Speak Without Fear: A Total System for Becoming a Natural, Confident Communicator (Hardcover)

by Ivy Naistadt (Author) "THOMAS NIGHTINGALE HAD PROSPERED in South Carolina almost from the day he had arrived as a young man from his native Yorkshire in the 1720s..." (more)
Key Phrases: hidden dissuader, public speaking situation, surface obstacles, Audience-Based Objective, New York City, Liu Chi Kung (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"In "Speak Without Fear, Ivy Naistadt provides you with very powerful and practical tools to express your deepest, most genuine voice as you powerfully connect with your audience. I highly recommend this book!" --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Description

For many of us, public speaking is at best a chore marked by great anxiety and at worst a potential career stopper. Ours is a time when the ability to communicate in front of individuals or groups in all types of business and other situations is becoming paramount. Speak Without Fear offers a unique, practical process for combating the stage fright that plagues us every day in these situations.

Unlike other books on public speaking, Speak Without Fear goes beyond the external techniques, such as how to breathe properly and keep eye contact, to delve deeply into the reason for your performance anxiety. It gets to the root of what's giving you the sweats so you can identify what's in the way and work through it to communicate naturally and comfortably before audiences of any size.

Ivy Naistadt's easy-to-follow, step-by-step program will help you:

Identify the degree and type of your nervousness

Pinpoint the incidents and issues that, directly or indirectly, cause you fear and loathing in the spotlight

Develop and master a technique for over-coming your anxiety that's adaptable to your level of experience and need

Use your new skills to shine in a variety of situations -- whether speech making, interviewing, auditioning, or presenting

No matter how anxious you are about going before an audience -- any audience, whether it's 1 or 1,000 -- Speak Without Fear will give you the tools to speak powerfully and persuasively.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Harper (February 17, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060524480
• ISBN-13: 978-0060524487
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #952,226 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This Book Will Help You Find Your True Self!, February 18, 2004

By A Customer

Speak Without Fear is one of the most insightful and meaningful books into the cause of fear, that I have ever read. This book is amazingly clear and understandable. The author has drawn upon her several years of life and professional experience to identify, and actually solve the reasons behind stagefright and lack of self-confidence. This magical book is for everyone. Anyone who is afraid to speak in public, or who has a poor self image, or who has confidence problems and doesn't understand why, will be helped tremendously. I think this book will also be especially useful to artists (musicians, comedians, singers, actors, etc.)who want to perform or speak in public, but lack the courage and self belief necessary to achieve success.

The book is designed in two parts, which is very appropriate because the first part explains the "why" behind the mystery of fear, while the second part actually shows you how to become a natural, professional performer. The book reveals an uncomplicated and effective approach to solving one of life's most crippling conditions: fear.

The author, Ivy Naistadt, is obviously an expert in understanding, and conveying how fear gets into your mind in the first place. It comes in the way of "transmitters", the people you have been in close contact with all your life. She also identifies "The Six Dreadly Fears" and she shows you how to clear them out of your life once and for all! There are simple step by step instructions that teach you how to identify the source of your fears. This, I thought, was the most important part of the book because what I found out about myself, were things that I never thought of before, or maybe blocked out. The book's methods actually work. Once you know where your fears come from, you naturally become empowered to get rid of them.

Finally, one of the BEST things about the book is it's kindness. You will feel like a human being again after reading it.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Easy Read - High Impact, May 10, 2004

By	"david64382" (Cincinnati) - See all my reviews

Great book. The thing I really like about this book is that it helps the reader identify all the reasons for why we all get nervous and gives us a blueprint for getting past them and/or working through them. The nervousness profiles are terrific - I had a presentation a few weeks ago and normally I just "wing it" but this time I realized I didn't know the material as deeply as usual and it was pretty technical. I had a bad experience presenting a few years ago under similar circumstances so I started getting nervous and dreading it. I used the profiles to narrow down my type, followed the recommendations and it worked! The methods for preparing and organizing are first rate and there's a gold mine of tips of all kinds. The author's real world experiences are often amusing and those of her clients are insightful. The book has a delightful tone that keeps it light and easy even when uncomfortable topics are discussed. As a senior manager, my responsibility is to guide others to improve and I'm recommending it to my team. I think just about anyone who speaks or gives presentations could benefit greatly by reading this.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A good read - a great help!, February 24, 2004

By A Customer

I've never written a book review before, but I just finished Speak Without Fear and I wanted to let others know if you've got any fear of speaking in public - THIS is the book to read. I found it to be an enormous help in breaking down why I have and how I can overcome my fear of public speaking. Ms. Naistadt obviously has a great deal of experience in helping others conquer this fear. I was personally encouraged by the examples she gives of people she's worked with, especially those in the corporate world. Her descriptions of their problems really hit home. And her own anecdotes working as an actress and public speaker made me laugh - alot! The book moves from defining the various fears of speaking (and why we might have them) to describing, very specifically, how to break down and prepare a speech as well as give one. And it does this with humor, insight and obvious expertise. (Her "Fearbusters" alone are worth the price.) I'm glad she wrote it - and grateful I found it!