Public Speaking for Wimps Staying Cool When Stage Fright Strikes

The super-hot "Wimps" series--which has sold in the hundreds of thousands--is back, with smart strategies for confronting and overcoming people's number one fear: speaking in public. It's unavoidable. Be it at work or at a wedding, at some point everyone will end up in a situation where it's necessary to address an audience. And most people are total wimps when it comes to public speaking. While the stage fright may never entirely disappear, there are simple, easy ways to conquer it--and just opening this user-friendly and visually appealing guide will instantly begin to alleviate those sweaty palms, knocking knees, and dry mouth. Rich Mintzer, a noted lecturer on public speaking, begins by discussing the reasons underlying the anxiety, and suggests effective relaxation and visualization techniques. With lots of photos to help make his points, Mintzer offers tried-and-true strategies for becoming a more polished speaker, including ideas for injecting humor into your talk, tailoring a speech to meet the needs of the audience, making eye contact, and even using appropriate gestures. Above all, he addresses the importance of planning and preparation, and emphasizes the need for practice, practice, practice. The specific tips and advice on toasts, roasts, lectures, panels, and coping with electronic media will get anyone started on a rip-roaring, crowd-pleasing performance.