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Title: On Speaking Well by Peggy Noonan ISBN: 0-06-098740-5 Publisher: Regan Books Pub. Date: 01 March, 1999 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.54 (24 reviews)
Rating: 3
Summary: Good but flawed, with better alternatives
Comment: Peggy Noonan's book offers good advice on how to approach speechwriting that's often surprising. For someone who wrote the "thousand points of light" speech, she's keen on simplicity, and substance. The how-to-write chapters were interesting and made me consider not just how to approach the topic I was writing a speech for, but how to approach writing it: from finding the core ideas to rehersal, Noonan's got good ideas.
But there's a catch -- Noonan doesn't go a couple pages without tossing off some reference to Clinton/Gore, what awful speakers they were, in their different ways, and by contrast, how great the people she worked with were. It's really annoying, to the point where I wish I hadn't bought it now, because I'm reluctant to go back and re-read sections, knowing the asides that faced me. Sometimes it was fine -- her insight into the purpose behind some of Reagan's speeches was actually intersting, for example -- but frequently it seemed cheap, and I wished she hadn't done it.
I'll give a particularly heinous example: Noonan wants to say that you can break all the rules, and as her example cites a speech by Mother Teresa at a prayer breakfast in which the good Mother goes into a blistering attack on abortion and contraception. Noonan delights in this and particularly in the reaction of Hilary Clinton, who sat and tried to look pleasant.
Now, I'm not a fan of the Clintons, but the whole section is so out-of-place. Hilary's discomfort doesn't illustrate Noonan's point about it being okay to break the rules. That many people were inspired and thought it was great does. There are many examples of unconventional speeches that succeed, and it's Noonan's loss for picking this one.
I've moved on to other books. William Safire's work in particular is excellent reading, and highly recommended. He's also a stalwart conservative, but his writing is both principled and outstanding, without the flaws Noonan's book contains.
Rating: 1
Summary: I actually tried to rely on this book for a presentation...
Comment: I couldn't beleive how bad this book is. Not really a presentation on how to speak well, but full of recollections of her career-long speaking days. There was nothing useful in this book, except if you want to hear her reflections on talking her grades up with the professors in college back in the '60's. A complete waste of time and money.
Rating: 4
Summary: Speaking to me
Comment: I loved reading this book - Ms. Noonan kept the momentum flowing. This is a very good introduction for people who are nervous about public speaking and/or speech writing. Ms. Noonan gives some insights and "how to's" about a person and/or topic. We must learn about what works for a person and what will not. Some of this is not earth shattering, however we can enhance our knowledge through her real life examples. Peggy points out that we should develop our own style, and we should avoid imitating other people's styles. Ms. Noonan also recommends that we use of humor in the right situations, never speak in a style above us, and avoid industry jargon.
I frequently give seminars for my company, and I am a president of a non-profit group. I found the ideas and suggestions extremely useful in enhancing my presentation skills.
There are a lot of Ronald Reagan examples/case studies, which I enjoyed because I am a huge Reagan fan. To me this was an added bonus.
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Title: When Character Was King: A Story of Ronald Reagan by Peggy Noonan ISBN: 0142001686 Publisher: Penguin Books Pub. Date: 01 October, 2002 List Price(USD): $15.00 |
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Title: A Heart, a Cross, and a Flag : America Today by Peggy Noonan ISBN: 0743250052 Publisher: Free Press Pub. Date: 11 June, 2003 List Price(USD): $25.00 |
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Title: What I Saw at the Revolution : A Political Life in the Reagan Era by PEGGY NOONAN ISBN: 0812969898 Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks Pub. Date: 14 October, 2003 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
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Title: Writing Great Speeches: Professional Techniques You Can Use (Part of the Essence of Public Speaking Series) by Alan M. Perlman ISBN: 0205273009 Publisher: Allyn & Bacon Pub. Date: 09 September, 1997 List Price(USD): $12.00 |
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Title: The Elements of Speechwriting and Public Speaking by Jeff Scott Cook ISBN: 0028614526 Publisher: Longman Pub. Date: 01 October, 1996 List Price(USD): $10.95 |
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