Donald J. Palmisano - A Leaders Guide to Giving a Memorable Speech: How to Deliver a Message and Captivate an Audience

Copyright 2020 by Donald J. Palmisano

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without the express written consent of the publisher, except in the case of brief excerpts in critical reviews or articles. All inquiries should be addressed to Skyhorse Publishing, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018.

Skyhorse Publishing books may be purchased in bulk at special discounts for sales promotion, corporate gifts, fund-raising, or educational purposes. Special editions can also be created to specifications. For details, contact the Special Sales Department, Skyhorse Publishing, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018 or .

Skyhorse and Skyhorse Publishing are registered trademarks of Skyhorse Publishing, Inc., a Delaware corporation.

Visit our website at www.skyhorsepublishing.com.

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

Cover design by Daniel Brount

Cover photo credit: Getty Images

Print ISBN: 978-1-5107-5527-7

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-5107-5535-2

Printed in the United States of America.

Praise for A Leaders Guide to Giving a Memorable Speech

Dr. Palmisanos book is of supreme importance to all. An indispensable template to educate all who wish to write or give speeches. A buoy for support of all who have shuddered in anxiety before giving an occasional address. A beacon of hope for audiences that they will cease being subjected to boring, ill-prepared, and irrelevant speeches.

Ronald J. French, MD, reigned as Rex,
King of New Orleans Mardi Gras in 2007

A surgeon, an attorney, an extraordinary leader, an author, and a man fully engaged in the richness of life, Dr. Palmisano, the bestselling author of On Leadership , has written another remarkable book. A Leaders Guide to Giving a Memorable Speech delivers on the promise of the title with an abundance of practical advice that you will find useful whether you are an experienced public speaker or deathly afraid of addressing an audience. But the book offers much more. You will learn how to envision your message, shape it, and deliver it beautifully, as Dr. Palmisano interweaves his own vast experience with that of great writers and orators throughout history. It is impossible to read this book without wanting to highlight it, and you will find yourself making notes for your next speech. You will enjoy every page for the richness of the writing, the curated tour of literature and oratory, and the no-nonsense wisdom presented. You will learn how to achieve memorable communication in contexts ranging from an elevator pitch to a TED talk. You will see words that have moved the wheel of history and explore literary devices that have been effective for thousands of years. You not only need this book, you will enjoy it immensely.

Richard E. Anderson, MD, FACP, Chairman and CEO
of The Doctors Company

If there is an awful malady in the world, it is stage fright, Mark Twain recalled. My knees were shaking... I didnt know whether I could stand. I felt those sensations at age seven giving a camp lecture. Dr. Palmisanos book would have saved me. Built on the remarkable experiences of a superb speaker whose own memorable addresses Ive heard, Dr. Palmisano assembles principles from history and literature to create a spinal column of rhetorical devices, demeanor, and inside knowledge that can structure and polish in-person or media success for first-timers or the experienced. Twain would have loved it like me.

Mark B. Constantian, MD, FACS, Traveling Professor,
American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

In this easy-to-read, practical, and well-organized guide to public speaking, Donald Palmisano, MD, notes the importance of being yourself. He personifies this advice consistently and brilliantlyin person, in print, on stage, on TV and radio, and in this book, providing invaluable tools for more effective communication and success.

Donna Baver Rovito, editor, Physician Family Magazine

Dr. Palmisanos leadership and public speaking seminar is highly rated by our medical students due to his uncanny ability to convey important lessons through storytelling. This book will undoubtedly provide much-needed practical strategies for becoming an effective, engaging, and memorable speaker.

Jennifer W. Gibson, PhD, director, Office of Medical Education at Tulane University School of Medicine

When I was offered the chance to have a look at A Leaders Guide to Giving a Memorable Speech by Dr. Donald Palmisano, I jumped at the chance. Tulane medical students have had the opportunity to take his elective course, Leadership: How to Give a Memorable Speech. Well, I missed my chance by only forty-five years or so I thought. Now, we all have that second chance for leadership guru Dr. Palmisano has synthesized this course into this, his latest book. Drawing from seemingly boundless examples from Demosthenes to Mick Jagger, from Shakespeare to Lou Gehrig, this book comes fully loaded with practical tips, examples, and directions enough to make Mark Twain take notes. This book is also chock full of the lagniappe of his own life experience. From the young boy frozen with stage fright to Aloha, Mahalo in his farewell address to the Louisiana State Medical Society, Dr. Palmisano pulls the reader alongside him as he revisits the highway of his life while sharing the insights gained at every rest stop on the path to leadership. Whether tasked with addressing your local PTA or your state legislature, you need to look no further than A Leaders Guide to Giving a Memorable Speech for inspiration. This is truly the only how-to guide you will ever need. I wish I had seen this book before giving my own inaugural address.

Art Fougner, MD, president of the Medical Society
State of New York 20192020

Giving a high-impact speech requires a thorough understanding of the art and science of passionate communication, and in A Leaders Guide to Giving a Memorable Speech , Dr. Don Palmisano has drawn from over two thousand years of wisdom and structure to put all the keys in your hands. As important and immediately useful to a speaker as a six-gun was to a lawman in the old west. Highly readable, immediately useful, and deeply enjoyable!

John J. Nance, Aviation Analyst for ABC World News,
author, and speaker

Storytelling at its best! Dr. Donald Palmisano takes you from Aristotle and Cicero to modern day orators, with insights on avoiding panic and other pitfalls, the use of rhetorical devices, and how to wow audiences from this masterful speaker who has done over one thousand speeches and interviews.

John N. Kennedy, United States Senator, Louisiana

Speaking powerfully, with confidence, can transform your career. Palmisano, himself a famed speaker, provides tips and techniques that are invaluable.

Philip K. Howard, bestselling author of The Death of Common Sense and leader in legal reform

TABLE OF CONTENTS

DEDICATION

To my loving wife, Robin, my muse, advisor, confidante, in-house editor, and defender; a kind and generous lady who makes my dreams come true and brings joy to my life.

FOREWORD
BY TESS GERRITSEN

Many of us know the symptoms: the racing heart, the sweaty palms, and shaky hands that come with having to give a speech. Glossophobia , or fear of public speaking, is so common that up to half of the population avoids any situation that requires addressing a public forum. Yet for many of us, public speaking is a skill essential to our success at school, at work, or as a participating member of our communities. Whether its presenting a report in class or in the boardroom, whether its speaking to a television camera or at a town meeting, most of us, at some time in our lives, will need to face our fears and speak before an audience.