimes they make us sick, but they also find those hidden threats in our world, and they make us fix it. Keren Elazari. Hackers: The Internet’s Immune System Try This — Inspired by TED Master Class After you write your thesis, send it to three people with the question, “Based on what you read here, what do you think my speech will be about?”  

Putting It All Together

At this point, you know you need to have a grabber, a preview, a credibility statement, and a so-what-who-cares statement.  Let’s take a look at one of the top TED talks of all time by Jamie Oliver. This speech is a good illustration of everything we’ve been talking about so far and how all this works together.

“Everybody close your eyes.”

I don’t want to close my eyes; it makes me feel awkward and exposed to be in a group of people with my eyes closed. Because of that, I keep my eyes open. The problem is  when I keep my eyes open, I feel like some sort of horrible nonconformist rebel. I feel awkward with my eyes closed and I feel guilty if they are open. Either way, I just feel bad. Besides, half of the time when speakers tell audience members to close their eyes, they forget to tell us when we can open them. If you are wanting me to imagine a story, just tell me to imagine it, don’t make me close my eyes (rant over).

“Can everybody hear me?”

You should plan your opening to be intentional and with power. “Can everybody hear me” is a weak and uncertain statement and this is not the first impression you want to leave. Do a microphone check before the audience members arrive and have someone stand in different corners of the room to make sure you can be heard. Don’t waste your valuable speech time with questions that you should already know the answer to.

“How long do I have to speak?”

You should know that before you begin. Even if the presentations for the day are running over and you are the last speaker, you should ask the MC before you begin. Always plan your first words with power.

“Can you read this?”

You should make your slides big, really big. Test out your slides in advance of your speech, walk all around the room and make sure you can read them. Have a friend check them out as well. You should know they are big enough because you planned for it and tested it.

“Turn off your cell phones and laptops.”

People really hate having things taken away, not to mention that your audience may want to take notes on their devices. Chances are you are speaking to adults, let them determine if it is appropriate to have out their technology.

“I’m sorry, I’m losing my voice.” “I’m stopped up.” “I’m under the weather.”

Stop apologizing! Stop making excuses!  While these lines may be true, they just come of as excuses and can make the audience either feel like you don’t want to be there, or they just feel sorry for you.

“I’m so nervous right now.”

Talking about your nervousness will make you more nervous and will make them look for signs of your nervousness. Just start your speech.

“So, Um, Ok.”

Do not start with hesitation. Plan the first words, memorize the first words, practice the first words.  Do not start with “Ok, so um, now I’d like…” Plan strong and start strong.

Do Not Discuss Your Business with People Watching…Really! I Mean It! Many of us are giving and listening to presentations in an online format.  I have attended numerous presentations this year through Zoom where I have to sit and watch while the organizers engage in personal small talk or deal with the details of the presentation. This is how the speech I recently attended began. “Donna, you are going to share your screen, right?” “Yes. I have my PowerPoint ready to go. Will you push “record” when I give the signal?” “Sure. Where did you say that button is again? Do you think we should wait five more minutes, I think we had more who were coming? Dave, what was the total we were expecting?” “Yeah, we had 116 sign up, but the reminders went out late so this may be all we have. We can give them a few more minutes to log on.” “Donna, How is your dog? Is she still struggling with her cone since her spay surgery? My dog never would wear the cone –she tore her stitches out and broke her wound open. It was terrible. Well, it looks like it is about time to begin, thank you everyone for coming.” If you are organizing an event online, hosting a speech online, giving a presentation online–please keep it professional. Most platforms will allow you to keep the audience in a waiting room until it is time to start. If you have a business to deal with, keep the audience out until you have everything ready to go. Once the audience is in the meeting, you should engage the audience in group-type small talk or you should just start the presentation. In professional settings, you should start the meeting on time. Why punish those who showed up on time to wait for those who aren’t there yet?

A Conversation Over Coffee with Bill Rogers

I asked my long-time friend, Bill Rogers, to write an excerpt to add to the book.  I met Bill when he was the Chief Development Officer for a hospital in Northwest Arkansas and I met him again when he was reinventing himself as a college student getting a Master’s Degree in the theater.  He would love to share a symbolic cup of coffee with you and give you advice about public speaking. 

Perfect morning for a walk, isn’t it? Join me for a cup of coffee? Wonderful. Find us a table and I’ll get our coffee.

There you go; just like you like it. There’s nothing like a great cup of coffee on the patio of your neighborhood coffee shop, is there?

Now that you’re settled in your favorite chair, take a sip, and let that glorious caffeine kick in and do its stuff. Okay, let’s talk.

So, you were asking me about public speaking.

Well, let’s see. Where do we begin?

One of the first pieces of advice I ever received was to imagine that every member of your audience is sitting there in their underwear! Yeah, right. That never worked for me. I tried it once with a local civic group of community leaders both male and female. If the intent of that tidbit is to make you relax, it certainly didn’t work for me. It just made me more self-conscious…and more nervous. I not only got distracted, but I also lost my train of thought, I started sweating, and, of course, imagined myself standing there without clothes. Needless to say, that speech was a disaster and I’ve never used it again. I suggest you don’t either.

In the early days, I also relied very heavily on my typed-up speech. Now, there’s nothing wrong with that unless you find yourself reading it word for word as I did. Nothing is more boring nor puts an audience to sleep quicker than a speaker with their nose down reading a speech. There’s no connection and connection with your audience is key.

As you know, I love theatre and I’ve done a bit of acting over the years. Early on, I learned that the quicker I learned my lines, the more I could play, experiment, and shape my character. It relaxed me and gave me enormous freedom. It led me to find a mantra for myself: “With discipline comes freedom.” This freedom will allow you to improvise as your audience or situation dictates while still conveying the core message of your presentation. That discipline and its resulting freedom apply to public speaking of any kind and, I think, will serve you well.

Another old adage we’ve all heard is Aristotle’s advice. You know the one. No? Well, roughly, it’s to tell your audience what you’re going to say, say it, and then tell them what you just said. That’s the basic formula for public speaking. And it works as a good place to start.

However, effective speaking is much more and, to me, it starts with a story or even a simple sentence.

You know the feeling you get when you read the first sentence of a good book and it just reaches out and grabs you? That should be your goal with every presentation. One sentence to capture your audience’s attention. Something that causes them to lean forward. Something that sparks their imagination.

It doesn’t have to be all that profound either. It can be something very simple. A personal story that relates to your topic. A relevant fact or statistic that defines or illustrates the issue or subject matter at hand.

A couple of classics come to mind. The first is Alice Walker’s, “The Color of Purple.”

“You better not tell nobody but God.”

And the second one is from my favorite novel, “To Kill A Mockingbird,” by Harper Lee.

“When he was nearly thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm broken at the elbow.”

Both sentences hook you immediately. A few simple words speak volumes. After reading or hearing those words, you naturally lean in. You want to learn more. You want to find out what happens next. Every effective speech or presentation does the same thing.

Of course, make sure that the first and last thing you say to your audience is both relevant and appropriate. I share this out of an abundance of caution. I once worked for an internationally recognized and well-respected children’s research hospital and I was given the privilege to speak at a national educational convention. The room was filled wall to wall with teachers. I thought I’d be cute and add a little levity. I opened my presentation with this line, “You know, I’ve had nightmares like this…” Instead of the roars of laughter, I was expecting, a wave of silence ensued. Not only was the line not funny, but it was also wholly inappropriate and I immediately lost my audience. Not my best day. Learn from my mistakes.

Finally, let’s touch on the importance of approaching a speech as a conversation. You and I are sitting here enjoying our coffee and having a friendly, relaxed conversation. Strive for that every chance you get. You may not always have that luxury. Some speeches and presentations simply demand formality. But even in those cases, you can usually make it somewhat conversational. I always try to write my speeches in a conversational style. Like I’m talking to a friend…or trying to make a new one.

So, to recap: tell a story, learn your lines, hook your audience with a simple sentence, close with a question or call to action, use repetition, keep it conversational, treat your audience as a friend, and give yourself permission to relax.

Above all, be yourself. Allow yourself to be as relaxed as you are with those closest to you. If you’re relaxed, if you try to think of your audience as a friend, then, in most cases, they too will relax and they will root for you. Even if they disagree with what you are telling them, they will respect you and they will listen.

How about another cup?

Key Takeaways

Remember This!

• The most important part of your speech is the introduction because if you don’t get their attention, they are not listening to the rest of what you have to say.
• To get attention, tell a story, use humor, share a quote, tell a startling fact, show a prop, ask a question, reference the occasion.
• In addition to the grabber, a good introduction should establish rapport and tell the audience why you are credible.
• An introduction often includes a “so what who cares statement” to tell the audience why this should matter to them.
• The thesis/preview should be clear enough that someone could read just that sentence or couple of sentences and know what the speech is about.

Please share your feedback, suggestions, corrections, and ideas.

I want to hear from you. 

Do you have an activity to include? Did you notice a typo that I should correct? Are you planning to use this as a resource and do you want me to know about it? Do you want to tell me something that really helped you?

Click here to share your feedback. 

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How to Format Dialogue in Your Novel or Short Story

Written by MasterClass

Last updated: Aug 30, 2021 • 4 min read

Whether you’re working on a novel or short story, writing dialogue can be a challenge . If you’re concerned about how to punctuate dialogue or how to format your quotation marks, fear not; the rules of dialogue in fiction and nonfiction can be mastered by following a few simple rules.

16 public speaking books you need to read

• James Haynes
• August 12, 2022

Table of Contents

Introduction.

Starting a speaking business is exhilarating and rewarding… and very stressful. Being a public speaker isn’t easy, and if you’re like most people you’ve probably looked for public speaking tips to help you become a better speaker.

These 16 public speaking books — now updated in 2024 with four new resources! — listed below can help you learn how to become a public speaker, how to improve your public speaking skills, and how to develop a talk for an audience. Books on public speaking are plentiful, but these ones have stood out, some over decades, as great guides and resources for your public speaking career.

Find Out Exactly How Much You Could Make As a Paid Speaker

Use The Official Speaker Fee Calculator to tell you what you should charge for your first (or next) speaking gig — virtual or in-person! 

Want to learn how to become a better public speaker? Read on for 16 public speaking books that you need to read. (Book descriptions from Amazon)

1. The Successful Speaker by Grant Baldwin (2020)

We’d be remiss not to mention this one! Do you have a message you want to get out into the world? Have you ever dreamed of speaking for a living? Is there something you have to say, but you just aren’t sure what to do next? The Successful Speaker is a proven, easy-to-follow guide to helping you do just that.

Whether you want to speak at your next board meeting or community gathering, start making some extra money on the side, or become a full-time professional speaker, Grant Baldwin knows how to get you from here to there. Why? Because he’s done it himself and has coached over 2,000 speakers.

In The Successful Speaker, you will learn the five-step road map to start and scale a speaking business from the ground up, including

– how to hone your message and know exactly who it’s for – the preparation process to help your next speech move an audience to action – what it takes to establish yourself as an in-demand expert – practical steps to finding and booking paid speaking gigs – how to know when it’s time to grow your impact and income

In each chapter, you will get specific action steps and case studies from professional speakers to put you on the fast track to booking gigs, getting paid, and building your speaking platform.

2. How to Develop Self-Confidence and Influence People by Public Speaking by Dale Carnegie (1976)

Drawing on Dale Carnegie’s years of experience as a business trainer, this book will show you how to overcome the natural fear of public speaking , to become a successful speaker, and even learn to enjoy it.

His invaluable advice includes ways to:

-Develop poise -Gain self-confidence -Improve your memory -Make your meaning clear -Begin and end a presentation effectively

Interested in going deeper in the mechanics of how to give a talk? Here are 25 tips to help you become a better speaker.

3. Ted Talks: The Official TED Guide to Public Speaking by Chris Anderson (2017)

Since taking over leadership of TED in 2001, Chris Anderson has worked with all the TED speakers who have inspired us the most. In this book, he shares insights from such favorites as Sir Ken Robinson, Salman Khan, Monica Lewinsky, and more— everything from how to craft your talk’s content to how you can be most effective on stage.

Want to learn more about TED Talks? Check out our blog post on how to get and give a TED Talk here!

4. How to Tell a Story: The Essential Guide to Memorable Storytelling (2022)

Over the past twenty-five years, the directors of The Moth have worked with people from all walks of life—including astronauts, hairdressers, rock stars, a retired pickpocket, high school students, and Nobel Prize winners—to develop true personal stories that have moved and delighted live audiences and listeners of The Moth’s Peabody Award–winning radio hour and podcast. A leader in the modern storytelling movement, The Moth inspires thousands of people around the globe to share their stories each year.

Now, with  How to Tell a Story , The Moth will help you learn how to uncover and craft your own unique stories, like Moth storytellers Mike Birbiglia, Rosanne Cash, Hasan Minhaj, Betty Reid Soskin, John Turturro, and more.

Whether your goal is to make it to the Moth stage, deliver the perfect wedding toast, wow clients at a business dinner, give a moving eulogy , ace a job interview, be a hit at parties, change the world, or simply connect more deeply to those around you, stories are essential.

Wondering how do you tell stories that stick long after you’ve finished speaking? Have a listen to our podcast on how to tell stories that stick with Kindra Hall.

5. How to Win an Argument: An Ancient Guide to the Art of Persuasion by James May (2016)

6. speak with no fear by mike acker (2019).

It can easily seem like everyone is a gifted speaker when you watch TED talks or compare yourself to skilled co-workers giving presentations. But you don’t have to get caught up in the costly comparison trap. Instead, you can take action to improve your ability and to overcome your fear.

Through this book  you will learn 7 strategies  you can begin today. These strategies will give you a new perspective, they will prepare you, and they will give you actions to practice. As you implement these strategies, your fear will begin to fade.

THE SEVEN STRATEGIES 1. Uncover & Clean the Wound 2. Imagine the Worst 3. You Be You 4. Speak to One 5. It’s Not About You 6. Channel The Power 7. Be in the Moment

Are you struggling to develop a stage presence? Check out this article on how to overcome fear of public speaking.

7. Win Every Argument: The Art of Debating, Persuading, and Public Speaking by Mehdi Hasan (2023)

Win Every Argument shows how anyone can communicate with confidence, rise above the tit for tats on social media, and triumph in a successful and productive debate in the real world.

Arguments are everywhere―and especially given the fierce debates we’re all embroiled in today, everyone wants to win. In this riveting guide to the art of argument and rhetoric, Hasan shows you how. As a journalist, anchor, and interviewer who has clashed with politicians, generals, spy chiefs, and celebrities from across the world, Hasan reveals his tricks of the trade for the first time.

Whether you are making a presentation at work or debating current political issues with a friend, Mehdi Hasan will teach you how to sharpen your speaking skills to make the winning case.

8. How Your Story Sets You Free by Heather Box and Julian Mocine-McQueen (2019)

Everyone has a story to tell. Sharing that story can change you, your community, or even the world. But how do you start?

Discover the tools to unlock your truth and share it with the world: Storytelling coaches Heather Box and Julian Mocine-McQueen reveal how to embrace the power of personal storytelling in a series of easy steps. You’ll learn how to share your experiences and invaluable knowledge with the people who need it most, whether it be in a blog post, a motivational speech, or just a conversation with a loved one. How Your Story Sets You Free is the path to finding the spark that ignites the fire and reminds you just how much your story matters.

Personal storytelling is insanely powerful when done well. For more tips here, check out this new podcast episode with Ravi Rajani on how to create and share powerful stories!

9. How to Speak, How to Listen by Mortimer J. Adler (1983)

With over half a million copies in print of his classic How to Read a Book  in print, intellectual, philosopher, and academic Mortimer J. Adler set out to write an accompanying volume on speaking and listening, offering the impressive depth of knowledge and accessible panache that distinguished his first book.

In  How to Speak, How to Listen , Adler explains the fundamental principles of communicating through speech, with sections on such specialized presentations as the sales talk, the lecture, and question-and-answer sessions and advice on effective listening and learning by discussion.

10. Resonate: Present Visual Stories that Transform Audiences by Nancy Duarte (2010)

Presentations are meant to inform, inspire, and persuade audiences. So why then do so many audiences leave feeling like they’ve wasted their time? All too often, presentations don’t resonate with the audience and move them to transformative action.

Nancy Duarte created the slides in Al Gore’s Oscar winning  An Inconvenient Truth. In this book, she unpacks how to apply visual media to your talk. Her book Resonate helps you make a strong connection with your audience and lead them to purposeful action. The author’s approach is simple: building a presentation today is a bit like writing a documentary. Using this approach, you’ll convey your content with passion, persuasion, and impact.

11. The Public Speaking Bible: A Survival Guide for Standing on Stage by Marcus Alexander (2020)

The Public Speaking Bible; a Survival Guide for Standing on Stage is a depository of essential speaker’s knowledge designed to further your career whether you aim to be a full time speaker, undertake management roles or simply wish to improve your voice and stage presence. All the tips within come via the author and guest performers, adding up to a combined three hundred years of essential speakers’ know-how.

Within this bible:

Technical advice: how to effortlessly project your voice, audience manipulation, crowd control, body language, hand gestures and more.

Additionally: a frank approach for overcoming stage fright, a foolproof recipe for memorising a speech, how to overcome a sore throat and using the physics of sound to your advantage.

Business advice: how to price your speech, approaching agencies, talking overseas, understanding unique selling points, the most complete list of global public speakers’ agencies and more.

12. How To Talk To Anybody :14 Speaking Techniques To Instantly Connect With Anyone by Ryan Harrison (2022)

How many opportunities, relationships, and experiences have you missed out on because you didn’t know how to talk to people with confidence and skill?

Well, from now on, you will know exactly what to say and how to say it in a way that makes people open their eyes with surprise and delight as you talk. You’ll capture the attention of everyone you engage with. Your words will have impact and influence, and your opinion will make a difference.

The author – Ryan Harrison – has spent 30 years studying linguistics and communication and has distilled his knowledge into these 3 books.

13. Confessions of a Public Speaker by Scott Berkun (2009)

In this hilarious and highly practical book, author and professional speaker Scott Berkun reveals the techniques behind what great communicators do, and shows how anyone can learn to use them well. For managers and teachers — and anyone else who talks and expects someone to listen —  Confessions of a Public Speaker  provides an insider’s perspective on how to effectively present ideas to anyone. It’s a unique, entertaining, and instructional romp through the embarrassments and triumphs Scott has experienced over 15 years of speaking to crowds of all sizes.

With lively lessons and surprising confessions, you’ll get new insights into the art of persuasion — as well as teaching, learning, and performance — directly from a master of the trade.

Highlights include:

• Berkun’s hard-won and simple philosophy , culled from years of lectures, teaching courses, and hours of appearances on NPR, MSNBC, and CNBC
• Practical advice , including how to work a tough room, the science of not boring people, how to survive the attack of the butterflies, and what to do when things go wrong
• The inside scoop  on who earns $30,000 for a one-hour lecture and why
• The worst — and funniest — disaster stories  you’ve ever heard (plus countermoves you can use)

Filled with humorous and illuminating stories of thrilling performances and real-life disasters,  Confessions of a Public Speaker is inspirational, devastatingly honest, and a blast to read.

14. Talk Like TED: The 9 Public-Speaking Secrets of the World’s Top Minds by Carmine Gallo (2015)

Public speaking coach and bestselling author Carmine Gallo has broken down hundreds of TED talks and interviewed the most popular TED presenters to reveal the nine secrets of all successful TED presentations. Gallo’s step-by-step method makes it possible for anyone to deliver a presentation that is engaging, persuasive, and memorable.

Many people have a fear of public speaking or are insecure about their ability to give a TED-worthy presentation. Carmine Gallo’s top 10  Wall Street Journal  Bestseller  Talk Like TED will give them the tools to communicate the ideas that matter most to them, the skill to win over hearts and minds, and the confidence to deliver the talk of their lives.

15. Speak Like Churchill, Stand Like Lincoln by James Hume (2002)

Ever wish you could captivate your boardroom with the opening line of your presentation, like Winston Churchill in his most memorable speeches? Or want to command attention by looming larger than life before your audience, much like Abraham Lincoln when, standing erect and wearing a top hat, he towered over seven feet? Now, you can master presentation skills, wow your audience, and shoot up the corporate ladder by unlocking the secrets of history’s greatest speakers.

Author, historian, and world-renowned speaker James C. Humes—who wrote speeches for five American presidents—shows you how great leaders through the ages used simple yet incredibly effective tricks to speak, persuade, and win throngs of fans and followers. Inside, you’ll discover how Napoleon Bonaparte mastered the use of the pregnant pause to grab attention, how Lady Margaret Thatcher punctuated her most serious speeches with the use of subtle props, how Ronald Reagan could win even the most hostile crowd with carefully timed wit, and much, much more.

16. Unleash the Power of Storytelling: Win Hearts, Change Minds, Get Results by Rob Biesenbach (2018)

Unleash the Power of Storytelling offers a practical roadmap to crafting and delivering more powerful, persuasive stories that you can use to get more of what you want out of your career and your life.

Taking a fun, no-nonsense approach, Unleash the Power of Storytelling will teach you:

•The hard science behind why stories work •A simple three-part structure for telling any story •The role of emotion in fueling great stories •How to cut the clutter and focus your story on the essentials •How and where to find great stories •Tips for delivering your stories in the most effective way possible

Want to learn how to create your own underdog Rocky story? Have a listen to our podcast with Clint Pulver, who used his story to build powerful relationships with speakers he admires and respects, and how he created his own board of directors as a result.

Get The #1 Marketing Tool To Book More Paid Speaking Gigs

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Are 16 books not enough for you? Check out our podcast archive for more tips and lessons on public speaking. Still want more? Satiate your desire to learn more about public speaking by checking out The Speaker Lab blog here.  Happy reading!

• Last Updated: March 6, 2024

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If you’re ready to control your schedule, grow your income, and make an impact in the world – it’s time to take the first step. Book a FREE consulting call and let’s get you Booked and Paid to Speak ® .

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Former Obama speechwriter reveals the agony and ecstasy of public speaking

Terry Szuplat shares public speaking lessons with new book, "Say It Well."

Terry Szuplat, former speechwriter for President Barack Obama, discussed his new book, "Say It Well: Find Your Voice, Speak Your Mind, Inspire Any Audience," in a chat with ABC News.

One of Obama's longest-serving speechwriters, Szuplat demystifies the art of public speaking and shares life-changing lessons from his career to help anyone become a more confident and compelling communicator and leader.

Szuplat says one of the things that he's thrilled about is that he shares many of the conversations he had with Obama over the years in his latest book.

Szuplat discussed his new book and the difference between writing and delivering a powerful speech.

ABC NEWS: Speeches have the power to inspire, persuade and captivate. Yet crafting one, let alone standing before an audience to deliver one, is something that makes many of us sweat or even worse, panic.

In his new book, "Say It Well: Find Your Voice, Speak Your Mind, Inspire Any Audience," one of the longest-serving speechwriters for former President Obama, Terry Szuplat, demystifies the art of public speaking and shares life-changing lessons from his own career to help anyone become a more confident and compelling communicator and leader.

Terry Szuplat, you've been on our show before, but glad to have you join us live in the flesh tonight. Tell us, how did you get into speechwriting?

SZUPLAT: Yeah, I think, like a lot of people, I sort of fell into it. I went to Washington thinking I was going to be a lawyer, had plans to be, you know, I was going to be Supreme Court justice arguing historic cases. And funny thing happened, I didn't get into law school, but but I got this incredible opportunity to, to be a speechwriter for our secretary of defense and just found it to help someone communicate their vision and their values to help them find their voice was something I really enjoyed.

So I've tried to sort of take what I learned and and share it with other people in this book.

ABC NEWS: Tell us about the difference between writing a powerful speech and delivering a powerful speech.

SZUPLAT: Well, I found that out in my own life. So, for for 30 years, I was writing speeches for other people and, you know, got pretty good at it. But then when I left the White House, I had to start giving speeches myself. I was being invited, and I really struggled at times. Sometimes I was fine, but other times, you know, and I write about in the book, I froze up and it was uncomfortable.

And so I had to sit down and think deeply about what was I doing for Barack Obama all those years for President Obama? What was he doing? And I just sort of relearned all these lessons, sort of reverse engineer my own career and then apply these lessons in my own life. And that's what the book is, how I learned to become a better speaker myself.

ABC NEWS: Could you give us a tip, a little sneak into say, well, as far as what transformed and what was the connection that you all made from making the words kind of leap off the page?

SZUPLAT: Well, you know, one of the things that I'm thrilled about this book is that it shares many of the conversations that I had with President Obama over the years. We were very lucky. We spent a lot of time with him in the Oval Office. And so getting his thoughts on writing and what makes for an effective public speaker. And so I asked him once what, you know, what what do you think makes for an effective public speaker? And he said, this stuck with me. Is that for him, effective public speaking begins when you know who you are, you know what you believe, and you're speaking from a place of just your core convictions.

ABC NEWS: What inspired you to write "Say it well"?

SZUPLAT: Well, it was that experience where I finally you know, I had sort of withdrawn after a few, you know, uncomfortable public speaking situations. I was invited to give a big speech, a 40-minute speech in front of 300 people. And my first instinct, like a lot of people, I think, was to say, no, it's just too uncomfortable, too scary.

And that's when I really started to think deeply about what was it that I was doing for President Obama all those years? What were the skills that made him so successful? And the, you know, act of giving my own first real speech and it going, well, thank God it went well, said well, this is a, this can be a skill that anybody can learn. I got better at it. I tell the story of how Barack Obama, as a young man in his 20s, froze up one time.

I think most people would be shocked to hear that a young Barack Obama froze up giving a speech. But, you know, he worked to get better and all of us can work to get better. And those are the lessons that I share.

ABC NEWS: And give us a sense of a lot of people aren't necessarily giving, you know, a speech for an audience, but we are having conversations and especially in this divided time. What kind of tips might you be able to share just about effective communicating?

SZUPLAT: Effective leaders, effective speakers first think deeply about the values of the person you're speaking to. What motivates them? What's their worldview? And if you can, if you can speak to that, you have a better chance of forging a deep connection with them, maybe even persuading them.

ABC NEWS: Just before we go about 30 seconds left, a lot of people talking about artificial intelligence, the good, the bad, the ugly. What do you think with when it comes to speech writing?

SZUPLAT: I think that I have two basic rules, is this: If you have to get up as a human being and stand up in front of other human beings and you want to forge a human connection. Don't ever use a bot. Don't ever use a machine. A machine will never know what's in your heart, what motivates you. And, you know, our voice is the most powerful thing we have. Don't ever give it over to a machine.

ABC NEWS: Well, said, Terry Szuplat, but I guess we could have expected that. And I want to let our viewers know. "Say It Well: Find Your Voice, Speak Your Mind, Inspire Any Audience" is now available for purchase starting today. Thank you so much, Terry.

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• Barack Obama

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10 of the Most Famous and Inspirational Speeches from History

By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)

What makes a great and iconic speech? There are numerous examples of brilliant orators and speechmakers throughout history, from classical times to the present day. What the best speeches tend to have in common are more than just a solid intellectual argument: they have emotive power, or, for want of a more scholarly word, ‘heart’. Great speeches rouse us to action, or move us to tears – or both.

But of course, historic speeches are often also associated with landmark, or watershed, moments in a nation’s history: when Churchill delivered his series of wartime speeches to Britain in 1940, it was against the backdrop of a war which was still in its early, uncertain stages. And when Martin Luther King stood in front of the Lincoln Memorial in 1963, he was addressing a crowd who, like him, were marching for justice, freedom, and civil rights for African Americans.

Let’s take a closer look at ten of the best and most famous speeches from great moments in history.

Abraham Lincoln, ‘ Gettysburg Address ’ (1863).

The Gettysburg Address is one of the most famous speeches in American history, yet it was extremely short – just 268 words, or less than a page of text – and Abraham Lincoln, who gave the address, wasn’t even the top billing .

The US President Abraham Lincoln gave this short address at the dedication of the Soldiers’ National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania on 19 November 1863. At the time, the American Civil War was still raging, and the Battle of Gettysburg had been the bloodiest battle in the war, with an estimated 23,000 casualties.

Lincoln’s speech has been remembered while Edward Everett’s – the main speech delivered on that day – has long been forgotten because Lincoln eschewed the high-flown allusions and wordy style of most political orators of the nineteenth century. Instead, he addresses his audience in plain, homespun English that is immediately relatable and accessible.

Sojourner Truth, ‘ Ain’t I a Woman? ’ (1851).

Sometimes known as ‘Ar’n’t I a Woman?’, this is a speech which Sojourner Truth, a freed African slave living in the United States, delivered in 1851 at the Women’s Convention in Akron, Ohio. The women in attendance were being challenged to call for the right to vote.

In her speech, Sojourner Truth attempts to persuade the audience to give women the vote . As both an ex-slave and a woman, Sojourner Truth knew about the plight of both groups of people in the United States. Her speech shows her audience the times: change is coming, and it is time to give women the rights that should be theirs.

John Ball, ‘ Cast off the Yoke of Bondage ’ (1381).

The summer of 1381 was a time of unrest in England. The so-called ‘Peasants’ Revolt’, led by Wat Tyler (in actual fact, many of the leaders of the revolt were more well-to-do than your average peasant), gathered force until the rebels stormed London, executing a number of high-ranking officials, including the Archbishop of Canterbury and Lord Chancellor, Simon Sudbury.

Alongside Tyler, the priest John Ball was an important leading figure of the rebellion. His famous couplet, ‘When Adam delved and Eve span, / Who was then the gentleman?’ sums up the ethos of the Peasants’ Revolt: social inequality was unheard of until men created it.

Winston Churchill, ‘ We Shall Fight on the Beaches ’ (1940).

Winston Churchill had only recently assumed the role of UK Prime Minister when he gave the trio of wartime speeches which have gone down in history for their rhetorical skill and emotive power. This, for our money, is the best of the three.

Churchill gave this speech in the House of Commons on 4 June 1940. Having brought his listeners up to speed with what has happened, Churchill comes to the peroration of his speech : by far the most famous part. He reassures them that if nothing is neglected and all arrangements are made, he sees no reason why Britain cannot once more defend itself against invasion: something which, as an island nation, it has always been susceptible to by sea, and now by air.

Even if it takes years, and even if Britain must defend itself alone without any help from its allies, this is what must happen. Capitulation to the Nazis is not an option. The line ‘if necessary for years; if necessary, alone’ is sure to send a shiver down the spine, as is the way Churchill barks ‘we shall never surrender!’ in the post-war recording of the speech he made several years later.

William Faulkner, ‘ The Agony and the Sweat ’ (1950).

This is the title sometimes given to one of the most memorable Nobel Prize acceptance speeches: the American novelist William Faulkner’s acceptance of the Nobel Prize for Literature at Stockholm in 1950.

In his speech, Faulkner makes his famous statement about the ‘duty’ of writers: that they should write about ‘the human heart in conflict with itself’, as well as emotions and themes such as compassion, sacrifice, courage, and hope. He also emphasises that being a writer is hard work, and involves understanding human nature in all its complexity. But good writing should also remind readers what humankind is capable of.

Emmeline Pankhurst, ‘ The Plight of Women ’ (1908).

Pankhurst (1858-1928) was the leader of the British suffragettes, campaigning – and protesting – for votes for women. After she realised that Asquith’s Liberal government were unlikely to grand women the vote, the Women’s Social and Political Union, founded by Pankhurst with her daughter Christabel, turned to more militant tactics to shift public and parliamentary opinion.

Her emphasis in this speech is on the unhappy lot most women could face, in marriage and in motherhood. She also shows how ‘man-made’ the laws of England are, when they are biased in favour of men to the detriment of women’s rights.

This speech was given at the Portman Rooms in London in 1908; ten years later, towards the end of the First World War, women over 30 were finally given the vote. But it would be another ten years, in 1928 – the year of Pankhurst’s death – before the voting age for women was equal to that for men (21 years).

Franklin Roosevelt, ‘ The Only Thing We Have to Fear Is Fear Itself ’ (1933).

This is the title by which Roosevelt’s speech at his inauguration in 1933 has commonly become known, and it has attained the status of a proverb. Roosevelt was elected only a few years after the Wall Street Crash of 1929 which ushered in the Great Depression.

Roosevelt’s famous line in the speech, which offered hope to millions of Americans dealing with unemployment and poverty, was probably inspired by a line from Henry David Thoreau, a copy of whose writings FDR had been gifted shortly before his inauguration. The line about having nothing to fear except fear itself was, in fact, only added into the speech the day before the inauguration took place, but it ensured that the speech went down in history.

Marcus Tullius Cicero, ‘ Among Us You Can Dwell No Longer ’ (63 BC).

Of all of the great classical orators, perhaps the greatest of all was the Roman statesman, philosopher, and speechmaker, Cicero (whose name literally means ‘chickpea’).

This is probably his best-known speech. At the Temple of Jupiter in Rome, Cicero addressed the crowd, but specifically directed his comments towards Lucius Catiline, who was accused of plotting a conspiracy to set fire to the capital and stage and insurrection. The speech was considered such a fine example of Roman rhetoric that it was a favourite in classrooms for centuries after, as Brian MacArthur notes in The Penguin Book of Historic Speeches .

Queen Elizabeth I, ‘ The Heart and Stomach of a King ’ (1588).

Queen Elizabeth I’s speech to the troops at Tilbury is among the most famous and iconic speeches in English history. On 9 August 1588, Elizabeth addressed the land forces which had been mobilised at the port of Tilbury in Essex, in preparation for the expected invasion of England by the Spanish Armada.

When she gave this speech, Elizabeth was in her mid-fifties and her youthful beauty had faded. But she had learned rhetoric as a young princess, and this training served her well when she wrote and delivered this speech (she was also a fairly accomplished poet ).

She famously tells her troops: ‘I know I have the body but of a weak and feeble woman; but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and of a king of England too’. She acknowledged the fact that her body was naturally less masculine and strong than the average man’s, but it is not mere physical strength that will win the day. It is courage that matters.

Martin Luther King, ‘ I Have a Dream ’ (1963).

Let’s conclude this selection of the best inspirational speeches with the best-known of all of Martin Luther King’s speeches. The occasion for this piece of oratorical grandeur was the march on Washington , which saw some 210,000 men, women, and children gather at the Washington Monument in August 1963, before marching to the Lincoln Memorial. King reportedly stayed up until 4am the night before he was due to give the speech, writing it out.

King’s speech imagines a collective vision of a better and more equal America which is not only shared by many Black Americans, but by anyone who identifies with their fight against racial injustice, segregation, and discrimination.

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THE FOUNDERS' SPEECH TO A NATION IN CRISIS: What the Founders would say to America today. (The Founders' Speech Series) Paperback – October 15, 2020

With more than 2,000 five-star reviews , readers are raving over The Founders’ Speech to a Nation in Crisis . The passion of the reviewers jumps off the page ( “This book nearly made me stand up and cheer!” - “Absolutely BEAUTIFUL” - “I was in tears, just in the prologue!” ) and captures the heart-felt response to this one-of-a-kind tapestry of the Founders’ words. Described as ‘ the best single source on the founding principles of our nation’ , The Founders’ Speech is not only the #1 Bestseller on America's Founding , it is also the much-needed rebuttal to all who would tear down the Founding Fathers of our nation. The continued relevance of the Founders’ words— as revealed in this unique, meticulously crafted work — is a clarion call to stand and defend our natural rights that will both stun readers and leave them celebrating America. “I was not disappointed in the least! The book is written as a speech to the nation, composed of the actual words spoken or written by many of the Founding Fathers and a few others. This book will move those that are thrilled with the history of our great nation, and give courage to stand against the tide wishing to drown our incredible history with undue criticism and scandal. This book will renew your love of how our country came to be, the benefits we derived from these great men and their lofty ideals, the promise of a new nation conceived in liberty.” -P. Creery Author Steven Rabb gives depth to the current conversation and ongoing debate about America’s founding ideals, beginning the book with a modern-day telling of the Founding Fathers at Independence Hall, reunited once again to debate the speech they must write to save America today. Their resulting work is the rest of the book, The Founders’ Speech to a Nation in Crisis , a fast-paced read that moves from one themed chapter to the next, taking on current topics that range from:

• The God-given Natural Rights of Man
• Religious Liberty
• The Rule of Law
• Freedom of Speech
• The Right to Property
• and the Continuing Threat of Tyranny.

In The Founders’ Speech to a Nation in Crisis , Mr. Rabb has created a masterfully presented work and single source of “best of” quotes that will continually be referenced as a beloved nightstand fixture for generations to come. Readers who add this timely book to their shelves will gain a deepened understanding of the God-given rights of man, along with the virtues and duties required in a people who seek to retain them. “The unity of this book is powerful, but the most impressive aspect of the book is the fact that the figures who arose from the enlightenment saw precisely the kinds of challenges which we face today.” -Richard B. Schwartz, Professor of English, The University of Missouri “I implore every American citizen to read this book!” - Keyrey "I loved this book !! Compiled and distilled into flowing commentary by topic, it is informative and interesting. It is amazing to me that the Founders and other notables quoted, spoke to the problems of our day so specifically! They could be talking with you - today, right this moment! - about people and issues and attitudes that you see in our currently divided country. Every household should have a copy of this book!" - Phoebe "Love this book. Love it. Love. It. Much needed, so relevant. The Founders' words are wonderfully put together - well done, incredible, Mr. Rabb - it's amazing! Thank you!" - Jeff and Penny Creary

• Book 1 of 2 The Founders' Speech Series
• Print length 156 pages
• Language English
• Publication date October 15, 2020
• Dimensions 5.5 x 0.39 x 8.5 inches
• ISBN-10 173581640X
• ISBN-13 978-1735816401
• See all details

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• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Liberty For All Publishers (October 15, 2020)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 156 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 173581640X
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1735816401
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 7.2 ounces
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.39 x 8.5 inches
• #17 in U.S. Colonial Period History
• #50 in U.S. Revolution & Founding History
• #52 in Civics & Citizenship (Books)

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Customer Review: Extremely powerful and moving! A must have!

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About the author

Steven rabb.

https://thefoundersusa.com

As an executive leader and public speaker for two decades, Steven Rabb developed the talent of distilling complex subjects to their essence to help teams achieve their mission. But Steven's own mission changed as he saw chaos and extremism wreak havoc on America's institutions, communities, and lives across our nation. What started as a part-time passion project soon consumed him and ultimately redirected his background in training and storytelling to the mission he cares about most—saving America.

To achieve his mission, Steven spent two years painstakingly compiling the words of the Founding Fathers into a narrative form around themes relevant to our world today. As he began developing The Founders' Speech to a Nation in Crisis, Steven's training and speaking experience came in handy as he scoured through thousands of texts and hundreds of sources to mine the words that would recall Americans to their founding ethos and principles. In so doing, Steven has not only crafted a powerful and compelling read, but he has also created a single source for the brilliant and still relevant words of the Founding Fathers in a treasure that will be enjoyed for generations to come.

Steven is currently working on his second and third books in The Founders' Speech series, The Founders' Speech On Tyranny and The Founders' Speech To Save America.

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Customers find the book great, captivating, and enlightening. They say it provides insight into the profound wisdom of the founding fathers regarding government. Readers praise the writing quality as well-written and beautiful. However, some feel the book is worthless, a huge disappointment, and not worth the money.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

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" Fabulous book !!!! Should be required reading for high schoolers and college history courses!!" Read more

Customers find the book informative and provides insight into the profound wisdom of the founding fathers. They say it provides a wonderful crash course on the main functions of the Constitution. Readers also say the thoughts are great and need to be reminded. They mention the book is a great teaching aid for high schoolers and college students.

"...It is a wonderful resource for what the founding fathers actually believed and thought. Should be required reading in all schools." Read more

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How Barack Obama Learned to Give a Speech: Read An Excerpt From His Speechwriter's New Book (Excerpt)

White House speechwriter Terry Szuplat shares lessons he's learned from the former president

Official White House Photo/Pete Souza

In an exclusive excerpt from Say It Well: Find Your Voice, Speak Your Mind, Inspire Any Audience by Terry Szuplat, the White House speechwriter explores how former President Barack Obama developed his own public speaking skills.

In 1981, students at Occidental College in Los Angeles held a rally against South Africa’s brutal apartheid policy of racial segregation. The first speaker was a 19-year-old sophomore named Barack Obama . He managed to get out only a few sentences, however, before two students rushed up, pretending to be South African security forces, and dragged him away—a bit of political theater to highlight the oppression of anti-apartheid activists.

“The whole thing was a farce,” he explained years later, and his “one-minute oration” was “the biggest farce of all.” “That’s the last time you will ever hear another speech out of me,” he told a friend. “I’ve got no business speaking for Black folks.”

Decades later, as one of his speechwriters, I asked President Obama what he meant. His struggles with his racial identity — with a white mother from Kansas and a Black father from Kenya, and having been largely raised by his white grandparents — were “part of” the reason for how he felt at the rally, he told me. More, though, it was rooted in larger doubts about his place in the world and whether his voice could make a difference.

“I think the starting point for effective speaking, for me at least, and for most people who I find persuasive,” he said, “is do they have a sense of who they are and what they believe?” At the rally on campus that day, he recalled, “I was a callow youth who was trying to sort out who I was and what I believed.” The rally had given him a chance to raise his voice. But looking back on his younger self, he said, “I wasn’t ready yet.”

After college, Obama worked as a community organizer with churches on Chicago’s South Side. “At that point, I was accustomed to speaking in front of people,” he told me. “I was not naturally inclined to be nervous”— until one day when his swagger proved to be his undoing. 

The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now !

He was 24 years old, making a fundraising pitch to a conference room full of philanthropists. “I was feeling pretty cocky,” he remembered. “I had not written down my remarks. I felt like I could go into any room and just sort of wing it, which was a bad mistake.”

He started his presentation. “There are a bunch of people in suits,” he recalled. “I’m looking a little raggedy and a little out of place. About four or five minutes into my presentation, I just started freezing up. I lost my train of thought.”

“I was terrible,” he said. “I felt a little bit of flop sweat and hemmed and hawed, and got stuck, and was not particularly coherent.” I asked if he remembered how it had felt.

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“You erase it from your mind,” he joked at first. Then he turned more pensive.

“You feel,” he said, pausing to find the words, “stupid and embarrassed.”

But then he did what any of us can do–he worked to get better.

Obama continued working as a community organizer, often speaking in church basements.

“Sometimes, I’d only have 12 people there,” he said. “But step by step, speaking to bigger audiences gave me a baseline level of comfort in communicating to folks.” As he did, he learned one of the most important lessons of communication — listening before you talk.

“The best speakers are in a conversation with their audience” — and that includes listening to what’s important to the people you’re communicating with.

“Everybody has a sacred story,” he told me, “one that gets to their essential selves. And listening to other people tell their stories helped me understand my own.”

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He also learned to become a better communicator by studying other speakers.

“You know who were good coaches for me?” he said. “All those Black pastors I was in church with … Preachers know how to preach. Just listening and hearing and watching, I soaked a lot of that in.” Of all the places where he learned to speak, listening to the pastors of Chicago, he said, “was probably the most valuable.”

A few years later, he had his first big chance to put to use what he had learned. As a 28-year-old law student and president of the Harvard Law Review, he  was asked to speak at the Law Review’s annual dinner and introduce that year’s honoree — the civil rights icon and congressman John Lewis. “He was one of my childhood heroes,” Obama told me. “I wanted to make sure that I did him justice.”

“This was the first time I gave a big public speech in front of a large group of people that I did not know, in a setting that mattered to me, on a subject that I cared about. I took a lot of time to think through what I wanted to say. I wrote out the speech. I memorized the speech. And then I delivered the speech” — brief remarks, perhaps five to seven minutes, to a few hundred people.

“It was the first time I felt like ‘I’ve got the audience, I’m moving them, I’m telling a story that resonates with them,’” he said.

Barack Obama was starting to find his voice. Over the next decade, he worked to refine it, including in the classroom. Even as he served in the Illinois State Senate, he taught classes at the University of Chicago Law School. “It’s where I learned to feel comfortable being in a dialogue with people for long stretches of time.”

That dialogue continued in his early political campaigns. “When I first started running for Congress,” he said, “I had a tendency in some settings, including debates and impromptu remarks, of not telling stories, but rather listing off talking points, factoids and policy … I still needed to learn how to make effective, impromptu speeches to larger groups of strangers in a high-pressure situation.”

Four years later — and with a lot more reps under his belt — he drew on all the lessons he’d learned as he prepared for what would be, to that point, the highest-pressure moment of his life.

At the 2004 Democratic convention in Boston, Obama took the stage — smiling, clapping, waving to the crowd — adjusted the mic, and began to speak. I was there, down on the convention floor, watching as he introduced himself to us and millions watching at home.

My father was a foreign student, born and raised in a small village in Kenya. He grew up herding goats, went to school in a tin-roof shack … While studying [in America], my father met my mother. She was born in a town on the other side of the world, in Kansas … They would give me an African name, Barack, or “blessed,” believing that in a tolerant America your name is no barrier to success.

“I stand here today, grateful for the diversity of my heritage,” he continued. “I stand here knowing that my story is part of the larger American story, that I owe a debt to all of those who came before me, and that, in no other country on earth, is my story even possible.”

At certain moments, he spoke with the rhythm of the preachers he’d heard at the pulpit. He didn’t speak at those of us in the audience, but with us — a dialogue, a conversation. Instead of ticking off wonkish talking points and factoids, he told a bigger story — his voice rising as he neared the end of his speech — about who we were as a country, our values, where we came from and where we’re going:

Yet even as we speak, there are those who are preparing to divide us … Well, I say to them tonight, there’s not a liberal America and a conservative America; there’s the United States of America. There’s not a black America and white America and Latino America and Asian America; there’s the United States of America.

I’d never heard anyone speak like this — someone who so unabashedly saw our diversity as a people not as a weakness to be exploited for political gain, but as a strength to be celebrated and nurtured; someone who didn’t just give voice to that diversity, but who embodied it, calling himself “a skinny kid with a funny name who believes that America has a place for him too.”

“There’s no question,” his adviser David Axelrod told me years later, that “Obama couldn’t have given that speech if he hadn’t thought deeply about his own identity over many years. He knew who he was, and he understood how his story shaped him.”

It turns out, Barack Obama wasn’t, as many people thought, a “naturally-gifted speaker.” After freezing up while giving that speech as a young man, he’d done what all of us can do–he put in the work and, over time, got better.

From the book SAY IT WELL: Find Your Voice, Speak Your Mind, Inspire Any Audience by Terry Szuplat. Copyright 2024 by Terry Szuplat. Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers.

Say It Well: Find Your Voice, Speak Your Mind, Inspire Any Audience by Terry Szuplat is available now, wherever books are sold.

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Florida Attorney General's Office heading out of state to defend Texas library book bans

Florida’s controversial legal argument defending book bans is expanding, pushing beyond school libraries into public libraries.

After arguing for more than a year on behalf of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration that school officials can remove any books for any reason, including objections to LGBTQ and race-related content, attorneys for the state now are making the same defense for community libraries — in Texas.

The Florida Attorney General’s Office joined 17 other red states in filing a court brief defending a Texas county's removal of 17 books from its library system. They claim that book removals are "government speech" and therefore don't violate others’ First Amendment rights.

The legal doctrine is essentially a First Amendment exception that says governments can discriminate based on viewpoint or content when they speak for themselves.

Next week, Florida Solicitor General Henry Whitaker will argue that before a federal appeals court in New Orleans. To make this happen, Llano County – located in Central Texas, population 22,540 – ceded some of its speaking time to Florida.

“The county’s decisions over which books to offer its patrons in its public libraries, at its own expense, are its own speech,” the states wrote in their August filing to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, which includes Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. (Public libraries are publicly funded.)

“The government does not violate anyone’s free speech rights merely by speaking — no matter what it chooses to say or not to say,” they continued. 

Next week, notably, is also “ Banned Books Week .” It's a decades-old event held by librarians and free speech advocates to spread attention about books that have been targeted in school and community libraries.

Some of those advocates have told the appeals court that it should uphold a district court’s preliminary ruling rejecting the government speech argument.

“A Democratic governor could not order the removal of all library books advocating ‘Republican’ ideals, nor could a predominantly Jewish city council ban all copies of the New Testament to impose a single religious view,” wrote the American Civil Liberties Union and its Texas chapter in an early September filing . “This is clear not only from common sense, but also from First Amendment doctrine.”

More on what is the 'government speech' doctrine

Florida has seen a multitude of lawsuits on school book banning and related policies. 

Attorney General Ashley Moody’s office has defended DeSantis’ education officials and local school officials, invoking the government speech defense : “Public school systems, including their libraries, convey the government’s message,” Moody wrote in one of the filings. 

It’s a relatively new legal doctrine , and the U.S. Supreme Court has not always ruled in favor of it, though justices in 2015 said Texas could refuse to allow Confederate flag specialty license plates because they represented government speech.

In one of the Florida cases, U.S. District Judge Allen Winsor, appointed by President Trump, said how the doctrine applies to school library books is “surprisingly unsettled.” He's not made a ruling on it yet.

But Texas U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman, appointed by President Obama, ordered the county the removed books last year, writing that those suing “have sufficiently alleged that Defendants’ actions do not constitute government speech and that Defendants unlawfully removed books based on their viewpoint.”

The books removed ranged from ones about farts to ones about racism and LGBTQ topics. County residents who used the local library system filed the lawsuit.

The district court's decision was appealed by the county. A conservative three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit agreed in part with the original ruling, saying eight of the 17 books had to be returned.

“We agree that library personnel must necessarily consider content in curating a collection,” it wrote in its June decision . “However, the Court has nowhere held that the government may make these decisions based solely on the intent to deprive the public of access to ideas with which it disagrees. That would violate the First Amendment and entirely shield all collection decisions from challenge.”

But U.S. District Judge Stuart Kyle Duncan dissented, slamming the other two conservative judges as “Federal Library Police.”

“There is a simple answer to the question posed by this case: A public library’s choice of some books for its collection, and its rejection of others, is government speech,” wrote Duncan, who was appointed by Trump.

A majority of the 17-member appeals court tossed that decision and ordered a rehearing , setting up the Tuesday morning hearing where Whitaker will appear.

“Our office is routinely involved with amicus briefs, especially when they involve state issues,” said Kylie Mason, Moody's spokesperson, in an email. “It is also not unusual for us to appear at an argument when we draft a (friend of the court) brief.”

Mason said the crafting of the court brief came at no extra cost to the state, since “there is no additional cost for a salaried employee to help draft a brief,” but did not answer price questions about travel.

The Florida Freedom to Read Project, a book access advocacy organization, warned the public in a social media post to “pay attention” to this case: “They will keep presenting this ridiculous argument until they find a friendly court,” it wrote.

From school libraries ... to public libraries

Most of the book banning controversies in Florida have surrounded school shelves . Unlike in Texas, community libraries have largely avoided the controversy. 

But the USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida reported last year that this was beginning to change. That change has accelerated in recent months.

For example, the Pasco County library system recently pulled 130 children’s books for review, according to the Tampa Bay Times . County officials decided which books to put on that list by, in part, key word searching terms such as “LGBTQ.”

One of the titles, “ And Tango Makes Three ,” is a children’s picture book that's based on a true story about a same-sex penguin pair raising a chick together.

Yet, just last week , school officials who removed it from school shelves in Nassau County put it back after getting sued. They emphasized in a settlement agreement with its authors that “And Tango Makes Three” is appropriate for all ages and has educational value.

“Pasco County Libraries is committed to fostering an environment where all customers can access a broad range of ideas and information,” Sarah Andeara, a county spokesperson, in an emailed statement. “As part of the county’s effort to ensure our collection meets state standards, we have pulled for reconsideration certain materials in our collection.”

And this is likely to continue – until, at least, higher courts weigh in on Florida's government speech argument.

“Regardless of whether book-banning campaigns target the Bible or Judy Blume , politicized efforts to restrict access to information cannot be reconciled with the Founders’ faith in the free exchange of ideas and our national commitment to freedom of expression,” wrote the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression in a brief for the Llano County case. 

“These battles will persist until the courts declare that the only way to win is not to play.”

Financial cost of book bans: Florida school board pays over $100K to defend ban on book about same-sex penguin pair

Stephen King slams Florida book banning: Stephen King had a 3-word reaction to news his books are banned in some Florida schools

This reporting content is supported by a partnership with Freedom Forum and Journalism Funding Partners. USA Today Network-Florida First Amendment reporter Douglas Soule is based in Tallahassee, Fla. He can be reached at [email protected] . On X:  @DouglasSoule .

100 Best Speech Books of All Time

We've researched and ranked the best speech books in the world, based on recommendations from world experts, sales data, and millions of reader ratings. Learn more

How to Win Friends & Influence People

Dale Carnegie | 5.00

Dustin Moskovitz Seek to be understood. (Source)

Scott Adams [Scott Adams recommends this book on his "Persuasion Reading List."] (Source)

Daymond John I love all the Dale Carnegie books. (Source)

See more recommendations for this book...

This Is Water

Some Thoughts, Delivered on a Significant Occasion, about Living a Compassionate Life

David Foster Wallace | 4.71

We Should All Be Feminists

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie | 4.68

Very Good Lives

The Fringe Benefits of Failure and the Importance of Imagination

J. K. Rowling, Joel Holland | 4.61

Sujan Patel Harry Potter nerds and business buffs alike will devour J.K. Rowling's Very Good Lives. The story draws from a commencement speech Rowling gave at Harvard University, and inspiration from her own life and failures. Entrepreneurs will love how she explains the benefits of failure and the crucial importance of imagination. This is the book for those who are facing the grim realities of being broke... (Source)

The Last Lecture

Randy Pausch, Jeffrey Zaslow, et al | 4.61

Gabriel Coarna I read "The Last Lecture" because I had seen Randy Pausch give this talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji5_MqicxSo (Source)

The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales

Oliver Sacks | 4.58

Suzanne O'Sullivan I didn’t choose neurology because of it but the way Oliver Sacks writes about neurology is very compelling. (Source)

Tanya Byron This is a seminal book that anyone who wants to work in mental health should read. It is a charming and gentle and also an honest exposé of what can happen to us when our mental health is compromised for whatever reason. (Source)

Bradley Voytek I can’t imagine one day waking up and not knowing who my wife is, or seeing my wife and thinking that she was replaced by some sort of clone or robot. But that could happen to any of us. (Source)

Make Good Art

Neil Gaiman | 4.51

The Gettysburg Address

Abraham Lincoln, Michael McCurdy | 4.41

The Book Thief

Markus Zusak | 4.41

Lydia Ruffles The (Source)

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Jean-Dominique Bauby, Jeremy Leggatt | 4.37

Don't have time to read the top Speech books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.

Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:

• Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
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• Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.

Hooway for Wodney Wat

Helen Lester, Lynn Munsinger | 4.36

Congratulations, By the Way

Some Thoughts on Kindness

George Saunders | 4.35

The official TED guide to public speaking

Howard Hughes | 4.35

Chris Anderson In Apollo week, a great book recommendation: this more than a story of a computer--it's about the first shot in the man vs machine battles (should astronauts be pilots or "spam in a can"?) that foreshadowed today's debates about drones & self driving cars https://t.co/CidYughKHz (Source)

Selected Writings and Speeches of Marcus Garvey

Marcus Garvey and Bob Blaisdell | 4.31

Art Matters

Neil Gaiman and Chris Riddel | 4.31

The Brain that Changes Itself

Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science

Norman Doidge | 4.29

Carol Dweck For me it was exciting to read this book because while my research shows a growth mindset is really good for you, this book shows that a growth mindset also has a strong basis in modern neuroscience. It illustrates, though fascinating case histories and descriptions of recent research, the amazing power of the brain to change and even to reorganise itself with practice and experience. (Source)

Naveen Jain I think the book that I really, really enjoy was, "The Brain That Changes Itself." It's all about neuroplasticity, you'd really love that book. (Source)

Bogdana Butnar I don't have favourite books. I equate a favourite something with wanting to do it over and over again and I've never wanted to read a book too many times. I have favourite authors and I have books that changed me in significant ways because they moved me or taught me something or changed my view of the world. So, here's some of those books... (Source)

Thirteen Reasons Why

Jay Asher | 4.29

In Conclusion, Don't Worry About It

Lauren Graham | 4.29

Fahrenheit 451

Ray Bradbury | 4.27

Timothy Ferriss This classic work on state censorship remains as relevant in today’s world of digital delights as it was when published in the black-and-white world of 1953. In a futuristic American city, firefighter Guy Montag does not put out blazes; instead, he extinguishes knowledge and promotes ignorance by conducting state decreed book burnings. After an elderly woman chooses a fiery death with her books... (Source)

Ryan Holiday I’m not sure what compelled me to pick Fahrenheit 451 back up but I’m so glad I did because I was able to see the book in a very different context. Bradbury’s message (made explicit in his 50th Anniversary Afterword) is much less a warning against government control and much more about a road to hell paved by people attempting to rid the world of offensive speech and conflicting ideas. In a world... (Source)

I Have a Dream

Writings and Speeches That Changed the World

Martin Luther King | 4.25

Clarence B Jones The ‘I Have A Dream’ speech, the portion that is most talked about, was totally spontaneous and extemporaneous. It wasn’t written. (Source)

Farnsworth's Classical English Style

Ward Farnsworth | 4.25

The Source of Self-Regard

Selected Essays, Speeches, and Meditations

Toni Morrison | 4.25

Give Me Liberty Or Give Me Death

Patrick Henr | 4.23

A Testament of Hope

The Essential Writings and Speeches

Martin Luther King and James M. Washington | 4.22

Here, in the only major one-volume collection of his writings, speeches, interviews, and autobiographical reflections, is Martin Luther King Jr. on non-violence, social policy, integration, black nationalism, the ethics of love and hope, and more.

Where Is the Mango Princess?

A Journey Back from Brain Injury

Cathy Crimmins | 4.21

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Kadir Nelson | 4.21

The Reason I Jump

The Inner Voice of a Thirteen-Year-Old Boy with Autism

Naoki Higashida, KA Yoshida, David Mitchell | 4.21

Patrick Larkin @cultofpedagogy Read that last summer. What an amazing book. Such a unique insight into #autism. (Source)

Rachel Miner One the best things in the world is the feeling of having recommended a book to someone which they love. What an amazing thing to have the opportunity to share whole worlds with each other! Loving getting to to share the joy of reading on @goodreads https://t.co/DiKTPiJsfc https://t.co/cvzdlyODJ2 (Source)

My Stroke of Insight

A Brain Scientist's Personal Journey

Jill Bolte Taylor | 4.20

Maya Zlatanova [One of the books that had the biggest impact on Maya.] (Source)

John Lewis, Andrew Aydin | 4.20

Tim Cook “It is a very unique way to present what is probably the most important story of my entire lifetime,” said when introducing Congressman Lewis at Apple HQ. “My hope is that everyone reads this, and I would love to see the day that it is required reading in every school." (Source)

My Sister's Keeper

Jodi Picoult | 4.20

Ginny L. Yttrup | 4.19

Three Little Words

Ashley Rhodes-Courter | 4.19

The Historic Presidency of Barack Obama - 2,920 Days

Mark Greenberg | 4.18

My Miraculous Escape from a Life Locked Inside My Own Body

Martin Pistorius | 4.17

The American Spirit

Who We Are and What We Stand For

David McCullough | 4.17

Laurie Halse Anderson | 4.16

Women & Power

A Manifesto

Mary Beard | 4.16

Girl in Pieces

Kathleen Glasgow | 4.15

The Art of Public Speaking

Dale Carnegie | 4.14

The Mind's Eye

Oliver W. Sacks | 4.14

The End of White World Supremacy

Four Speeches

Malcolm X | 4.14

Schuyler's Monster

A Father's Journey with His Wordless Daughter

Robert Rummel-Hudson | 4.13

The Lovely Bones

Alice Sebold | 4.13

Alice Sebold's haunting and heartbreaking debut novel, The Lovely Bones , unfolds from heaven, where "life is a perpetual yesterday" and where Susie narrates and keeps watch over her grieving family and friends, as well as her brazen killer and the sad detective working on her case. As Sebold fashions it,...

Alice Sebold's haunting and heartbreaking debut novel, The Lovely Bones , unfolds from heaven, where "life is a perpetual yesterday" and where Susie narrates and keeps watch over her grieving family and friends, as well as her brazen killer and the sad detective working on her case. As Sebold fashions it, everyone has his or her own version of heaven. Susie's resembles the athletic fields and landscape of a suburban high school: a heaven of her "simplest dreams," where "there were no teachers.... We never had to go inside except for art class.... The boys did not pinch our backsides or tell us we smelled; our textbooks were Seventeen and Glamour and Vogue ."

The Lovely Bones works as an odd yet affecting coming-of-age story. Susie struggles to accept her death while still clinging to the lost world of the living, following her family's dramas over the years like an episode of My So-Called Afterlife . Her family disintegrates in their grief: her father becomes determined to find her killer, her mother withdraws, her little brother Buckley attempts to make sense of the new hole in his family, and her younger sister Lindsey moves through the milestone events of her teenage and young adult years with Susie riding spiritual shotgun. Random acts and missed opportunities run throughout the book--Susie recalls her sole kiss with a boy on Earth as "like an accident--a beautiful gasoline rainbow." Though sentimental at times, The Lovely Bones is a moving exploration of loss and mourning that ultimately puts its faith in the living and that is made even more powerful by a cast of convincing characters. Sebold orchestrates a big finish, and though things tend to wrap up a little too well for everyone in the end, one can only imagine (or hope) that heaven is indeed a place filled with such happy endings. --Brad Thomas Parsons

Make Trouble

John Waters | 4.13

Madness, Rack, and Honey

Collected Lectures

Mary Ruefle | 4.12

Virginia Woolf

The Complete Works

Virginia Woolf | 4.12

No One Is Too Small to Make a Difference

Greta Thunberg | 4.11

The history-making, ground-breaking speeches of Greta Thunberg, the young activist who has become the voice of a generation

'Everything needs to change. And it has to start today'

In August 2018 a fifteen-year-old Swedish girl, Greta Thunberg, decided not to go to school one day. Her actions ended up sparking a global movement for action against the climate crisis, inspiring millions of pupils to go on strike for our planet, forcing governments to listen, and earning her a Nobel Peace Prize nomination.

This book brings you Greta in her own words, for the first...

This book brings you Greta in her own words, for the first time. Collecting her speeches that have made history across Europe, from the UN to mass street protests, No One Is Too Small to Make A Difference is a rallying cry for why we must all wake up and fight to protect the living planet, no matter how powerless we feel. Our future depends upon it.

Present Visual Stories that Transform Audiences

Nancy Duarte | 4.11

Brian Burkhart But the book which really hit home was “Resonate: Present Visual Stories that Transform Audiences,” by Nancy Duarte. It’s interesting, I didn’t agree with her methodology or like much of what I read. It was too complex and not realistic for people to use in everyday life. That said, it did help confirm to me that I was onto something. It was a different kind of validation than Godin—that the... (Source)

Wintergirls

Laurie Halse Anderson | 4.11

More Than Words

Helping Parents Promote Communication and Social Skills in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Fern Sussman | 4.11

His Words for Our Times

Robert F. Kennedy, C. Richard Allen, Edwin O Guthman | 4.10

Cameron Kasky “Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope...” -RFK Honored to celebrate the release of a book about this incredibly inspiring man. https://t.co/RoAZU8Zc17 (Source)

Speech-Language Pathology Assistants

A Resource Manual

Jennifer A. Ostergren | 4.10

50 Masterpieces you have to read before you die Vol

Joseph Conrad | 4.10

Vince Vawter | 4.10

PUBLIC SPEAKING - Speaking like a Professional

How to become a better speaker, present yourself convincingly and increase your self-confidence through successful communication

Julius Loewenstein | 4.09

If This Isn't Nice, What Is? (Even More) Expanded Third Edition

The Graduation Speeches and Other Words to Live By

Kurt Vonnegut | 4.08

The Speeches & Writings of Abraham Lincoln

A Library of America Boxed Set

Abraham Lincoln | 4.08

We Were Liars

E. Lockhar | 4.08

My Toddler Talks

Strategies and Activities to Promote Your Child's Language Development

Kimberly Scanlon | 4.08

Stella Díaz Has Something to Say

Angela Dominguez | 4.08

Speech to Print Workbook

Language Exercises for Teachers

Louisa Cook Moats Ed.D. and Dr. Bruce Rosow Ed.D. | 4.07

My Name is Rachel Corrie

Rachel Corrie, Alan Rickman, Katharine Viner | 4.07

Play It As It Lays

Joan Didion, David Thomson | 4.07

David Maraniss The book has a bleak aspect to it, in terms of marital relations. (Source)

Game Change

Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime

John Heilemann, Mark Halperin | 4.07

An Advanced Review of Speech-Language Pathology

Preparation for the Praxis SLP and Comprehensive Examination

Celeste Roseberry-McKibbin • M. N. Hegde • Glen M. Tellis | 4.07

On Our Way Home from the Revolution

Reflections on Ukraine

Sonya Bilocerkowycz | 4.07

Six Memos for the Next Millenium

Italo Calvino | 4.07

The Wisdom of the Native Americans

Including The Soul of an Indian and Other Writings of Ohiyesa and the Great Speeches of Red Jacket, Chief Joseph, and Chief Seattle

Kent Nerburn | 4.06

The Nobel Lecture In Literature, 1993

Toni Morrison | 4.06

The Complete Book of Speech Communication

A Workbook of Ideas and Activities for Students of Speech and Theatre

Carol Marrs and Lafe Locke | 4.05

Anatomy of the Voice

Theodore Dimon Jr | 4.04

Farnsworth's Classical English Rhetoric

Ward Farnsworth | 4.04

Great Speeches by Frederick Douglass

Frederick Douglass | 4.04

The King's Speech

How One Man Saved the British Monarchy

Mark Logue, Peter Conradi | 4.03

Barry Lyga | 4.03

Thank You for Arguing

What Aristotle, Lincoln, and Homer Simpson Can Teach Us About the Art of Persuasion

Jay Heinrichs | 4.03

Angela Pham The attendees in the altMBA program actually influenced me the most in my book purchases: Robin Flaherty persuaded me to buy Thank You For Arguing. (Source)

Self-Reliance and Other Essays

Ralph Waldo Emerson | 4.03

A Sky Without Eagles

Jack Donovan | 4.03

Fail, Fail Again, Fail Better

Pema Chödrön | 4.03

Lend Me Your Ears

Great Speeches in History

William Safire | 4.03

Speech to Print

Language Essentials for Teachers

Louisa Cook Moats Ed.D. | 4.03

The Secret Speech

Tom Rob Smith | 4.02

Long Story Short

The Only Storytelling Guide You'll Ever Need

Margot Leitman | 4.02

The View from the Cheap Seats

Selected Nonfiction

Neil Gaiman | 4.02

Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat

The Great Speeches

Winston Churchill and David Cannadine | 4.02

The American Patriot's Handbook

The Writings, History, and Spirit of a Free Nation

George Grant | 4.02

Speeches and Writings 1859–1865

Abraham Lincoln | 4.01

The English Grammar Workbook for Adults

A Self-Study Guide to Improve Functional Writing

Michael DiGiacomo | 4.01

Never Let Me Go

Kazuo Ishiguro | 4.01

Assume the Worst

The Graduation Speech You'll Never Hear

Carl Hiaasen, Roz Chast | 4.01

Brad Feld I started with a short book by Carl Hiaasen. I’m a fan of his fiction, so this caught my eye in Explore Booksellers (the local Aspen bookstore where we always load up whenever we come here.) It was cynically wonderful, and great advice. (Source)

The World's Great Speeches

Lewis Copeland, Lawrence W. Lamm, et al. | 4.01

American Speeches

Political Oratory from the Revolution to the Civil War

Ted Widmer | 4.01

The Speech Teacher's Handbook

A Parent's Guide to Speech & Language

Molly Dresner | 4.01

Let's Get Talking

A Speech-Language Therapy Companion for a Child's First Functional Words

Mehreen Kakwan | 4.01

Lust For Life

Sylvester McNutt iii | 4.01

To Repair the World

Paul Farmer Speaks to the Next Generation

Paul Farmer | 4.01

Talking with Your Toddler

75 Fun Activities and Interactive Games that Teach Your Child to Talk

Teresa Laikko and Laura Laikko | 4.00

Can You Drink a Dinosaur?

A Yes/No Book for Young Talkers

Cara Tambellini Danielson and Mary Tambellini | 4.00

American Political Speeches

Terry Golway, Richard Beeman | 4.00

Jeffrey D Sachs This is my favourite speech from President Kennedy so I think it is always worth reading! But it is a very, very important speech in our history because of its demonstration of statecraft in the finest and most important way. The speech was given in the shadow of the Cuban Missile Crisis. The world was perilously close to nuclear war and we needed an active approach to break through. So President... (Source)

Figures Of Speech Used In the Bible Explained and Illustrated

E. W. Bullinger | 4.00

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11 of the Best Public Speaking Books

February 19, 2024 - Sophie Thompson

These 11 public speaking books discuss a number of methods and techniques to help you improve your public speaking skills. The books are a mix of both in-depth speaking strategy and storytelling through the difficult journey of learning to speak in public.

There are many articles on public speaking you can find online, however to really learn and understand how to improve, more detailed research needs to be conducted. That’s why these books are great, the authors have put in hundreds of hours of research so you don’t have to.

These books teach you how to speak at conferences and TED events, present at meetings, interact at networking events and much more.

Here’s our compiled list of the best public speaking books (so you don’t have to trawl through a hundred pages of reviews for the best ones!).

Public speaking books

The Art of Public Speaking

Stephen lucas.

This book focuses on the practical skills of public speaking and the contemporary theories of rhetoric. All major aspects of speech preparation and presentation are covered – students learn to internalise the principles of public speaking, build confidence through speech practice, and prepare for success in the classroom and beyond.

Rating: 4.4/5

Talk Like TED: The 9 Public-Speaking Secrets of the World’s Top Minds

Carmine gallo.

TED brings together the world’s leading thinkers and speakers who inspire people and give them the confidence to overcome their fear of public speaking. This public speaking book reveals the nine secrets of successful TED presentations by going through hundreds of TED talks and interviewing top presenters and researchers.

Rating: 4.6/5

Confessions of a Public Speaker

Scott berkun.

This book provides an insider’s perspective on how to effectively present ideas to anyone. It’s a unique and entertaining story through the embarrassments and triumphs Scott has experienced over 15 years of speaking to crowds of all sizes. You’ll get new insights into the art of persuasion, teaching, learning, and performance.

Do You Talk Funny?: 7 Comedy Habits to Become a Better Public Speaker

David nihill.

The author overcomes his speaking fears by pretending to be an accomplished comedian for a year, while learning from other stand-up comedians about how to speak in public. This public speaking book will teach you how to craft a story your audience will laugh at and want to listen to, as well as helping you master the timing and delivery of your performance.

Out With It: How Stuttering Helped Me Find My Voice

Katherine preston.

After battling with her stutter for 17 years, Katherine travels around America meeting hundreds of stutterers, including celebrities, psychologists, writers, speech therapists and researchers. Her journey helps debunk the misconceptions shrouding the condition that affects 60 million people worldwide, while learning to embrace the voice within.

Rating: 4.7/5

TED Talks: The Official TED Guide to Public Speaking

Chris anderson.

This book explains how the miracle of powerful public speaking is achieved, and equips you to give it your best shot. There is no set formula; no two talks should be the same. The goal is for you to give the talk that only you can give. But don’t be intimidated. You may find it more natural than you think.

Rating: 4.1/5

The Quick and Easy Way to Effective Speaking

Dale carnegie.

The book consists of many technique of Effective Public Speaking. The author has transformed public speaking into a life-skill which anyone can develop. The book consists of basic principles of effective speaking, technique of effective speaking, and the 3-aspects of every speech and effective methods of delivering a talk.

Speak With No Fear

Throughout this book you will learn 7 strategies for coping with public speaking anxiety. These strategies will give you a new perspective, prepare you, and give you actions to practice. As you implement these strategies, your fear will begin to fade. The 7 strategies include ‘Imagine the Worst’, ‘It’s Not About You’ and ‘Be in the Moment’.

Rating: 4.5/5

Speak like Churchill, Stand like Lincoln

James c. humes.

Ever wish you could captivate your boardroom with the opening line of your presentation, like Winston Churchill in his most memorable speeches? Or want to command attention much like Abraham Lincoln? Now, you can master presentation skills, wow your audience, and shoot up the corporate ladder by unlocking the secrets of history’s greatest speakers.

Think Faster, Talk Smarter

Matt abrahams.

Matt Abrahams, Stanford lecturer, podcast host, and communication expert, offers practical and actionable techniques to empower even the most nervous speakers to excel in spontaneous speaking situations. Abrahams offers evidence-based tactics for handling anxiety, adapting to the atmosphere of the room, and ensuring that content is succinct, pertinent, engaging, and memorable.

Charismatic Public Speaking: Passion, Power, Proximity, and Positivity: A History of Charisma with a Practical Application to Leadership

Javier bernad.

Charisma defies precise definition, yet it’s sought after by many. Javier Bernad focuses on refining charisma in public speaking, emphasizing rhetoric’s dual aspects: content and delivery. Exploring the concept’s historical evolution, his book offers practical guidance to embody charisma by mastering Power, Passion, Proximity, and Positivity in communication

Education Matters: Banned Books Week raises…

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Del Mar Times Del Mar Times Opinion

Education matters: banned books week raises awareness of threats to free speech.

Yet the prevailing theme at this year’s American Library Association conference, held in San Diego June 27 to July 2, was book challenges and bans, and the takeaway was indeed frightening.

Librarians and library staff are facing not only challenges to books but also menacing harassment and threats to their personal safety.

The book-banning trend is resulting in an unprecedented attack on free speech rights, with school and public libraries in the crosshairs.

According to the ALA, the number of unique book titles challenged for censorship in the United States rose significantly in the past four years, from 223 in 2020, to 1,858 in 2021, 2,571 in 2022, and 4,240 in 2023.

Books and graphic novels with LGBTQ+ content, or by LGBTQ+ authors, are a frequent target for extremists who fear books that present diverse ideas.

Books that offer realistic depictions of our country’s checkered history or disturbing dystopian scenarios have also been challenged.

Many of these challenged books are classic novels, including: To Kill a Mockingbird, Brave New World, Fahrenheit 451, 1984, The Handmaid’s Tale, Of Mice and Men, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Beloved, Animal Farm, The Catcher in the Rye, Anne Frank: Diary of a Young Girl, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, and more internationally-acclaimed titles.

Popular children’s books have also been challenged across the country, including the Goosebumps series, the Harry Potter series, the Captain Underpants series, the Junie B. Jones series, and dozens of other children’s books and graphic novels.

Beware of penguins

One of the more ludicrous challenges is to the 2005 picture book And Tango Makes Three, a true story written for children ages 4 to 8 about two male penguins at New York’s Central Park Zoo who bond with one another and raise a chick together, to create a loving family.

Because Tango has two dads, this sweet story has been called unsuitable for children.

Katherine Carn, branch manager of the City of San Diego’s Carmel Valley Library, said she has received “some concerns about books in our collection,” particularly objections to books representing the LGBTQ+ community and the display of LGBTQ+ materials during June Pride Month.

Carn said the goal of the City of San Diego Public Library, which has 35 branch libraries, is to provide a high-quality collection that is relevant, diverse and responsive to the needs and interests of the community, which includes purchasing materials that recognize a wide range of cultures, perspectives, positions and marginalized voices.

“Libraries play an important role in defending access to challenged books, as it is a crucial step in protecting intellectual freedom,” Carn said. “Engaging with these books allows readers to explore diverse perspectives, fostering critical thinking and empathy, while challenging censorship and promoting an open and inclusive society.”

She said the widening divide in political views and personal values accounts for much of the increase in book challenges.

“Much like we celebrate and fight for their right to freely select materials that align with their beliefs, we’re committed to ensure others have the same right,” Carn said. “Despite criticism and challenges to materials, it is our commitment to give everyone a voice and to ensure that the voice of some does not impact access to materials for others.”

The San Diego County Library system oversees 33 branch libraries, including the Del Mar, Cardiff, Encinitas, Rancho Santa Fe and Solana Beach libraries.

San Diego County Library’s Collection Development Manager Jennifer Lawson said the county’s librarians use professional reviews, usage statistics, trends and other criteria to decide what titles to purchase for the collection.

“Sometimes we do have customers who are uncomfortable with specific books in the collection,” she said. “We generally explain that libraries have a wide range of materials to meet the variety of needs we see in our community.”

Lawson said county libraries will have displays highlighting Banned Books Week, this year Sept. 22-28, “and we’ll feature a list of titles in our Libby app.”

Board of Supervisors

Recognizing the imperative to protect the public’s right to read, San Diego County Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer, representing District 3, recently introduced a policy supporting libraries and opposing book banning.

The policy was approved Aug. 27 by the Board of Supervisors in a 3-2 vote, with Joel Anderson and Jim Desmond opposed.

“We’ve taken a strong stand to support our county library staff and protect the freedom to read for San Diegans,” said Lawson-Remer in a statement to this newspaper.  “It is unfortunate extremists are trying to silence diverse voices. San Diegans deserve the ability to read what they want, and the policy we passed ensures that County of San Diego libraries are safe havens for intellectual freedom.”

In an Aug. 23 newsletter to constituents, Lawson-Remer recognized “an alarming increase in the number of books being challenged and banned,” with a significant portion involving books representing the voices and lived experiences of marginalized communities.

She said book challenges are designed to suppress certain viewpoints or limit access to information. She labeled this a “troubling trend pushed by conservative, right-wing politicians,” saying it is “nothing short of a threat to our freedom and democracy.”

Calling libraries “important spaces for community learning and the protection of free speech,” Lawson-Remer thanked her colleagues Nora Vargas and Montgomery Steppe, after the policy passed, for their support in recognizing “the significance of libraries as centers of community learning and the importance of maintaining our intellectual freedom and inclusivity.”

Lawson-Remer’s policy will ensure that all county libraries recognize Banned Books Week this year and every year thereafter, and acquire and make available hard and/or digital copies of banned books to guarantee access at each county library.

Increasing awareness and advancing a public education campaign about banned and culturally inclusive books by exploring additional funding opportunities is also part of the policy.

The policy includes support for California Assembly Bill 1825, called the Freedom to Read Act, which prevents public library boards that receive state funding, excluding school libraries, from banning or restricting the circulation of any materials based on the topics, views, ideas or opinions expressed in them.

Doublethink

At the ALA conference, Eric Stroshane from the ALA’s Office of Intellectual Freedom painted a bleak picture of current conditions, describing how the practices used by extremist groups undermine trust in libraries and public education and how propagandistic strategies shape and warp public discourse.

He compared today’s movement to control access to books to the dystopian world in George Orwell’s 1984, published in 1949.

Fittingly, and ironically, 1984 is the most frequently banned book of all time, according to the ALA.

Orwell’s imagined conditions (free speech restrictions, the thought police, excessive government control) are disturbingly prescient to what some believe is America’s slide into authoritarianism.

In Orwell’s Newspeak and doublethink, the meaning of words is changed by those attempting to rewrite the narrative: war is peace, freedom is slavery, ignorance is strength.

Along those lines, is education about inclusion now indoctrination?

Indoctrination – the process of teaching one to accept beliefs and ideas uncritically and without question – has taken on a new meaning.

It’s become a rallying cry of sorts and is used repeatedly by those who want to ban books that present themes, scenarios or characters deemed unacceptable.

This is the antithesis of our system of education that purports to teach students how to engage in critical thinking.

Re-defining words to suit narrow purposes can serve to restrict the dissemination of ideas based on biased and faulty ideological reasoning.

Simple exposure to different sets of ideas is not indoctrination. “Cutting off access to these stories IS indoctrination,” Stroshane said at the ALA conference.

First Amendment rights

The library is a mighty resource in the marketplace of ideas by allowing for free thought and protecting readers from government over-reach.

Parents may have the right to control what their own children read, but they do not have the right to control what others read.

Restrictions are an attack on freedom of speech, made sacred in the words of the First Amendment, which librarians call the cornerstone of our democracy.

“Nefarious forces want to tear down our First Amendment rights,” said ALA President Emily Drabinski in a prepared statement. “Let people read what they want to read.”

“This is a dangerous time for readers and the public servants who provide access to reading materials,” stated Deborah Caldwell-Stone, director of the ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom, on the ALA website. “Readers, particularly students, are losing access to critical information, and librarians and teachers are under attack for doing their jobs.”

If the book-banning trend continues, perhaps we’re approaching the point when books like 1984 and Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 should be moved from fiction to nonfiction.

Banned Books Week, launched in 1982, falls this year Sept. 22-28, and its theme is “Freed Between the Lines.”

Those who oppose such attempts at censorship are encouraged to read challenged books and support everyone’s right to read, during Banned Books Week … and always.

As famous science fiction writer Isaac Asimov once said, “Any book worth burning is a book worth reading.”

For a list of banned books and information, see: www.ala.org/bbooks/banned.

Opinion columnist and education writer Marsha Sutton can be reached at [email protected].

Marsha Sutton is a columnist and presents her opinion. Column: Combines reporting, storytelling and commentary to make a point. Unlike reporters, columnists are allowed to include their opinions. Columnists in the Union-Tribune Community Press are identified clearly to set them apart from news reporters.

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Frederick Schauer, Scholar Who Scrutinized Free Speech, Dies at 78

In more than a dozen books and several hundred articles, he devoted himself, as he once said, to “questioning the unquestionable or thinking the unthinkable.”

By Michael S. Rosenwald

Frederick Schauer, a prominent legal philosopher who challenged prevailing views about freedom of speech, restrictions on obscenity and the ethics of racial profiling, died on Sept. 1 at his home in Charlottesville, Va. He was 78.

The cause was end stage renal disease, said his wife, Barbara Spellman.

In more than a dozen books and several hundred articles, Professor Schauer devoted himself to “questioning the unquestionable or thinking the unthinkable,” as he once put it, no matter the subject — whether it be the sanctity of the First Amendment or common interpretations of the Constitution.

“If the answers to questions like these turn out to be consistent with the received wisdom, then understanding has been substituted for blind acceptance and analysis substituted for platitudes,” he told Contemporary Authors, a reference guide, in 2008. “And if the answers turn out to reject the received wisdom, then something has been added to the existing knowledge.”

In articles and in his 1982 book, “Free Speech: A Philosophical Enquiry,” Professor Schauer argued that the broad free speech protections enshrined in the Constitution and strongly upheld by courts sometimes overshadowed competing interests like public order, morality and national security. He also examined the ways free speech safeguards in the United States were more expansive than those in other democracies.

“That does not necessarily mean that the rest of the world is right and the United States wrong,” Professor Schauer was quoted as saying in a profile in the Virginia Journal, “but it does suggest that it is a mistake to assume that free speech does not compete with other legitimate concerns, and a mistake to fail to recognize that we protect speech not because it is harmless, but despite the harm it may cause.”

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ACLU Bus Tour Brings Banned Books to Georgia

When the ACLU team and I got to E. Shaver Booksellers Starland in Savannah, Georgia, we immediately were greeted with sunshine and humongous, centuries-old Southern oak trees. If that wasn’t beautiful enough, the bookshop itself had a water fountain in front, connected to a popular Savannah venue called “The Gingerbread House.”

The ACLU was in Georgia for the first stop of its premiere Know Your Rights Bus Tour where we hit the road – literally – with artists, influencers, advocates and community members to make sure voters know their rights and have a plan to vote. The tour has six stops and, at each stop, we’re highlighting several civil liberties issues that impact our most vulnerable communities.

In Georgia, we set up at this lovely bookshop to highlight the dangers of unconstitutional censorship. When we arrived at the bookstore, the ACLU team and I got right to work – bringing in boxes and boxes of voter information, ACLU swag, and banned books from “Twilight” to “The ABCs of Black History,” to give away to the Savannah community. While we unloaded, you could hear content creator Jameelah Jones and Seema Yasmin, author of the banned book ABCs of Queer History, discussing why it’s essential that people vote this year for our rights.

Know Your Rights Bus Tour Gallery

The ACLU launched its first-ever Know Your Rights Bus Tour so we could host the sort of dialogue that Jameelah and Seema were having amongst themselves with communities across the country. At 4:00 pm, we got to do just that. As Savannah community members piled in, they filled out a pledge to vote, picked up an infoguide on a voter activation event from the ACLU of Georgia, and waited to hear Seema read from her books the “ABCs of Queer History” and “Unbecoming.”

After the reading, Seema shared how her books, which featured LGBTQ+ and BlPOC characters, were being “soft banned” from libraries, classrooms, and stores. In her discussion with Jameelah and Sarah Hunt-Blackwell, the First Amendment policy advocate at the ACLU of Georgia, Seema highlighted how teachers would tell her that they were too scared to have her book in the classroom because they feared being punished by local school officials who are leading efforts to ban diverse materials from classrooms and libraries nationwide. Savannah residents were puzzled. Some even came up to me after the event to tell me they were shocked to find out that children's books were being censored.

It’s never easy to hear this going on in our local neighborhoods. At our next banned book event at Avid Bookshop in Athens, Georgia, Sarah, from the ACLU of GA, told attendees that banning books and limiting literacy education has historically been used to marginalize Black communities, saying, “the power of information and the power of education and knowledge is so grand that restricting it from certain populations was the only way to keep those populations discriminated against.” Sarah also highlighted why it’s important to protect our right to learn .

Armed with this information, community members felt empowered to take action. Seema asked the audience to use their power to affect change. "We rely on events like these, and people like yourselves, to spread information about the books and to organize so we [the LGBTQ+ community] can have a better future,” she said.

Later, attendees shared how the bus tour had inspired them to get involved. A member of the Booked Ban Club at the University of Georgia shared with me how they would use the information they learned to mobilize their supporters. In Savannah, a Black activist told me how he was part of the Crusade for Voters, and spent nights in jail and days at protests in the fight for Black Americans to have the right to vote, and how he is also calling for the next generation to use their right to vote. It was heartwarming to see the ACLU’s Know Your Rights Bus Tour continue a legacy of activism in Georgia and connect with community members in the state.

Our bus is now on the road to Philadelphia and Detroit for concerts, game shows and more to educate folks on civil liberties and the importance of voting. If you’re not able to catch us on tour, you can pledge to vote and learn more about how you can vote for your rights this year.

Learn More About the Issues on This Page

• Banned Books
• Free Speech
• Artistic Expression

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