Featured books

Featured Websites

.: Reader Views Kids

Provides book reviews, by kids, for kids

.: Inside Scoop Live

Provides live author interviews for podcast

.: Authors Access

Provides interviews with experts in the publishing industry

.: Midwest Book Review

Provides post-publication reviews

.: Reader Views

Provides book reviews and author publicity

.: LR Communication Design

Provides professional website design and development

.: Blogging Authors

Provides a place where writers and readers meet

.: Review The Book

Provides 5 books reviews on 10 different sites

.: Best Sellers World

Provides book reviews and author features

.: Feathered Quill Book Reviews

Provides book reviews and author features

reviews

A Complete Guide to Public Speaking

Joseph A. Grippo
Outskirts Press, Inc. (2009)
ISBN 9781432734848
Reviewed by Andrey Bilko for RebeccasReads (02/10)


The author, Joseph A. Grippo, who has been in the corporate world for a couple of decades, gave quite a few presentations himself throughout the years. Being a great speaker in front of an audience is not easy and takes a lot of practice. In addition, a couple of small known tricks that may even seem like common sense are crucial in developing decent public speaking abilities. Mr. Grippo developed a training seminar for managerial staff at the corporation, which he was leading, in order to help the employees with presenting in front of people by giving them advice and tips on how to be an effective speaker. The author even conducted private lessons with some of the staff. This book is a step-by-step guide to effective presentations, which was inspired by Mr. Grippo’s training workshops, private lessons, observations, and personal experiences.

The book is well-structured being divided into 12 parts: I) The Purpose of Information, II) Factors to Consider Beforehand, III) Research on Message Retention, IV) Selecting the Topic and Organizing the Presentation, V) Developing the Body of the Speech, VI) Developing the Introduction and Using Closing Techniques, VII) Rehearsing the Presentation, IX) Taking the Terror out of Making a Presentation, X) The Pros and Cons of Visual Presentations, XI) General Speaking Tips for Effective Presentations, and XII) Final Remarks.

The flow is very logical and smooth throughout. The writing is concise and straight to the point, which is a great advantage of the books, since it can be read in one sitting before giving a presentation. Some points seemed too obvious for me, but since this is a “complete guide”, they had to be included. Overall, the book gives a clear outline of what to do and what to avoid while giving a presentation. Plus, it is helpful that various technical aspects of presenting are also included like working with visual aids such as PowerPoint slides or chalk boards. It seems like the author touches on every feature without skipping around without being repetitive. I would recommend the book to anyone wishing to improve their public speaking skills, and even for those, who consider themselves experts, it is helpful to refresh the memory with the basics.