The New Talkpower: The Mind Body Way to Speak Without Fear (Capital Ideas for Business & Personal Development) [Paperback]

Natalie H. Rogers (Author)

Book Description

Series: Capital Ideas for Business & Personal Development | Publication Date: August 1, 2000

The New TalkPower is a mind-body system that integrates neurobiology, behavior modification, performance techniques, speech crafting and leadership skills to help you master every aspect of public speaking - from gracious toasts to great speeches. Learn how to breathe, sit quietly, maintain concentration, and reduce rapid heartbeat, trembling, and adrenaline rush triggered by speaking in public. From the TalkPower Action Formula through the Survival Kit for Public Speakers, to the speech-writing-made-easy speech templates, everything you need to be an assured and engaging speaker is here. The first edition of "TalkPower" (Dodd, Mead, 1982) sold more than 60,000 copies and was translated into nine foreign languages. Now the New TalkPower offers Ms. Roger's clinically-tested, perfected, and expanded system to a new generation of fearful public speakers.

Editorial Reviews

Review

" . . .the ultimate workbook . . .perfect for public speaking novices or for speakers with a tough case of stage fright." -- Continental Magazine, November 28, 2000

"Natalie Rogers. . . she shows you. . . how to write, how to talk, how to be. . . so you can perform like a pro. It's magic. . ." -- Henry J. Fishman, M.D., creator and host of "TVMD,"PBS national network

"This course was terrific! It set me on my way, free of the fears of speaking before an audience. What a releif that was--and what a gift!" -- Hope Bryce Preminger, President, Otto Preminger Films

About the Author

Natalie Rogers is a noted behavioral psychotherapist who has been training frightened souls how to speak confidently for more than 20 years. Her corporate clients have included American Express, Merrill Lynch, United Parcel Service, the United Nations, Texaco, the Navaho Nation, MCI, and IBM, and thousands of individuals whose lives have been changed by learning to speak in public with confidence. Rogers is author of the original "TalkPower" (Dodd, Mead, 1982)

Product Details

• Paperback: 364 pages
• Publisher: Capital Books (August 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 189212324X
• ISBN-13: 978-1892123244
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #119,122 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is amazing!, November 24, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The New Talkpower: The Mind Body Way to Speak Without Fear (Capital Ideas for Business & Personal Development) (Paperback)

I've tried it all. Self-help books, Hypnosis, Yoga, breathing exercises, voice lessons, public speaking workshops, Toastmasters... nothing ever worked, and I never understood why.

Finally, I took Natalie Rogers' weekend workshop on Public Speaking, and at last I understood. Public Speaking isn't like other phobias out there, like a Fear of Flying or a Fear of Heights. Conquering Public Speaking requires you to do more than just overcome fear; it requires you to:

1) Learn how to WRITE an effective speech

2) Learn how to BREATHE and SPEAK well

3) Learn how to PERFORM under stress

When you have a Fear of Heights, you can curl up in a little ball and wait for the fear to pass. Therapists call this "extinction therapy"... if your patients expose themselves to the situation which triggers the fear, the phobia eventually goes extinct. This actually works for basic phobias... but it DOESN'T work for phobias that require you to actually do more than just curl up in a ball.

Natalie does a sensational job of 1) and 2) above, by giving you speech templates that really help you write a quick and effective speech... and then teaching you how to breathe and use your voice. That in itself would be worth the price of the book... but Natalie actually has developed a breakthrough approach to performing under pressure that is so powerful it is worth calling out.

Basically, the idea is this - it is IMPOSSIBLE to be nervous if you are concentrating on something. You know that feeling you get when you are really focused on something? You lose track of time, you lose yourself in your work... and in that moment, it is actually physiologically impossible to be self-conscious or nervous. Well, Natalie takes advantage of this physiological fact and taps it to help you neutralize speaking nervousness. And she's found a way to trigger concentration that doesn't require mental energy... and so you can actually achieve focus during a difficult speech, and take advantage of this physical phenomena to eradicate nervousness.

I know, I know - it all sounds too good to be true. I'll admit - I haven't recovered 100% from my public speaking fears. I can speak to groups or to someone important... but put me in front of a group of important people, and I'll get nervous. But here's where Natalie's techniques really come in handy. Before I speak, I prepare a speech using her templates. I practice my breathing and make sure that I've got my speaking voice working in the privacy of my home. Then, I use her concentration technique to mitigate the nervousness of speaking. The first few minutes are still tough, but the nervousness passes... and I am calm, confident, and comfortable.

It's such a strange feeling to be able to say that I'm calm, confident, and comfortable in front of a crowd. It's been a couple of years since my first panic attack in front of a group of colleagues, and being bad at speaking has almost become part of my identity. But, it's really true... you really CAN overcome these fears to become not only a non-phobic speaker, but a really good public speaker!

If you can afford to go to Natalie's weekend seminars, then by all means that's probably the easiest way to learn all this. But I've been to the workshop and I've read this book, and the fact is that all of the information in the workshop is right here in this sixteen dollar book. The book really is beautifully designed, and the binding actually holds up well - which is a good thing, because you'll find yourself returning to the book again and again.

I can't recommend this book highly enough. Good luck conquering your public speaking fears!

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Public Speaking Book I've Seen, January 1, 2002

By 

Michael Charton - See all my reviews

This review is from: The New Talk Power: The Mind-Body Way to Speak Like a Pro (Capital Ideas for Business & Personal Development) (Hardcover)

I teach a public speaking class and I'm a longtime member of Toastmasters International. This is the best public speaking book I have ever seen. I am planning to make it the required reading for my public speaking class. The author, Natalie Rogers in an actress and psychologist and has helped people overcome her speaking fears for many years.
One thing Toastmasters does not teach is the psychology behind public speaking and the fear of it. I found some articles to cover this. This book does an even better job. There are templates for speeches in the book. You can read it through once, then refer to it when you need it. It is also easy enouch to follow to keep ones interest. Dr. Rogers is a very gentle teacher and I recommend this without question.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best of the Best., November 30, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The New Talkpower: The Mind Body Way to Speak Without Fear (Capital Ideas for Business & Personal Development) (Paperback)

Why did I buy this book? I was hooked at once when I began to read the introduction, where the author, Natalie Rogers, a former actress, acting teacher and behavioral psychotherapist, reports the feelings she had when she attended a class about "Oral Communication" and witnessed the students' ordeal during presentations:

"Was I the only one aware of the discomfort and loss of concentration? Apparently, the instructor was not concerned. Apart from her command to relax, she ignored the students' profound distress and continued urging them to make eye contact and speak more slowly. `Don't be so nervous,' she'd add, presumably trying to be helpful. `We support you.'

I was bewildered . This wasn't at all like the systematic training I had received in acting school, where we were given intensive coaching for concentration, relaxation, attention, and awareness. Here, except for the suggestion to relax, the sole focus was on the preparation of the speech, with no serious attention paid to the painful loss of confidence that many students were experiencing."

Natalie's book gives you the training. It teaches detailed, concrete, step-by-step methods to address the fear of public speaking. I have consulted various books about the fear of public speaking during the past couple of years, but this book provides the most powerful and straightforward step-by-step training approach of them all. Just to give only a few concrete examples of how this book is full of extremely valuable information page for page: It provides a detailed step-by-step instruction of correct belly breathing - all the other books which mentioned breathing techniques left me with the impression I had to take "deep" breathes in order to have the desired effects. Another example: The author writes "The idea of managing or confronting your fear is meaningless ... People with anxiety about speaking in public cannot overcome their problem with cavalier advice. The only reasonable solution is a method that will eliminate the fear and its devastating effects.", and later in the book explains why videotape is not the appropriate tool for beginning and fearful speakers - now I understand why training seminars with video, offered by my company, only left me embarrassed and frustrated, and with an even greater feeling of helplessness! And a last example: I always had wondered why visualization exercises had not the desired effects for me, and attributed it to my lack of commitment - now I know better!

This book is much more than only a book on public speaking. It teaches a comprehensive, systematic mind-body training approach on how to prepare yourself for performance situations. In the author's words: "Performance is any situation where you feel that you are being judged or evaluated by others. This ability to detach your thoughts from focusing on the audience and their approval, is a skill that you can develop if you commit yourself to the TalkPower program as described in this book." Buy this book - it provides you with the practical methods you need to help yourself.