Customer Reviews

What to Say When. . .You're Dying on the Platform: A Complete Resource for Speakers, Trainers, and Executives

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So, you think you're the first person in the world to stumble on the way to the podium. Or have a projector bulb burn out. Or experience feedback from the sound system. Or be heckled from a know-it-all, or a drunk, in the audience. Or lose your train of thought. Or be asked a question you don't want to answer. Well, you're not--and this book shows what to do when your worst public speaking nightmare occurs. What to Say When You're Dying on the Platform describes hundreds of potential mishaps and what you can do to A) prevent them from occurring and B) shows how you can maintain your composure and confidence if they do occur. The primary message of What to Say When You're Dying on the Platform is that most mishaps can be prevented, or minimized, by planning and careful preparation. The secondary message is that the way you handle a joke that bombs or a know-it-all in the audience is more important than the interruption itself--if you respond with the right smile, comment and/or pause. If you remember just one of the hundreds of suggestions in this book, the book will more than pay for itself.

This great book is wonderfully organized, and very comprehensive to boot! The humourous stories help drive the points home, and the "lines" to say are generally easy to remember.

I think by reading through the entire book, you get a good feel for what is appropriate and inappropriate, and can then "wing it" if you haven't gotten a memorized response at hand.

As a public speaking professional, I will keep this in my collection, and review regularly, just in case!

This book covers every possible faux pas or disaster on the platform and helps you to recover with grace and confidence. Filled with excellent examples of what to say and do. If you liked this book you'll love Knockout Presentations.

I have many books on presenting and though they come and go on my desk this book stays there all the time. Why?

I'm sick of books that promise you that with just a few easy tips you'll be a great presenter overnight. In many cases I wonder if those authors have ever given a presentation. "What to say when . . ." is clearly written by someone who's been in the trenches and who appreciates the fact that presentation skills need lots of work - and why you need to have ways out of the tricky situations. In many ways it's like being with a small group of top presenters swapping war stories round a dinner table; the attitude is just as important as the information.

Second, this book actually gives you hope that when something bad happens in your presentation you might well be able to recover the situation. When you hear of how experienced speakers saved the day you will stop reacting to setbacks with total panic and instead think "How would the Walters deal with this?"

From the presenter's point of view, the most important message in this book is almost lost in the introduction. In a sidebar by Nate Booth, he makes the point that we'd rather not know - that sooner or later, something unexpected IS going to happen to you. I see so many presenters adopting a formal and distant approach in the hope that everything will go well, and then collapsing when things don't go according to plan. If you accept that nothing is perfect, you'll be taking the first step to relaxing in front of your audience - and giving a much better presentation.

The book is also readable for amusement. There are many examples of how to use humor to defuse tricky situations, and of course many examples of accidents that in retrospect are hilarious. My favorite is the story of the guy who skipped down the aisle to receive an award for running a department with the longest accident-free record. The inevitable happened, of course - but in a way that's much funnier than you could imagine. What was that? Oh, you'll have to buy the book to find out.

Nice book with some good advice on staying out of trouble on the playform and lots of down-to-earth tips on what to do and say when the going gets rough. Nine out of ten situations described are possible real life scenarios and the suggestions almost always make good sense. Which is really important for a book like this. Best read just before you're going out to a "hard talk" with a live audiance and need to make sure that you win the day. Its even funny. Recommended.

Lilly Walters is a familiar name to anyone in the public speaking profession, the executive director of Walters International Speakers Bureau, author and co-author of public speaking books, and daughter of the late great Dottie Walters.

Part of what is so very helpful about "What to Say When... You're Dying on the Platform" is precisely under the point that Ms. Walters makes early on. When the brain is presented with an unknown and unfamiliar issue, it shuts down and goes into paralysis. So by virtue of the very fact that we are considering and preparing in advance of some fiasco occurring, we will be massively more and better prepared to face those scenarios. Because over the course of a career in professional speaking, things WILL happen. Better to be prepared and remain a professional.

As you can see in the "Look Inside" reader options here, viewing the Table of Contents, Ms. Walters was exhaustive in the examples she provides and in the diligence of her research and the glossary she provides. For example, she provides a delightful reference for the derivation of the term, "Off the Cuff."

Her style is warm, funny, and engaging, encouraging speakers are all levels of the profession. Certainly, her own professionalism shines through as well as her caring when she reminds us repeatedly to prepare and that will stand us in the best steed.

There are numerous funny anecdotes, wonderful quotes, and concrete specific examples like the introduction she has used for herself. These are tools straight from the trenches of public speaking and will be an invaluable addition to your Public Speakers' Library.

Fun and reassuring, occasionally practical. Overall, a good read, not an investment for career.