J.R. Steele - Your Best Speech Ever: The ultimate public speaking How To Guide featuring the Speech Formula a proven design and delivery system.

The ultimate public speaking How To Guide featuring the Speech Formul a a proven design and delivery system.

J.R. Steele

Published by, The International Public Speaking Institute, Fort Lauderdale, FL 2017

Dedication

To my students who have opened themselves to learn the life lessons speech provides; I have learned so much from you.

Acknowledgements

Many people helped make this book a reality. From the beginning, Julie Haan, Micki Johnson, and Marcia McPherson have supported my vision and provided tremendous morale support. As that vision morphed into Your Best Speech Ever, I am so grateful for the careful edit provided by James Lange. Nolan Haan never fails to have the courage to provide honest, meaningful feedback and has availed himself for many creative consultations. Mitchell, your input made a big difference! My support system includes a long list of cherished people who have listened, encouraged, admonished and offered patience throughout this project. Thank you! Amy Parker has painstakingly designed every page. She has the patience of a saint and has earned my deepest gratitude. Finally, Lloyd Cosby, my rock, thank you for your patience and so much more.

YOUR BEST SPEECH EVER Copyright 2017 by J.R. Steele.

All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

For information contact www.yourbestspeechever.com

Cover and graphic design by Amy Parker

www.apdesignworks.com

ISBN: 978-1-947450-03-5 (Kindle Edition)

First Edition: October 2017

Feel free to share this just dont try to pass it off as your own!

If you enjoy this book, I really hope youll do me the favor of leaving a review.

You can connect with me jr@yourbestspeechever.com

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Reviews

Finally! As a speech instructor who has used three different speech course textbooks over the past seven years in hopes of finding a book that would both awaken and enlighten my students, I view Your Best Speech Ever as, forgive the corny pun, the best speech text ever. Steele incorporates new, relevant research like that of Amy Cuddys on power poses, deals with students most palpable fears about public speaking while offering specific strategies to overcome them (unlike the overly-generalized tips that most books give), includes tools of engagement like self-awareness quizzes, numbered lists, cognitive exercises and surveys all while punctuating it with a unique sense of humor and wit the type that students love in both a textbook and a teacher. Furthermore, I have asked my students to use the online engagement platforms for two other speech textbooks and they found them incomplete with a confusing user experience. I am eager to have my students use the online speech formula tool that Steele has developed to accompany her text. Im beyond excited to get started! Tiffani Knowles, Author of HOLA AMERICA: Guts, Grit, Grind and Further Traits in the Successful American Immigrant, Speech Instructor, City University of New York, NYC Public Schools, Barry University

Your Best Speech Ever helped me be the speaker I always wished I could be! Katherine Espinosa, Athlete

Turns a frustrating and anxiety ridden experience into a journey of self-discovery and actualization. John Leyden III, Student

A great and simple way to create a phenomenal speech. Adam Dean, Ph.D.

No other book guides you through a logical process that allows you to clearly express your ideas, keeping the audiences needs foremost throughout each step. Sam De Jesus, Nurse Practitioner

Your Best Speech Ever is a fantastic way to advance leadership skills with my staff. Each has their own copy on their desk. Marcia McPherson, Owner Employment Resources

I have grown so much as a speaker. At first, I was too nervous to speak in front of an audience, mainly because I didnt know how to prepare. By mastering the Delivery Principles and then learning how to organize my ideas better, I now write worthwhile speeches that Im excited to deliver. Ninnosca Reyes, Radio Personality

Wow, this is the most organized way I have ever written a speech, even a paper. It forces you to thoroughly know your research, cite ethically, and organize your speech the best way. Shaylis Guerrero

Awesome use for any form of presentation on any subject. Kyle Schulze, Deaf Ninja Warrior

Works as great gift! My sons in college loved it as much as my colleagues! Kathleen Casey, Esquire

Your Best Speech Ever is a no nonsense text for new or experienced public speakers. Each chapter is filled with checklists and strategies which can easily be revisited whenever tasked with delivering a speech. So grateful this tool is in my repertoire to enhance my leadership skills, which will allow me to succeed within my team, in the classroom and in the workplace! Hanna Durocher, Student-Athlete

Your Best Speech Ever gives those of us who find public speaking terrifying permission to embrace our anxiety while providing us with the tools to overcome that fear. It accomplishes this by guiding us through the public speaking process using humor and practical structured approaches. Darla J. Slicton, PsyD. Clinical Psychologist

Table of Contents

F or many people, the thought of speaking in public makes them tremble, sweat and stutter. I felt just this way when I taught my first college course. Imagine being the instructor for a group of 25 freshman college students and having to tell the group, You have a speech to deliver. At first, the speeches were painful to hearfor both students and the instructor! I soon realized that while there were some great textbooks out there, they did little to help students improve. I carefully analyzed each speech, each student, and each class. My instructional design background came in handy to identify a better way to ease the pain and anxiety and help each student deliver a dynamic speech.

After time, a Speech Formula emerged. As each student in each class applied the Speech Formula, a remarkable thing happenedtheir speeches became worth hearing, and their peers looked forward to speech day! Students began to develop a feeling of excitement at the idea of presenting their ideas because they had a message worth hearing and the confidence to do so. The Speech Formula provided a systematic way for them to improve. It was exciting to see the students enter the classroom terrified during their first presentation and soaring with confidence by their last. This confidence extended beyond the classroom. It penetrated their daily lives. Many reported receiving an array of compliments ranging from simple acknowledgment for having shared their ideas to salary raises, and many expressed enjoying healthier relationships with their friends and family. Public speaking is said to be the language of leadership for a reason. As student after student, class after class experienced the same improvement, the Speech Formula clearly showed it could help people reach their full potential by becoming better, more conscious communicators.

For the past several years, Ive shared these principles with an array of individuals from the neighbor compelled to speak at the city commissioners meeting to business executives preparing for a company product launch and even an artist presenting a workshop about their lifes work. In each instance, it helped these individuals deliver their best speech. Recently, I had a speech to deliver. I followed the Speech Formula exactly. The process was so simple and fast. The speech could not have gone better. It fills my heart to know the Speech Formula works to help me deliver my best speech too! I am delighted to share the entire process of creating Your Best Speech Ever. Each chapter offers an array of probing questions; interactions and practice speeches that will help you build the specific skill addressed. This process helps you think differently when you communicate. You may notice that your dialog will become more precise before long, you will be able to choose the right strategy for each audience. I refer to this transformation as being Speech Actualized. I encourage you to reach your full potential through the lessons learned from speech. I invite you to join those of us who have used the Speech Formula to become Speech Actualized. Lets begin the journey to discover Your Best Speech Ever.