Great Speeches For Better Speaking (Book + Audio CD)

Overview

Master the art of persuasion with lessons from the best speakers of our time.

Throughout history, they have moved us. They have enlightened and inspired us. They are our nation's most influential speakers, gifted with the talent to change minds and hearts. What is the almost magical power they possess--and how can you harness it for yourself? The answers are here in this illuminating guide to unforgettable oratory.

Complete with a ninety-minute CD featuring six great speeches in their entirety, this tool kit for speakers takes you through an in-depth analysis of these historically significant speeches and the secrets of their eloquent effectiveness. With close examination of each speech, you'll get lessons on how to:

• Address a difficult situation with help from the Great Communicator, Ronald Reagan
• Bring divergent interests together with effective arguments like Edward Kennedy
• Capture and hold your audience's attention by mastering General Douglas MacArthur's structual techniques
• Style a formal speech with the elegance of John F. Kennedy
• Maximize your delivery by studying the power of Barbara Jordan's voice
• Use Mary Fisher's special rhetorical tactics to sway even the toughest audience

Table of contents

Introduction
Chapter 1: The Power of Oratory in the United States
Chapter 2: Situation (Speech: Reagan Space Shuttle Challenger Tragedy Address)
Chapter 3: Content (Speech: Edward Kennedy: “Truth and Tolerance in America”)
Chapter 4: Structure (Speech: General Douglas MacArthur’s Thayer Award Acceptance Address)
Chapter 5: Style (Speech: John F. Kennedy: Inaugural Address)
Chapter 6: Delivery (Speech: Barbara Jordan: Statement on the Articles of Impeachment)
Chapter 7: Rhetorical Strategies and Tactics (Speech: Mary Fisher: 1992 Republican Convention Address)
Chapter 8: Conclusion
Appendixes: Speech Transcripts
References

Biographical note

Michael E. Eidenmuller, Ph.D., is an associate professor of speech communication at the University of Texas at Tyler and the founder of AmericanRhetoric.com, the Internet's largest database of freely available, complete speeches in both text and audio format. He lives in Whitehouse, Texas.