Winning Speech Moments: How to Achieve Your Objective with Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere
Jay Oza
5ToolGroup (2017)

How to respond to the unique challenges of preparing and then delivering a “high stakes speech”

Ignore this book’s over-cooked subtitle and focus on the solid information, insights, and counsel that Jay Oza provides. All will help prepare readers to respond to the unique challenges of preparing and then delivering a “high stakes speech,” to be sure, but the same information, insights, and counsel will also be of substantial benefit when communicating with others in an informal setting to acieve your overall objective [explain, and/or describe and/or convince].

According Oza, “To master the art of winning speech moments, you need to integrate the three parts [craft content, develop a message, and deliver a performance] with the intention of winning — that is, with the instrument of achieving your overall objective [to explain and/or describe and/or convince]. You need to change your mindset from just giving speeches to giving winning speeches.”

Oza concedes, “What makes this book different from others is that I treat every speech as being high-stakes.” However, my own opinion is that if there is no compelling need to masker a speech, don’t. If there is no compelling need to speak, say nothing. It is important tokeep in mind that, according to major research studies, 80-85% of the impact when communicating face-to-face is determined by tone of voice and body language; only 15-20% is determined by what is said.

Here in a single volume, Jay Oza provides just about everything a person needs to communicate much more effectively, whatever the nature and extent of their audience may be. Although he thoroughly covers the WHAT, I think the book’s greatest value will be gained from his explanation of HOW. (With regard to the WHY, that is implicit if and when there are “high stakes” involved.)  One other point, an important point, is contributed by Mark Twain: “It usually takes me more than three weeks to prepare a good impromptu speech.”

Those who share my high regard for this book are urged to check out these three: Carmine Gallo’s The Storyteller’s Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don’t and The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs: How to Be Insanely Great in Front of Any Audience; also, Robert Cialdini’s Pre-Suasion: A Revolutionary Way to Influence and Persuade.