Sims Wyeth - The Essentials of Persuasive Public Speaking

Copyright 2014, 2011 by Sims Wyeth

Previous edition published under the title A Zen Monk Had Sweaty Palms: Pointers on the Path to Better Public Speaking

All rights reserved

Printed in the United States of America

For information about permission to reproduce selections from this book,

write to Permissions, W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.,

500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110

For information about special discounts for bulk purchases,

please contact W. W. Norton Special Sales

at specialsales@wwnorton.com or 800-233-4830

Book design by Ellen Cipriano

Production manager: Louise Mattarelliano

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Wyeth, Sims.

[Zen Monk Had Sweaty Palms]

The essentials of persuasive public speaking / Sims Wyeth.

pages cm

Previous edition published under the title A Zen Monk Had Sweaty Palms: Pointers on the Path to Better Public Speaking.

ISBN 978-0-393-34604-6 (pbk.)

ISBN 978-0-393-34929-0 (e-book)

1. Public speaking. 2. Oral communication. I. Title.

PN4129.15.W94 2014

808.5 ' 1dc23

2013034799

W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.

500 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10110

www.wwnorton.com

W. W. Norton & Company Ltd.

Castle House, 75/76 Wells Street, London W1T 3QT

The following people have contributed to this book directly or indirectly:

Marian Rich

Graham Bernard

Blair Cutting

Beatrice Straight

Deirdre Hurst DuPrey

Robert Lloyd

Peter Giuliano

Frank Carillo

Charles Reilly

Beth Smith

Andrea Knapp Peiser

Diane Klein

Francis Klein

Sharon Dennis Wyeth

Georgie Wyeth

Buz Wyeth

Starling Lawrence

Jeff Shreve

To my wife, Sharon,

my daughter, Georgie,

and in memory of my parents, Nancy and Buz Wyeth

AFTER ALL THIS TALK of dos and donts about framing and delivering persuasive messages, I will end with a story about Mahatma Gandhi, an Indian lawyer and political leader considered by his countrymen to be a Great Soul and the father of modern India.

This isnt a story I found in a book. I heard it from a man I met briefly whose earnestness made a big impression on me. He and the story have stayed with me for twenty-four years.

During the 1940s, when Gandhi sought to rid the Indian subcontinent of its British overlords and unite the various religions and castes of India, he traveled around the country by train spreading his message.

In a remote village far from the railroad, word came that Gandhis train was coming to the district. The village elders gathered and appointed a young man of promise to make the journey of two or three days to the railhead to hear Gandhis message and bring it back to the village.

The young man ran night and day to reach the railroad in time, only to arrive just as Gandhis train was pulling away with the great man standing at the back of the train waving good-bye to the crowd.

Terrified that he would not live up to the expectations of his elders, that he would return to his village empty handed without a message, the young man raced after the train.

Gandhi! Gandhi! What is your message? What is your message? he shouted, running as the train picked up speed.

Hearing the young mans cry, and seeing the look on his face, Gandhi disappeared for an instant into the car and returned with a piece of paper, which he crumpled into a ball and threw off the back of the train.

The crumpled paper landed in the dust of the railbed where the young man found it. Kneeling down, he unfolded the paper and read:

My message is my life.

In the long run, character eats content for lunch. Who you are, who youve been, and who you are becoming send an unmistakable persuasive messageacross a table, over a lectern, and even from the back of a train.

Best wishes on your journey.

[These pointers] are powerfully pithy and practically profound. Sims is a master at giving the best presentation advice in very digestible chunks.

Patricia Fripp, former president,
National Speakers Association

The talented Sims Wyeth is a breath of fresh air in a world of ponderous teachers and all-knowing lecturers. Long may he assist clients!

Charles Reilly, chairman,
In-Person Communications

Sims Wyeth is a master of effective and persuasive presentations. Its no surprise then, that his book is an object example: clear, insightful, wiseand a delight to read.

Charles Green, president, Trusted Advisor

One of the best presentation coaches I know... Wyeth comes up with dozens of koan-like tips on how to be a more persuasive public speaker and effective presenter.

Inc. Magazine

This book is the next best thing to having Sims on your left shoulder as you go into a meeting or presentation.

Charles van Horne, managing director, Abbott Capital

Whether you are a seasoned veteran or a neophyte public speaker; whether you are creating a presentation or giving one; whether you are full of courage or timidity, The Essentials of Persuasive Public Speaking is a must-read. Sims Wyeth takes his over-twenty years of experience in the art of skillful speaking and synthesizes everything you need to know into an easy-to-read and inspirational set of dos and donts. If you like getting your point across; if you like winning the attention and admiration of a crowd; and if you like the thrill of making things happen when you stand up to speak, get this book, and cease your sweating evermore.

Mike Blechar,
former vice president, Gartner

What a wonderful collection of insights, hints, and tips! In a more formal age we would only receive this wisdom after swearing loyalty to a secret society, a guild. But here now for anyone who wishes to become a better speaker, Wyeth shares his distillation of decades of work, thousands of conversations, years of teaching and learning the practice of speech.

William Malik, founder of Malik Consulting

I am delighted that Sims Wyeth has compiled his pithy advice on successful public speaking. For years I have been printing out each oratorical bon mot, and now I will have a single source to refer to when contemplating my next appearance on a dais.

John Bliss, founder, Bliss PR

PRAISE NO MAN BEFORE HE SPEAKS,
FOR IT IS THEN THAT MEN ARE TESTED.

The Book of Sirach,
Chapter 27, verses 67

CONTENTS

ON THE DAY you ascend into heaven, take a few minutes to sit on a cloud and add up the hours you spent giving presentations or speaking publicly. The total will be a small fraction of your time on earth.

However, those few occasions may well have had a disproportionate impact on your professional success, and quite possibly on the fullness of your life. Why?

Because, unless youre a famous artist, you give more to others through your speech than through any other form of communication, because you know more than you can say, but you can say more than you can write.