Purpose-Centered Public Speaking: How to Develop and Deliver Purposeful Talks, Speeches, and Presentations with Less Fear and More Confidence

Purpose-Centered Public Speaking: How to Develop and Deliver Purposeful Talks, Speeches, and Presentations is a long fancy title for a book that is basically Relax! Now Try This. The book is a combination of workbook, pep talk, and resources that anyone can use, whether they are a seasoned speaker before thousands of people or just preparing to speak up at the weekly meeting for management in their department. The book is full of examples of speeches by author Dr. Gary Rodriguez and others–both the successful ones and the ones that were disasters. Both are equally helpful in illustrating his tips on creating a successful speaker. By applying the tips to your own speech or speaking style you can notice your flaws(and hopefully your strengths).

Rodriguez addresses everything from choosing a subject to plagiarism to arranging your notes to the way you stand. So many times he brings up aspects of public speaking that most people probably never even thought about before. How closely do you analyze your audience? Do you consider how your audience will actually remember your information? What about the familiar “eye contact?” Rodriguez shows us the difference between “making eye contact” and “wish you would stop staring at me.” This isn’t just the old tired advice packaged into a book. Many times, the advice given is an eye opener.

Occasionally, it felt as if Purpose-Centered Speaking would benefit from a bit of humor to lighten the mood or that there was repetition of information, but overall, this book was a grand success. Not only should everyone who has to speak in public (and who doesn’t?) read it, but they should keep it on their book shelf to reread before each engagement both to help them refine their speech and to give them that little boost of confidence we all need.