Today marks the publication of Grace Under Pressure: A Masterclass in Public Speaking by Lisa Wentz, speaking coach with over 10 years experience helping hundreds of people evolve from beginner to advance speakers.
Simple, no-nonsense tools to improve your public speaking skills
- Author is a public speaking expert who uses examples from her client base and historically influential speakers.
- Exercises provided throughout the book help the reader with anxiety, vocal training and performance technique.
- Techniques are vividly illustrated through detailed anecdotes from speakers who have overcome obstacles such as negative inner critics and nervous shakes.
- Lisa Wentz has her own private practice as a speaking coach with over 10 years of experience helping hundreds of people evolve from beginner to advanced speakers.
According to most studies, public speaking is the number one fear among professionals. Most suffer from stage fright, lack of basic vocal training and/or lack of delivery technique. Such individuals seek tips and tricks in books, articles, and blogs, and assume that there’s a fast and easy way for appearing eloquent and polished in front of an audience. However, these sources often fail to address the underlying issue of stage fright, and the same habitual responses to nervousness continue to plague the speaker.
Grace Under Pressure solves this issue by unveiling three areas of training that great speakers use to develop their skills. In the first section, author Lisa Wentz shares techniques that she has developed to help anyone overcome inner obstacles so they can focus on developing their outward presence. The second section outlines how to best develop the physical aspects of speech, including posture, breathing, resonance, and articulation. And the third section centres on delivery: how to use pauses, word stress, and storytelling, among other techniques, to improve your performance from novice to master. This final section offers acting techniques and directorial advice that can be applied to speeches, pitches, presentations and meeting strategies.
About the author
Lisa holds a master’s degree in voice and speech pedagogy from the Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London. Lisa has been featured as a public speaking expert in TIME, the Wall Street Journal and L.A. Daily Journal, among others. Lisa regularly coaches executives and managers from Fortune 500 companies and the non-profit sector. She lives in San Francisco, California, USA.
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