Speak Like Churchill, Stand Like Lincoln: 21 Powerful Secrets of History's Greatest Speakers Paperback – April 23, 2002

Book as it should be.

Of this book, Roger Ailes, Chairman and CEO, Fox News said, "As a student of speech, I very much enjoyed this intriguing historic approach to public speaking. Humes creates a valuable and practical guide". Turn any presentation into a landmark occasion. Ever wish you could captivate your boardroom with the opening lines of your presentation, like Winston Churchill in his most memorable speeches? Or want to command attention by looming larger than life before your audience, much like Abraham Lincoln when standing erect and wearing a top hat, he towered over seven feet? Now you can master presentation skills, wow your audience, and shoot up the corporate ladder by unlocking the secrets of history's greatest speakers? Author, historian, and world-renowned speaker James C Humes-who wrote speeches for five American presidents-shows you how great leaders through the ages used simple yet incredibly effective tricksd to speak, persuade, and win throngs of fans and followers. Inside you'll discover how Napoleon Bonaparte mastered the use of the pregnant pause to grab attention, how Lady Margaret Thatcher punctuanted her most serious speeches with the use of subtle props, how Ronald Reagan could win even the most hostile crowd with carefully timed wit, and much much more. Whether you're addressing a small nation or a larger staff meeting, you'll want to master the tips and tricks in this book.

Going into this book, I had a lot of expectations with such a powerful title. And I can confidently say that my high expectations were met for the most part. While many books like this seem to enjoy stretching their content to the limit with massive chapters that easily could’ve been half the size, Speak Like Churchill Stand Like Lincoln doesn’t struggle from this weakness. It’s an easy read with clear and concise chapters that feel like the author presents you with exactly what you need without the extra content that may come with other reads. Some chapters are stronger than others, with some introducing powerful and applicable tips, while others are more obvious to those who have taken any sort of speech class before. Which I think was the only negative with this book. Although, for someone who isn’t well versed in speech, these more basic chapters could be exactly what they need. So, some may not see this as a weakness at all. Either way, it was fantastic to see the plethora of examples throughout all the chapters. There was no shortage of quotes, stories, and examples of historical figures. This book does an incredible job of showcasing these tips through these examples and driving the point home of how powerful and influential speech can be when used effectively. The author even included some personal stories, which were enjoyable as well. Overall, this book is a great read and has something to offer to anyone interested in speech.

When I finished reading this book, I bought one for all three of my kids, gave one to my nephews and nieces, and bought another 10 to pass out to anyone I know who has to give a speech. This is the best book on public speaking I have ever read. It is practical and easy to read and interesting and true. I immediately implemented chapters 1 and 2 (Power Pause and Power Opening), and those two keys alone set the stage for a meaningful speech. If you are a leader, you must read this book. If you ever have to give a speech, you must read this book. If you even just want an interesting book to read, this one is great. If you've ever given a speech, you will realize simple things you did that made your speech less effective. If you are a professional speaker, read this book to get better. I don't know where I heard about it, but I believe it was one of the most lucky circumstances of my professional life.

As managing partner of a large NYC professional office, I frequently need to make speaches in all kinds of situations. None of this comes easily to me, so I am always on the lookout for useful tips. This book gives me clear, very practical advice on how to improve my presentations in almost any context. I immediately was able to incorporate these techniques into my very next speach, giving me more confidence and, I'm sure, making my remarks more interesting to my audience. As an added bonus, the book is full of short quotations from historical figures that not only illustrate the author's recommendations, but that also provide great material to enliven anyone's presentations.

If you have any interest in public speaking or have to do presentations this book will really help you out. It very clearly and simply lays out 21 powerful secrets to public speaking. I used this book for my Leadership and Decision Making class and it was awesome to see all of us read through the chapters then give presentations and utilize what we had read. Many of the secrets are so overlooked by individuals that they don't even know about them until they read about it, then view people in the public eye and see those people actually using these techniques.

For current toastmasters, you will learn lots reading this book that will extend your speaking ability to new heights.For new speakers this is an essential book but unless you have a good speaking foundation such as through a toastmasters club you are unlikely to realize the benefits and nuggets of gold found in this book.To sum up how good this book is, by utilizing many of the techniques found in here alongside a year of toastmasters I came second in the semifinals for the national speaking competition in New Zealand (Beaten by current NZ Champ).