Dale Carnegie - Speak!: Overcoming the Fear and Horror of Public Speaking

OTHER DALE CARNEGIE & ASSOCIATES TITLES

Sell!

Listen!

Lead!

DALE
CARNEGIE

& ASSOCIATES

How to Get Over the Fear and Horror of Public Speaking

Published 2021 by Gildan Media LLC
aka G&D Media
www.GandDmedia.com

Copyright 2021 by Dale Carnegie & Associates

SPEAK!. Copyright 2021 by Dale Carnegie & Associates. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be used, reproduced or transmitted in any manner whatsoever, by any means (electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. No liability is assumed with respect to the use of the information contained within. Although every precaution has been taken, the author and publisher assume no liability for errors or omissions. Neither is any liability assumed for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein.

FIRST EDITION 2021

Interior design by Meghan Day Healey of Story Horse, LLC

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request

eISBN: 978-1-7225-2672-6

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

We all have possibilities we dont know about. We can do things we dont even dream we can do. Its only when necessity faces us that we rise to the occasion and actually do the things that until now have seemed impossible.

DALE CARNEGIE

We would like to acknowledge the following members of the Dale Carnegie team who contributed to this book:

Joe Hart, President & CEO

Ercell Charles, VP of Customer Transformation

Clark Merrill, Carnegie Master Trainer

Christine Buscarino, Chief Marketing Officer

Mariah Suddarth, Trainer & Marketing Manager

Paul Siregar, Managing Director for Dale Carnegie Indonesia

Robert Korp, Director of Training Quality

Andreas Iffland, Carnegie Master, Germany

Brenda Wells, Dale Carnegie of Orange County, California

Rebecca Collier, Global Master Trainer, Dale Carnegie

Nancy Covert, President of Dale Carnegie Training of Birmingham and Huntsville, Alabama

Tina Graziotto, Vice President of Program Management and Instruction at Dale Carnegie Training of Western and Central Pennsylvania

Dave Wright, CEO of Dale Carnegie Training Houston, Austin, and San Antonio

Ken Beyersdorf, President, Dale Carnegie of Arizona

Frank Starkey, Vice President of Training and Master Trainer at Dale Carnegie Training of Dallas and Fort Worth

Berit Friman, CEO of Dale Carnegie, Sweden

Mark Fitzmaurice, Director and Master Trainer, Dale Carnegie UK

Jonathan Vehar, (former) VP of Product

by Joe Hart, CEO of Dale Carnegie Training

In May of 2015, I became CEO of Dale Carnegie Training, an organization with more than one hundred years of helping people around the world become better speakers, presenters, and leaders. Shortly thereafter, I found myself on a stage in Chicago, standing in front of two hundred Dale Carnegie leaders, where I was introducing myself and my vision for the company. While I had spoken to large groups many times in my career, and felt I was a good speaker, I was nervous. These were some of the very best trainers, coaches, and speakers in the world and I felt the pressure of presenting before such incredibly talented speakers who were watching me. Evaluating me. Judging me on my ability to present and to lead.

What gave me confidence that day were the words of Dale Carnegie, the company founder and author of the best-selling How to Win Friends and Influence People, The Quick and Easy Way to Public Speaking, and How to Stop Worrying and Start Living. Mr. Carnegie said:

Sincerity and enthusiasm and high earnestness will help you. When a person is under the influence of their feelings, their real self comes to the surface. The bars are down. The heat of their emotions has burned all barriers away. They act spontaneously. They talk spontaneously. They are natural.

So, in the end, even this matter of delivery comes back to the thing which has already been emphasized repeatedly in [this book]: namely, put your heart into your talks.

Without question, my heart was all-in that talk and with this organization. I had experienced first-hand the power of the organizations work 20 years earlier. The Dale Carnegie Course had changed my life. I walked into the course as a young attorney and came out a transformed person. People who knew me asked, What happened to you, Joe? You seem more interested in others. Youre more thoughtfuland youre more confident! It wasnt an act. I gained a level of empathy I had lacked. And I really was more confidentso much so that I changed my career, started my own business, and eventually ended up as the CEO of this organization which has transformed countless millions of lives around the world.

When I meet with Dale Carnegie graduates, they tell me about how they had huge gains in their confidence. They found the power to unleash their enthusiasm, and to bring their heart to their work, their lives, and their families. These stories are powerful testimonials of the value of what is presented in this book. As Clark Merrill, Dale Carnegie Master, says, Public speaking is not a trick. Its not acting the key is to be yourself. My colleague Ercell Charles, VP of Customer Transformation explains its power this way: By being yourself, you leave every audience with a unique gift, and that gift is you.