By 

Charles Jacobs (Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey United States) –

  

You realize that this book is special when on one of the earliest pages author Richard Zeoli speaks of “making a human connection with your audience.” He adds that connecting with our fellow human beings is one of the most magical feelings that we can ever experience, and relates that to a speaker and the contact he/she establishes with the audience.
A communications expert who has coached politicians and business executives,
Zeoli estimates that 99% of the population is afraid to speak publicly. I find that perhaps a bit hyperbolic if we accept his definition of public speaking as occurring “any time you talk to anyone and someone else is present to hear you.” But that should not negate the value of this book in helping to overcome anxieties when standing before an audience.
Zeoli boils down the art of successful speaking to seven principles of public speaking from which the title of the book was derived. The seven principles are as valuable when simply making conversation or a presentation in the boardroom as they are when you are standing behind a lectern in a large auditorium, the author believes.
The 7 Principles of Public Speaking devotes a chapter to each principle, and summarizes all seven by creating a very helpful fictitious exchange between a speaker and a mysterious figure who becomes his coach. In this unique presentation–he titles the chapter The Master Communicator–the author cleverly creates vignettes to demonstrate each principle in action.
In the chapter on “Perception,” the first of the seven principles, the reader is cautioned to “be yourself and stop trying to be a great public speaker.” Zeoli explains that this means holding a conversation with your listeners by speaking to, not at, them.
Next Zeoli tackles “Perfection,” explaining that “Public speaking is largely a mental game and overcoming fears and anxieties is crucial to success. He goes so far as to state that the only person who really cares when a speaker makes a mistake is the speaker. That’s undoubtedly true of small blips, but heaven help the speaker who is unprepared and bungles his/her talk.
In a later chapter, “Discipline,” Zeoli emphasizes the need to practice and rehearse the speech to eliminate any possible mistakes. He calls it a fundamental principle, and urges his readers to perform in front of a full-length mirror on a regular basis to build their confidence. He also stresses the need to condition yourself with daily affirmations that you are a quality speaker.
Under the heading of “Visualization,” Zeoli re-emphasizes the need to prepare yourself psychologically before speaking. He opines that “The experience of standing in front of a roomful of people who are seated is unfamiliar territory for our brains, and this creates the feeling of anxiety.” He suggests overcoming that by mentally picturing yourself delivering the speech to plaudits during what he calls the “Crucial 5′s,” the five minutes before you are called to the podium. He sees this as building up momentum
and intensity to launch your speech.
Breaking away from overcoming the psychological blocks, Zeoli turns his attention to “Drawing the audience in to let them experience what you are talking about.” This chapter, “Description,” emphasizes presenting your talk as a story to personalize it for your audience. What he means by this, Zeoli explains, is “Your job is to take your listeners on your journey with you.”
In the chapter labeled “Inspiration,” you are urged to feel that you are doing a service for your audience. Your talk is designed to benefit the audience, not yourself. Zeoli stresses that “You must resist the temptation to believe that you are the most important person in the room. The truly important people are those “who are listening to the speech, not the person doing the talking.” That concept should give you greater confidence when you stand in front of an audience.
The seven principles wind up with “Anticipation.” This chapter is summed up simply by the phrase “When it comes to public speaking, less is usually more.” Expressed more understandly, Zeoli says, “Surprise your audience. Always make your presentation just a bit shorter than anticipated.” In other words, it is far better to leave your audience eager for more information than to go on and on boring them.
Many of these cautions and recommendations may seem simple on the surface, but they do distinguish an experienced, qualified speaker from many of the bumblers that take the stage. This is a book to keep handy on the shelf to review from time to time in between speeches.

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