Taking Center Stage: Masterful Public Speaking using ActingSkills you N [Mass Market Paperback]

Deb Gottesman (Author), Buzz Mauro (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2001

For speeches, presentations, and other "performances"-take a tip from the actor-authors of The Interview Rehearsal Book.

From Broadway to the boardroom, the fine art of persuasion is a valuable tool of life-and it can be learned. All it takes is a little practice, a lot of determination, and a few techniques used by people who make a living speaking publicly-actors. With amazing insights from professional presenters, Taking Center Stage gives you expert advice on pulling off a crowd-pleasing, award-worthy performance. It's packed with revealing anecdotes, insider tips, and provocative, inspiring exercises that will help you make your presentations and speeches more effective-and a lot less nerve-wracking. Taking Center Stage includes tips for:

¥ Defining your objectives
¥ Writing a dramatic and memorable speech
¥ Using basic rehearsal techniques
¥ Working visuals to your best advantage
¥ Researching your topic
¥ Facing your audience and staying calm
¥ Overcoming stage fright
¥ Creating intimacy with your audience

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Business professionals who want to brush up their speaking skills should not be deterred if they feel they have no acting talent. Even professional actors do not rely on talent alone, acknowledge Deb Gottesman and Buzz Mauro (coauthors of The Interview Rehearsal Book) in Taking Center Stage: Masterful Public Speaking Using Acting Skills You Never Knew You Had. As directors of Center Stage Communications, a consulting firm specializing in applying acting techniques to the business world, Gottesman and Mauro present serious advice on such issues as defining and clarifying objectives and overcoming stage fright.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Fear of public speaking is so well documented that comedian Jerry Seinfeld once remarked that most would rather be in the casket than delivering the eulogy. The standard remedy is to rehearse, which, to most nonprofessional public speakers, is akin to jumping from the proverbial frying pan. Yet there is a new and considerably improved solution, as eloquently explained by Gottesman and Mauro: think like the theatrical world, both playwright and actor. Deliberately and thoughtfully, they lead readers through every stage of speechifying: destroying the "you gotta have talent" myth, defining objectives, choosing actions, exploring dramatic possibilities, connecting to the audience, practicing warm-ups, and final rehearsals. Exercises are supported by quotes from some of the best in the dramatic biz, from Alfred Hitchcock to Meryl Streep. Barbara Jacobs
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Berkley Trade (June 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425178323
• ISBN-13: 978-0425178324
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #725,019 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars All the World's a Stage, September 21, 2001

By 

Susan G. Dunn "The EQ Coach" (San Antonio, TX United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Taking Center Stage: Masterful Public Speaking using ActingSkills you N (Mass Market Paperback)

"It's a simple fact that all of us use the techniques of acting to achieve whatever ends we seek, whether it is a child pouting for ice cream or a bawling politician bent on stirring the hearts and pocketbooks of potential constituents." -- Marlon Brando. Applying the techniques of acting to the business world makes for better public speakers is the thesis of this book and it's a good one. I'm a coach and have done a lot of public speaking, and this book pointed out many ways I could improve my presentation. I also coach other people about public speaking, and I'll be recommending this book to them.

Rehearsing well ahead of time, they recommend, so that you aren't 'rehearsing nervousness' which is what will happen if you go on stage unrehearsed each time. Good point!

The parts I really enjoyed were their treatments of the kind of phoniness you sometimes feel. They point out that there's nothing phony about real acting -- it's not cheap theatrics. A real actor finds the truth in the situation and brings many different aspects of himself to his role and lives it as honestly as he can within the fictional parameters of the play. "A good speaker does the same within the parameters of the speech."

"Play the full range," they say. "Every human being possesses all 88 keys on the piano, but most of us restrict our melodies to the middle octave." This book will show you how to play all over the keyboard! It's great!

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Invaluable advice, August 20, 2001

By 

An admirer (Washington, DC USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Taking Center Stage: Masterful Public Speaking using ActingSkills you N (Mass Market Paperback)

I first heard of Deb Gottesman and Buzz Mauro when I picked up their first book about using acting techniques in the job interview process. As an attorney practicing in the area of employment law, I had many clients who had found themselves out of work and back in the job market after many years. I bought a copy of the book, and read it, and then went back to the store and bought 15 additional copies to give to clients. So, it was with great excitement that I saw a second book by the Gottesman/Mauro team. Taking Center Stage is brilliant. For anyone who has contemplated public speaking, but been daunted by the seemingly natural skills of others, this book is gives reassurance. I have already tried some of the exercises and am intrigued at the idea that I, too, can develop public speaking skills. I can't recommend this book too highly.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Public Speaking Essentials, December 21, 2010

By 

will (NOVATO, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Taking Center Stage: Masterful Public Speaking using ActingSkills you N (Mass Market Paperback)

This book is not available directly from Amazon anymore, and that's a shame. Knowing nothing about the book other than its appearance on a search list, I checked it out of my local library and immediately recognized it as a gem. The exercises and insights helped me prepare for a series of lectures. Although I have considerable public speaking experience, I've always suspected my deliveries come across as stiff and impersonal. This book gave me many ideas for how to spice up my act, as well as rehearsal techniques designed to make them feel natural. I highly recommend this text to anyone who feels his or her presentation skills need enlivening.