It's not a joke that people fear public speaking more than death. Surveys show that this is true.
Public figures are constantly speaking in public, whether you're a actor or author, professional athlete or politician. In today's age of cell phone videos and YouTube, you could be filmed at any public appearance. A friendly audience and a lack of obvious TV cameras doesn't mean a slip of the tongue goes unnoticed.
Public relations professionals also spend a lot of time speaking, especially to the press, but sometimes in the press secretary role in front of a room full of TV cameras and reporters, or simply on the phone talking to reporters and editors.
It's a mistake to simply get up there and wing it. That's how disasters are born.
Here's a series of articles on how to give great speeches, whether they're a five-minute quickie or a 30-minute keynote speech.
Rhetoric 501: How to Write a Short Speech
Short speeches are common and useful. They're the bread-and-butter of any public speaker. It's a mistake, though, to try to simply wing a short speech -- or to over-prepare by writing the text of a short address word-for-word.
Rhetoric 502: Putting A Short Speech On An Index Card
An index card is all a speaker needs for a short speech. This post explains how do craft and prepare a speech that can get boiled down to an index card.
Rhetoric 503: How To Practice Short Speeches
Just like anything else, it takes practice to become great at speeches. It doesn't take that long and it's well-worth the investment.
Rhetoric 601: How To Write A Keynote Speech
A keynote speech is the biggest challenge for a speaker and speechwriter. Stand-up comics and presidential candidates spend years building up the skills needed to keep the attention of an audience for 20 to 30 minutes. It's not easy -- but it's worth learning.
Rhetoric 602: Writing A Keynote Speech For A Client
Anything written by a committee is inherently tougher. What are the problems -- and solutions -- when you write a long speech for another person?
Rhetoric 603: How To Write A Keynote Speech For Yourself
If you typically ghostwrite for others, writing a keynote speech for yourself can be a liberating experience. However, every person needs an editor and a pair of ears who can listen to you practice your speech.
Rhetoric 604: Seven Ways to Prepare For A Keynote Speech
Preparing for a major speech can feel overwhelming. This post will help you get organized and prepared.
Rhetoric 610: Learning From Lincoln: Less Is More
Before you write -- or deliver -- a keynote speech, it's worth looking at some of the great speeches in history. President Abraham Lincoln showed with his Gettysburg Address that big speeches don't actually have to have a lot of words.
Rhetoric 611: Learning From Churchill: Passion and Resolve
Winston Churchill gave some of the best speeches of the 20th century during World War II, and he shows how to experss passion and resolve without making the rookie mistake of shouting, which only makes a speaker seem angry and out of control. Churchill actually lowered the volume during crucial parts of his speeches.
Rhetoric 612: Learning from Reagan: Specifics and Real People
President Ronald Reagan didn't talk about abstract concepts and ideas. He talked about specific things and real people. This post analyzes his speech in Berlin, where he famously sent a specific message to a real person in a single, powerful line: "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall."