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Pitch Perfect

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Pitch Perfect

How to Say It Right the First Time, Every Time

HarperBusiness,

15 min read
10 take-aways
Audio & text

What's inside?

Most people fear public speaking, but it’s an essential skill that can advance your business and personal lives.

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Editorial Rating

7

Qualities

  • Applicable
  • Well Structured
  • Engaging

Recommendation

People suffer three great fears: flying, dying and public speaking. To help offset the latter, Bill McGowan, co-writing with Alisa Bowman, presents an entertaining, informative guide chock-full of practical advice for anyone seeking to communicate with greater relaxation and effect. He cites examples and practical advice based on his extensive experience helping people speak in their business and personal lives. This easy-to-read, original self-help manual is tailor-made for speakers who want to improve their oral communications skills in a variety of business and personal situations. getAbstract is all about improving communications, so we highly recommend this fresh approach to everyone who wants to overcome public speaking anxiety.

Summary

The Impact of Speech

What people say is often more important than what they do. This simple fact can get lost when people present their ideas on a first date, to relatives, in everyday business settings or in front of large groups. The impact of a powerful presentation can fuel career and personal success, and make the difference between getting or losing a big sale. Great presentations enhance reputations and make you appear intelligent, sincere and confident. Alternately, poor presentations can make you seem boring, inarticulate and ineffective.

Effective communications matter because people spend 70% to 80% of their waking time communicating in some way. Developing excellent communication skills can enhance your career possibilities. One study of 4,000 professionals and 268 senior executives found that projecting confidence improved leadership – as does maintaining a good appearance and communicating well. If you communicate your ideas concisely, people will more readily accept and understand them.

Good communicators develop their own distinctive style and consciously break away from how others communicate. A distinctive style includes avoiding clichés, never...

About the Authors

Bill McGowan, founder and CEO of Clarity Media Group, is a two-time Emmy Award-winning correspondent. Alisa Bowman collaborated on seven New York Times best-selling books.

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