Accomplished public speakers know that just a few enduring principles govern the key to success. James O’Rourke, a distinguished professor of management, has gathered 52 basic truths about confident presenting, organized into ten easily mastered categories.
Each of these principles is based on scientific evidence and years of careful observation of highly successful public speakers. Current relevant examples and specific instructions of how to apply these truths form the centerpiece of each brief chapter. Everything you need is right here from audience research to topic selection, organization patterns, forms of evidence, principles of persuasion, delivery techniques, nonverbal mannerisms, anxiety, and event management.

James Scofield O’Rourke, IV, is an American rhetorician and a professor of Management and Organization with a global reputation in business education. He has taught at the University of Notre Dame for more than 30 years, pursuing research specialties in crisis management, change communication, and reputation management. He founded the Eugene D. Fanning Center for Business Communication in 1990 and, in 2008, was named to an endowed chair as Arthur F. and Mary J. O’Neil Director. He directed the Center for 28 years.

Foreword; Introduction; Part I Some Initial Truths; Part II The Truth About Getting Ready to Speak; Part III The Truth About What Makes People Listen ; Part IV The Truth About Developing Support for Your Presentation; Part V The Truth About Getting Up to Speak; Part VI The Truth About Managing Anxiety; Part VII The Truth About Nonverbal Communication; Part VIII The Truth About Visual Aids; Part IX The Truth About Handling an Audience; Part X The Truth About What Makes a Presentation Work; References; Acknowledgments; About the Author