Speak with Courage by Martin McDermott - First Edition, 2014 from Macmillan Student Store

Speak with Courage

50+ Insider Strategies for Presenting with ConfidenceFirst Edition ©2014 Martin McDermott

Instructors and students understand that fear of public speaking is one of the biggest challenges in the introductory course. And that’s where Speak with Courage comes in. Author and master teacher Martin McDermott has helped over 3,000 students overcome their fears and rise above speech anxi...
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Speak with Courage by Martin McDermott - First Edition, 2014 from Macmillan Student Store

Give your next speech—fearlessly

Instructors and students understand that fear of public speaking is one of the biggest challenges in the introductory course. And that’s where Speak with Courage comes in. Author and master teacher Martin McDermott has helped over 3,000 students overcome their fears and rise above speech anxiety by applying the right techniques.

Speak with Courage offers 50+ diverse strategies—class-tested, rhetorical, practical, and fun—that help students at every stage of the speechmaking process, from getting started and choosing a topic to delivering the presentation and learning from the experience. Helpful and effective, this well-written and appealing text is the tool you need to get your students up and speaking—with confidence. Speak with Courage is also available as an inexpensive e-book, a great add on to any course with a public speaking component.

Features

Addresses speech anxiety—the biggest obstacle for most students—head on. This anxiety is one of the hardest obstacles for instructors to help their students overcome. That’s where Speak with Courage comes in. It’s the only book focused on speech anxiety designed specifically for use in introductory speech and communication courses—and beyond.

The perfect author using class tested techniques. A master teacher and stylish writer, Martin McDermott has taught public speaking for 15 years to more than 3,000 students. This vast experience has allowed him to class-test and hone the book’s techniques, advice, and examples for maximum effectiveness.

50+ effective, easy-to-apply techniques—one technique per chapter—offer advice for every step of the speech process, simultaneously helping readers overcome speech anxiety and become more effective speakers overall. Coverage areas include topic choice, audience analysis, organization, outlining, delivery, visual aids, assessment, and many more.

Easy to integrate Speak with Courage into a course or syllabi. Along with a helpful introduction that presents the author’s approach and philosophy, each section concludes with a bulleted summary of every technique included. In addition, a useful chart correlates chapters in the text with the major topics typically covered in the introductory class.

Affordable price. With all this great coverage, and the benefits the book offers to students in their speech classes, on campus, on the job, and in the community, Speak with Courage would be cheap at twice the price!

E-Book options to fit your needs. Bedford e-Books to Go are PDF-style e-books that students can download to their laptop or tablet, at only half the price of the print book. A variety of other e-book formats are available for use on computers, tablets, and e-readers. Learn more at bedfordstmartins.com/aboutebooks.

New to This Edition

"One of the most readable and practical guides to stage fright out today. I found myself highlighting every well-written phrase! A must-have for novice speakers to speech professors alike!"

—Kathleen Williams, Bergen Community College

"I read Speak with Courage and found it so inspiring that I actually prepared and gave a speech at my local Chamber of Commerce. highly recommend this book to anyone about to approach the lectern. Speak with Courage will leave you wondering why you ever feared Public Address."

—Jamie R., Student, Cuesta College

Digital Options

Table of Contents

Speak with Courage Table of Contents

I. Opening Vistas

Fear of Public Speaking is Commonplace

Even the Famous Get Scared

Great Fear Can Precede Great Growth

Indulge Your Self-Interest

Big Brother Isn’t Watching You

All Survive, None Perish

II. Basic Strategies

Let Fear Energize you

Think of Public Speaking as a Conversation

Prepare, Prepare, Prepare

Ask for a Little Help

Hold Dress Rehearsals

Familiarize Yourself with the Speech Setting

Have a Backup Plan

Exercise Before Speaking

Gain Performance Experience

Get Some More Speech Training

III. Cognitive Strategies

Rethink How You Think about Speaking

Focus on the Benefits of Presenting

Fear Management, Not Extinction, is the Goal

Take Baby Steps

It’s All in Your Head

Break the Boulder into Stepping Stones

Fill in the Blanks with Sentence-Completion Exercises

Demolish Fear with Implosion Therapy

Try Gestalt Chairwork

Shyness is Not a Crime

Try the Talking Cure

IV. Managing Content

Follow Your Bliss

Your Voice Is Unique

Choose Your Words Wisely

Select Ideas that Support You

Snap the Pieces into Place

Familiarize, Don’t Memorize

You Must Remember This

Visual Aids Can Be an Ally

Use Mental Rehearsal

V. Stepping Onto the Podium

People Want You to Succeed

Find Friendly Faces

Be Audience-Centered

Harmonize Your Voices

Practice Deep Breathing

Stay in the Moment

Dress for Speaking Success

Ignore this Second-rate Advice

Turn the Tables, if Needed

"Damn the Torpedoes, Full Speed Ahead!"

VI. Stepping Down & Looking Back

Give Yourself Approval

Gaze into the Magic Mirrors

See the Tree, Not the Leaves

Do Your Best and Let it Go

VII. The Big Picture

You Just Might Change the World

Dedicate Your Speech

Why Fear Ghosts?

Speak as a Spiritual Act

100 Years From Now, Will it Matter?

Your Life is a Speech

Martin McDermott

Martin McDermott is Associate Professor of Speech Communication at Brookdale Community College in Lincroft, New Jersey. A graduate of Rutgers University, he pursued graduate studies at Ohio State University, and was awarded a Distinguished Scholar Fellowship at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he earned a master’s degree in Communication Studies. Martin has taught more than 3,500 students during his tenure at several colleges and universities, grading over 15,000 presentations in the process—and counting. An active member of the National Communication Association (NCA), Eastern Communication Association (ECA), and New Jersey Communication Association (NJCA), he also conducts continuing education workshops and coaches speakers of all levels in support of their personal and professional goals. A native of Trenton, New Jersey—with family roots stretching back to Brazil, Italy, England, and Ireland—he enjoys travel, film, song writing, athletics, and learning about a broad range of subjects. For more information about Martin McDermott’s training and coaching services, please visit www.martinmcdermott.com.