Published by Marcus Alexander
Edited by Shereen Flam & Andy Fisher
Book design by Ivica Jandrijevi
First published 2020
Images and text copyright 2017
All rights reserved.
The moral right of the author has been asserted.
This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be re-sold, hired out, be lent or otherwise circulated without the authors prior consent in any cover or form of binding other than that in which it is published.
www.keeperoftherealms.com
ISBN 978-0-9558912-2-9
Editors disclaimer
All materials within this book are for informational purposes only. You should apply discretion combined with the consultation of both a health care practitioner and a personal trainer before undertaking any of the exercises or techniques described within this book. To the best that we can ascertain all information was correct at the time of writing. In addition, the author and his team disclaim any liability for any adverse effects that may arise from use of this book and the information contained within.
Authors footnote to the editors disclaimer: we do assume liability for any awesome effects that arise from using this book!
Contents
Part I
Longevity.
Part II
Mechanics.
Part III
Maintenance.
Part IV
Agencies.
Part V
Additional Skills & Reference.
Rough Beginnings.
I never wanted to become a public speaker, in fact, I freakin hated talking in front of an audience.
But my hopes of avoiding any and all matters oratory were dashed when, as a freshly signed author, my editorial team informed me that theyd booked me for a two-week whirlwind tour.
At first, I thought they were joking. But their po-faced expressions clearly indicated that they werent.
The bitter cruelty! I couldnt believe it; what twisted piece of fate would offer up my dream of becoming an author, only to give me a side serving of public speaking fear? When I tried to weasel out of the task, I received sharp schooling from my publishing house in the realities of the industry. If you were an author and wanted to succeed in todays marketplace, you simply had to tour . Exposure was a necessity and talking directly to potential customers was the one sure way to make headway. And I very much wanted to succeed. Being an author was my dream job so I pushed aside my doubts, grabbed hold of my confidence and went to work.
The first week was a nightmare. Each day I was rushed from event to event and told to stand in front of an ever-increasingly large crowd. I visited schools, book shops, academies and colleges and damn, did I make a lot of mistakes! I mumbled, I stuttered, I got my slides mixed up, I alienated a crowd by messing up my lines and in general there was a lot of blushing and soul-crushing moments. As if that wasnt enough, there were calamitous moments over which I had no control; projectors failed, audio speakers shrieked, venues posted incorrect starting times and in one crowded establishment the spectators barely stopped chatting to each other while I spoke.
At the end of the first week I went out and partied with my friends, drank a lot of tequila and blew off as much steam as possible. The following morning I pummelled my hangover into submission with multiple espressos and paracetamol and went to work correcting my presentation, working on my animations and practising my delivery.
The second week wasnt much better. I made more mistakes, I continued to make a fool of myself and I juggled even more technical faults. But there were good moments too. I got a foot-thumping round of applause at one school and the book-signing queue at another was so long that I actually got cramp in my fingers. Cramp! More than that, the Q&A sessions and the opportunity to encourage young readers and share tips with budding writers was truly exciting. By the end of that second week I was surprised to find that I was beginning to enjoy the talks.
From that point, I started to search for more talking opportunities and with the reviews garnered from my two-week tour, managed to get my foot in the door with a professional speaking agency. In the six years since that rough beginning, Ive given over 1,600 paid talks in thirteen countries. In addition to the three agencies that I work with, I have my own team chasing leads and arranging events on my behalf. And in an odd reversal, I find that I now love touring every bit as much as I do writing. In fact, I spend more of my time touring than writing and earn a far greater income through talking than I do putting pen to paper.
Crazy, right?
* * * *
With a growing focus upon lifestyle choices, public speaking is in demand more than ever before. There are YouTubers, Ted talkers, motivational speakers, personal training gurus, online super teachers, Instastars, Snapchat celebrities and more. All of which means that the old adage of those that can, do, those who cant teach, no longer rings true. The public has the time, the money and the desire to improve their lives. They want to learn new skills, new languages, new hobbies and new ways to exercise. Increased disposable income, the rise of the internet and the ability to travel cheaply has caused a surging escalation of demand for public speakers.
Unfortunately, becoming a good public speaker is neither easy nor straightforward. It takes practice, a lot of practice to iron out the wrinkles in a performance. You must master your voice, make the best of body language, adopt crowd control techniques and learn how to deliver your speech in a way that your audience can understand. And once these steps have been conquered, you must learn resilience to ensure career longevity and flexibility to overcome the hurdles and tripwires that will frequently arise while talking on stage.
Which is where I come in. I have a wealth of experience built upon the foundation of a thousand mistakes; some small, some large, some painful and too many that were simply mortifying! After spending weeks, months and years talking to audiences that numbered in the hundreds and thousands, Ive developed a well-tested skill set that ensures I get repeat bookings and that my calendar starts to fill eighteen months in advance. I want to share these with you in the hopes that you can climb the ladder both faster and smoother than I did. But dont get me wrong, I, of course, expect you to go out and make your own mistakes. Mistakes are a necessity, theyre the greatest of teachers but perhaps by sharing my lessons and experience, you will rise to become part of the next generation of public speakers that will be greater than the last.
The very best of luck and fingers crossed I get to bump into you on the Speakers circuit soon.
Marcus Alexander
How to use this book.
This book is not a novel, its a bible ; a repository of knowledge. Its been pieced together, not with the intent of being read from cover to cover (which would be exceedingly dull!) but with the desire to provide budding speakers with all the skills required to get the job done. As a future public speaker, you are hopefully already a master in your particular field and have the ability to talk endlessly about your given topic. Because of this, you wont find any chapters in this bible that covers writing or developing a speech; there are books aplenty on that. This book, instead, looks at the skill of performing to an audience; youll find instructions on effortless voice projection, insights to engaging and controlling listeners, oratory tips on turning dull topics into exciting performances and insider knowledge on the business aspect of the Speakers circuit.
The Public Speaking Bible: A Survival Guide For Standing On Stage is split into five parts.
