For those in a rush: Buy this book! It offers value you will not find in other public speaking manuals.
For those looking for a longer review: Enter in any bookstore and you will get lost among shelves upon shelves of self-help books on the art of public speaking. Some are better than others but most of them have similar content and structure. They will all provide you with tons of tips (in many cases recycled and copied and pasted from others) on how to prepare and deliver a speech, on the presentation of content or even on how to overcome anxiety. All good advice but difficult to learn for the average person and even more to put in practice when you are, as this book puts it, "a cat giving a speech to an audience of 500 Rottweilers".'
This book is different! It takes the reader through 15 simple steps (plus a call for autenthicity) to master public speaking, to become (or at least feel like) a star when you are in the spotlight and ready to deliver a speech. What sets this book apart from the rest is that you do not need to go through long lists of objectives and tools to learn and, if you are perseverant, eventually acquire (or not!). It is more about self-discovering, about bringing out the qualities that you already have and, by systematizing and using them in five different areas, become a great speaker. The book focuses on how to deliver a speech (any speech) in a way that would make it memorable, that will achieve the "Wow! effect".
The book is fun to read. It uses a conversational style, full of anecdotes and similes, making its reading highly entertaining and engaging. It is difficult to put down and, in fact, I read it in a single go. But I am sure I will go back to it once and again to consult, especially considering that each of the 15 steps could be read independently, which is highly appreciated. Each step goes straight to the point while, at the same time, giving you plenty of advice.
I feel this book is appropriate for any level as we all have room to improve in any of the 15 steps. Whether you are an experienced speaker who just wants to polish some elements of your speaking toolkit or a beginner looking for an introduction, I am sure that this book will be very helpful.