Dale Carnegie - Public Speaking to Win: The Original Formula to Speaking with Power

PUBLIC SPEAKING TO WIN!

Also available in the Condensed Classics Library

A MESSAGE TO GARCIA

ACRES OF DIAMONDS

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS

AS A MAN THINKETH

HOW TO ATTRACT GOOD LUCK

HOW TO ATTRACT MONEY

PUBLIC SPEAKING TO WIN!

SELF-RELIANCE

THE GAME OF LIFE AND HOW TO PLAY IT

THE KYBALION

THE LAW OF SUCCESS

THE MAGIC LADDER TO SUCCESS

THE MAGIC OF BELIEVING

THE MASTER KEY TO RICHES

THE MASTER MIND

THE MILLION DOLLAR SECRET HIDDEN IN YOUR MIND

THE POWER OF CONCENTRATION

THE POWER OF YOUR SUBCONSCIOUS MIND

THE SCIENCE OF BEING GREAT

THE SCIENCE OF GETTING RICH

THE SECRET DOOR TO SUCCESS

THE SECRET OF THE AGES

THINK AND GROW RICH

YOUR FAITH IS YOUR FORTUNE

PUBLIC SPEAKING TO WIN!

by Dale Carnegie

The Original Formula to Speaking with Power

Abridged and Introduced by Mitch Horowitz

Published by Gildan Media LLC

aka G&D Media.

www.GandDmedia.com

Public Speaking to Win! was originally published in 1926 as Public Speaking: A Practical Course for Business Men

G&D Media Condensed Classics edition published 2018

Abridgement and Introduction copyright 2015 by Mitch Horowitz

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, by any means, (electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the author. 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: 2018

Cover design by David Rheinhardt of Pyrographx

Interior design by Meghan Day Healey of Story Horse, LLC.

ISBN: 978-1-7225-0040-5

eISBN: 978-1-7225-2025-0

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

The Power of What You Say

N early everything worth accomplishing in life comes down to communication. Your ability to sway others, win support, gain resources, succeed in your work, and correct injustice rests on your power of persuasion.

Even in our social-media age, the spoken word remains paramount. Candidates are elected because of what they say and how. Court trials hang on spoken testimony. Job interviews are face-to-face encounters. The same holds true for pitches to clients, donors, investors, customers, and financial backers. If you are seeking a career as a teacher, military officer, actor, broadcaster, or leader in any almost any field, your speaking ability is vital to your success.

Strikingly little has changed in human relations since Dale Carnegie wrote this guide to speaking in 1926, a decade before he gained international fame as the author of How to Win Friends and Influence People. When Carnegie produced this book he was making his living as the teacher of a popular seminar on public speaking. Carnegie had begun teaching his methods in 1912 at a YMCA in New York City. Requests for his course came in from around the country. By the mid-1930s, Ripleys Believe-It-Or-Not anointed Carnegie the king of public speaking with a cartoon reporting that he had personally critiqued 150,000 speeches.

Whether this is exaggerated, Carnegies guidebook remains probably the best ever on how to speak with conviction and power. The book shows how to capture peoples attention and win their confidence, whether you are speaking at a local club, a national sales conference, or in front of a class. But, as you will discover, this book delivers far more than instructions on how to give a good talk. Its greater value is that it teaches how to communicate effectively in virtually every sphere of life, on any occasion, and on behalf of any aim or purpose.

If you are a salesman, the book will help you will sell more. If you are a writer or editor, you will learn to better connect with readers. If you are an activist, you will find new ways to rally people to your cause.

What is the secret of Carnegies formula? It comes down to three principles.

First, have an airtight knowledge of your subjectknow more than you need.

Second, when speaking, use plain language, personal examples, and tell stories of people.

Third, and finally, appeal to your listeners sense of self-interest: We all crave safety, success, health, and prosperity. We also have a yearning for justice and fairness. Speak on these points, and you will likely bring people to your side.

Unless you are one of a very few naturally gifted speakers, implementing these simple guidelines requires persistence, inspiration, and strategy. You will find all of thatand morein this book.

Carnegies methods will bring you increased power. Use it for good ends.

Mitch Horowitz

CHAPTER ONE

Developing Courage and Self-Confidence

T housands of businessmen have taken my public-speaking courses. The vast majority have told me the same thing: When I am called upon to stand up and speak, I become so self-conscious, so frightened, that I cant think clearly, cant concentrate, and cant remember what I wanted to say. I want to gain self-confidence, poise, and the ability to think on my feet.

Gaining self-confidence and courage, and the ability to think calmly and clearly while talking to a group, is not nearly as difficult as most imagine. It is not a gift bestowed by Providence. It is like the ability to play golf. Anyone can develop his own latent capacity, if he has sufficient desire to do so.

Rather than being frightened to speak publicly, you ought to think and speak better in front of a group. Their presence ought to lift and stir you. Many speakers will tell you that an audience is a stimulus, an inspiration that drives their brains to function more clearly, more keenly. At such times, thoughts, facts, and ideas that they did not know they possessed come to them. This will probably be your experience if you practice and persevere.

In order to get the most from this book, and to get it quickly, four things are essential:

FIRST

Start with a persistent desire. This is of far greater importance than you may realize. If I could look into your heart and mind right now, and ascertain the depth of your desires, I could foretell with near-certainty the swiftness of your progress. If your desire is pale and flabby, your achievements will be the same. But if you go after this subject with persistence, nothing will defeat you. Therefore, arouse your enthusiasm for this study. Think of what additional self-confidence and speaking ability will mean to you. Think of what it may mean in profits. Think of what it may mean sociallyof the friends it will bring, of the increase of your personal influence, of the leadership it will give you.

SECOND

Know thoroughly what you intend to talk about. Unless a speaker has thought out and planned what he is going to say, he cant feel very comfortable when facing his auditors. An unprepared speaker ought to be self-consciousand ought to be ashamed of his negligence.

THIRD

Act confident. To feel brave, advises philosopher William James, act as if we