How to Speak so People Really Listen

Author:  Paul McGee

Publisher:  Capstone (2017)

ISBN:  978 0 857 08720 1

Pages:  220

 

Paul McGee is one of the UK’s leading speakers on the subject of change, workplace relationships and motivation. His aim is to deliver a practical, relevant message that can make an immediate impact on people’s professional and personal lives.

The skill in presenting to people is knowing whether your audience is getting benefit from and is really engaged in what you are saying. Paul in his book sets out to get you to think about your audience and what they should be getting out of your presentation.

The book is structured into three parts:

  1. The seven great sins of speaking
  2. Eight great ways to speak so people listen
  3. I’m glad you asked that

The book contains much sound guidance but also some is really just common sense. At times the explanations are over extensive and could have been shortened.

The text makes use of a very good font size making for an easy read. I also liked that the text is broken up with quotes in the pages inset in speech bubbles. The book is certainly thought provoking and will get the reader thinking when they read the interesting hints and tips for managing the issues they get when setting out to give a good presentation.

Being an expert in our topic or subject area does not always mean that we are good communicators and as such this book offers the guidance that will help improve our communication skills.

The book is easy to read and contains lots of sound guidance and easily applicable tips for speaking better in public. Whether you are making a presentation to a large audience or just speaking to a small group of people this book is an essential read.