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  3. Good with Words: Speaking and Presenting

Good with Words: Speaking and Presenting

Patrick Barry
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  • Overview

  • Contents

Suppose you were good with words. Suppose when you decided to speak, the message you delivered—and the way you delivered it—successfully connected with your intended audience. What would that mean for your career prospects? What would that mean for your comfort level in social situations? And perhaps most importantly, what would that mean for your satisfaction with the personal relationships you value the most?

This book is designed to help you find out. Based on an award-winning course and workshop series at the University of Michigan taken by students training to enter a wide range of fields—law, business, medicine, social work, public policy, design, engineering, and many more—it removes the guesswork from figuring out how to communicate clearly and compellingly. All of us have ideas that are worth sharing. Why not learn how to convey yours in a way that people will appreciate, enjoy, and remember?

  • Cover
  • Title Page
  • Copyright Page
  • Dedication
  • Contents
  • Introduction: Hold People’s Attention
  • Chapter 1: Poise
    • A. The Virtue of Clarity
    • B. Being in Public
    • C. Charisma
      • Speaking Stories: LBJ and RBG
      • Speaking Studies: Teachers, Comedians, and a Swedish Linguist
      • Speaking Exercises: Pause Practice and Moments of Silence
  • Chapter 2: Rhythm
    • A. “More Saving. More Doing.”
    • B. “If You See Something, Say Something”
    • C. Parallel Structure
    • D. The Rule of Three
    • E. Same, Same, Kind of Different
    • F. Verbal Technology
      • Speaking Stories: Suffrage and Slavery
      • Speaking Studies: What Makes It Great?
      • Speaking Exercises: Rhythm and Poise
  • Chapter 3: Optimism
    • A. Informed Hope
    • B. Eames and Orwell
      • Speaking Stories: Silicon Valley
      • Speaking Studies: Duchenne Smiles, Reset Buttons, and Negotiations
      • Speaking Exercises: What Happens If You Win?
      • Speaking Exercises: Agent Advocacy
  • Chapter 4: Dynamic
    • A. Head, Arms, Heels
    • B. Technology
      • Speaking Stories: Respect the Robe
      • Speaking Studies: Body > Face
      • Speaking Exercises: Storytime
  • Chapter 5: Unexpected
    • A. Microsoft, Malaria, and Mosquitos
    • B. Apple and Envelopes
    • C. Include a Little Mischief
      • Speaking Stories: Babble
      • Speaking Studies: Peek-a-Boo Pedagogy
      • Speaking Exercises: Supreme Surprise
  • Chapter 6: Conversation
    • A. Mrs. Bertha Flowers
    • B. Warren Buffett
      • Speaking Stories: The Language of Common Life
      • Speaking Studies: High-Considerateness versus High-Involvement
      • Speaking Exercises: Friendly Advice, Follow-Up Questions, and Talking to Strangers
  • Chapter 7: Tact
    • A. Contribution
    • B. Generosity of Spirit
    • C. Tact
      • Speaking Stories: Henry James, Warren Burger, and John Bassett III
      • Speaking Studies: Firings, Apologies, and Forgiveness
      • Speaking Exercises: Tact and Tragedy
  • Epilogue
  • Photo Credits
  • Thank-Yous
  • Notes
Citable Link
Published: 2021
Publisher: Maize Books
Copyright: 2021
License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International license
ISBN(s)
  • 978-1-60785-678-8 (open access)
  • 978-1-60785-676-4 (paper)
  • 978-1-60785-677-1 (ebook)
Series
  • Good with Words
Subject
  • LANGUAGE ARTS & DISCIPLINES / Public Speaking & Speech Writing
  • LANGUAGE ARTS & DISCIPLINES / Editing & Proofreading
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