Think on Your Feet (A Spectrum Book) [Paperback]

Kenneth Wydro (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0139178074 | ISBN-13: 978-0139178078 | Publication Date: 1981

Quotes from the book Think On Your Feet

"We author our own books, whether we know it or not."

"Within us lie the causes for what happens to us."

"More important than what happens to you or around you is what happens IN you."

"The pain that exists in many people stems from the conflict between what they really are -- expressive, sensitive, gregarious individuals -- and what they have been taught to be by their experience."

"You attract to you the kind of experience that you are thinking about consciously or subconsciously."

"We come to expect too little of ourselves."

"Nonresistance is a loving attitude towards others which recognizes that everyone who comes across our path is there for a reason -- to teach us something about ourselves and our talents."

"Nonresistance means that you raise your consciousness one notch higher."

Communication is the exchange of information, feelings and spirit."

Words communicate information. Attitude conveys feelings."

"By harboring your own personal "enemies list" -- consciously or subconsciously -- you keep yourself out of the flow of the creative process."

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Ken Wydro is a playwright who lives in New York City. He has been an instructor at the City University of New York and has studied professional theater with Lee Strasberg and David LeGrant. He has conducted effective speaking seminars for numerous corporations, including General Foods, Avon Products, IBM, and AT&T.

Product Details

• Paperback: 143 pages
• Publisher: Simons & Schuster (1981)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0139178074
• ISBN-13: 978-0139178078
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #775,278 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing Book!, October 24, 2003

By 

M. Lum (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Think on Your Feet (A Spectrum Book) (Paperback)

Ken Wydro's "Think On Your Feet" will not only transform your speaking and conversation skills, but it will transform the way you think. Many public speaking help books will fill your mind with mechanical tips that everyone, I assume, should already be aware of...i.e., "put inflection into your voice to emphasize your point..." Duh!

Wydro takes a much more top-down, holistic approach to speaking which emphasizes the attainment of an inner stillness (i.e. states of relaxation / self-confidence) as the REAL first step in successful speaking. He not only emphasizes this but gives practical, no-nonsense advice on turning this "inner stillness" into a reality. In this way, Wydro's book is AWESOME, and succeeds where other books fall short.

While many books in this genre will mechanicize your speaking thought process, and, sadly, turn you into an even more self-conscious speaker, Wydro's techniques teach much more: that is, to speak naturally, spontaneously, and freely...

23 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Stand On Your Head, March 17, 2006

By 

El Lagarto (Sandown, NH) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Think on Your Feet (A Spectrum Book) (Paperback)

In a Monty Python parody of a children's TV show the host explains that, "To play a flute, you blow in one end and run your fingers down the side." In essence, that actually is exactly how to play the flute. "Think On Your Feet" by Ken Wydro suffers a bit from this same tendency to oversimplify the complex and hope nobody notices.

That said, TOYF is a cut above most self-help books of its ilk which appear to have been written by unjustifiably overconfident shoe salesmen with a knack for bundling the obvious into bite-sized, easily-digested nuggets designed to appear more insightful than they actually are. TOYF is not immune, it too is replete with such twaddle, my favorite is his oft-repeated, "Around every circle, a larger circle may be drawn." Equally stupid, and much cuter, is, "Life is for giving, forgiving yourself and others." Balancing this torrent of hackneyed tripe is a fair amount of actual content, much of which is very good.

His last chapter, in particular, offers a nice primer on the elements of effective communication. Wydro is also right on target in thinking that the key to effective presenting lies not in visual aids, rehearsed ad-libs, or meticulously crafted scripts, but in command of the material, passion for message, and desire to reach and benefit one's audience. He affirms that the secret to being a great communicator lies within an individual's personality. All true. But this is where the big cheat comes in.

Wydro has assembled a handful of shortcuts like his "background thought" technique and "write your own book" tactic. Though not without merit, these are quick fixes. Wydro's reasoning is sound and his sources are good, his insights into character and personal growth are lifted directly from Freudian analysis and the mechanics of 12-step recovery programs. However, the kind of personality changes produced by both these sources require years of fearless dedication and hard work. Wydro, like other self-help shoe salesmen, would have you believe you can bypass this work with a few parlor tricks. Caveat emptor. If you take the easy way, you might get kicked in the head.

23 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great find!, March 20, 2002

By 

Robert E Martin (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Think on Your Feet (A Spectrum Book) (Paperback)

I first read this book years ago when I began speaking at a Toastmasters group. At first, it helped me with my impromptu speaking. Later, it helped me to begin making small improvements in my daily actions (the slight edge technique). I was very disappointed it was out of print at the time and I couldn't buy a copy for my own library. Recently, a fellow Toastmaster member found it...and bought a copy for me. I was so grateful -- this is a book to read again and again.

I recommend it to all my clients...Deceptively valuable.