On Speaking Well [antikvár]

Introduction his is a book of advice and anecdotes about the writing and giving of speeches. It is about what works and what doesn't when you're communicating using only words in the air. It is not solely about political speeches, for they are only one stream off the great river of rhetoric. Instead it is for people in any area of life who find themselves asked to speak in public and are not entirely comfortable with the prospect. Which would be a lot of us. We are all asked sooner or later to say a few words at the annual meeting, the parent-teacher gathering, the awards dinner, the memorial service, the wedding. But I think these days Americans are speaking in public more than ever. For years social observers have worried that TV, videos and home entertainment centers were detaching us from each other, fracturing our sense of community, keeping us home on the couch watching instead of outside with others doing. But I am increasingly struck by the sheer number of meetings and gatherings that take place every night in America's cities and towns—lectures, visiting authors, visiting celebrities, "An Evening with . . .cultural gatherings, political meetings. People seem to be speechifying more than ever.