Present Like a Pro: The Field Guide to Mastering the Art of Business, Professional and Public Speaking.

Targeting managers, salespeople, professional speakers and even best men preparing wedding toasts, communications and leadership consultants Maxey and O'Connor provide useful advice and moral support to anyone who is about to speak up. Through judicious peppering of personal stories, they demystify the near-universal fear of speaking in public, while offering potential speakers at all skill levels encouragement and practical advice. The guide is organized for ease of navigation in short, snappy chapters, each concluding with a boldfaced summary of key points—a boon to time-crunched presenters. Among numerous pointers, the authors emphasize practicing your speech, especially in front of someone or by timing and taping yourself. The authors conclude that any speech is "all about you in conversation with the audience"; they stress the importance of knowing your audience and their language, achieving rapport with repetition and with stories, and making an immediate connection with a creative introduction. Though some of their advice is common sense (e.g., attend to your appearance), inexperienced speechmakers in particular will find this manual instructive. (June)