The mother and daughter team of Marita and Florence Littauer have written a very practical guide to public speaking called Communication plus (Strand, 2006). I found the information useful and the format easy to follow. They begin with a quick overview of the different personality types and how it impacts on one’s communication. There are suggestions for how to improve your communication particularly with people who have a different personality style to yourself. There is a chapter on introductions and then they move onto selecting a topic and putting a talk together. They note the key elements to include in a talk so there is something for all personality types. The authors recognize even after covering all the technical aspects a talk can still lack impact so there is also a chapter of how to put heart in your presentation. The last few chapters are written for the speaker who is also an author and discusses issues of marketing. Also included is advice about how to dress for the stage.

The book is aimed especially at authors who are looking to enter the public speaking arena and as such provides a very good overview.

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