My New Public Speaking Book Will Help You...Guaranteed!

I am really excited to announce that my new book Public Speaking in the Semiosphere: Creating a Meaningful Experience for Your Audience is available for pre-order on Amazon.com. It will be officially released on April 30th, 2015. Written with my colleague Howard Miller, the book promises to help make you a speaker distinguished by your authenticity and ability to present meaningful messages.

At the root of our approach is a semiotic sensibility. My graduate work in Communicology  focused on semiotics (the study of signs and how people give meaning to the world around them). As a result I have always had a slightly different approach to public speaking than most. Rather than teach people to conform to arbitrary conventions, I encourage them to create "signs" that the audience will interpret positively. This perspective results in a presentation that resonates with the audience.

Have you ever seen  speakers that breaks all the "rules" and yet are tremendously successful and/or popular? That's because they made choices to create something unique to them and their style. They chose to create a meaningful experience for both themselves and the audience. We will teach you to do the same.

Audience members perceive your speech through the lens of their own lived-world. One of the keys to creating meaningful experiences is to tap into their lived-world as you select material. In the book, right in Chapter One, I lay out multiple techniques for creating a meaningful experience.

This really is a unique and valuable resource for speakers from all walks of life. Whether you are a teacher, student, preacher,politician, lawyer, or business person you will want to read this book. Short easy-to-read chapters range from overcoming anxiety about speaking, to how to use visual aids in a manner people will love (avoiding the dreaded "Death by PowerPoint"). It also features chapters devoted to informative speaking, persuasive speaking, and speaking on special occasions.

We aim to train you you to speak extemporaneously, not read scripts or PowerPoint slides. Extemporaneous speech is natural and conversational, with the vocal variety essential to engage listeners. We take you through the entire speech preparation and delivery process.

If you do any kind of public speaking, even a one-time wedding toast, do yourself a favor and check out this book. I promise you it will result in a great experience for both you and your audience!