--- product_id: 4709786 title: "On Speaking Well: How to Give a Speech With Style, Substance, and Clarity" price: "€ 21.31" currency: EUR in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.pt/products/4709786-on-speaking-well-how-to-give-a-speech-with-style store_origin: PT region: Portugal --- # On Speaking Well: How to Give a Speech With Style, Substance, and Clarity **Price:** € 21.31 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** On Speaking Well: How to Give a Speech With Style, Substance, and Clarity - **How much does it cost?** € 21.31 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.pt](https://www.desertcart.pt/products/4709786-on-speaking-well-how-to-give-a-speech-with-style) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description For anyone who fears the thought of writing and giving a speech--be it to business associates, or at a wedding--help is at hand. Acclaimed presidential speechwriter Peggy Noonan shares her secrets to becoming a confidence, persuasive speaker demystifying topics including: Finding you own authentic voice Developing a text that interest you Acing the all-important first paragraph Using logic to move your audience Creating, developing, and reinventing the "core speech" for diverse audiences Strengthening your speech with a vital element: humor Winnowing your thought down to the essentials Handling professional jargon, clichés, and the sound bite syndrome Presenting your speech in the best way Collecting intellectual income--conversing your speech treasures Breaking all the rules and still succeeding Reading for inspiration--how to use the excellence of others Complete with lessons, tips and memorable examples, On Speaking Well shows us how to create forceful, persuasive, relevant speeches that will resonate with our audiences. Engaging, informative, and always entertaining, this is undoubtedly the authoritative how-to guide for anyone writing or giving a speech Review: How to Improve Your Public Speaking Skills? - The title of this book is a misnomer. The author is a professional political writer and she uses political anecdotes throughout the book to drive the points home. This book should be called "On Speaking and Writing Political Speeches Well". Also, the book has no table of contents and only has a modicum of sections. This makes it difficult to read. And I find that the index is not very useful. However, this is not to say that the tips and lessons cannot be extrapolated to cover all conceivable situations. In fact they can, if you have the patience. I therefore agree with the blurb that for "anyone who fears the thought of writing and giving a speech - be it to business associates, or at a wedding - help is at hand". This book consists of hundreds of blinding insights. 10 of them are: (1). The reality you are imagining is worse than the reality that will be; (2). Reagan used to say that noone wants to sit in an audience in respectful silence for more than 20 minutes; (3). I have made more than 100 speeches and I still cannot do it from cards, every word has to be written down in a text; (4). Reagan always needed a joke at the top of a speech because he needed the quick victory of laughter; (5). Tell'em what you you've gonna tell'em - tell them - then tell them what you told'em; (6). True things are usually said straight, and plain and direct; (7). The most moving thing is a speech is always the logic, not its poetic or flowery; (8). Speeches actually have to say things. And great speeches are great because they say great things; (9). Style is not a replacement for substance, and cannot camouflage a lack of substance; and (10). The future does not belong to the fainthearted, it belongs to the brave. Because this book contains hundreds of blinding insights, I am prepared to give it 5 stars. Digest this book and your public speaking skills will improve dramatically. Review: Useful, Concise & Witty - Peggy Noonan provides a witty and concise look at speaking, writing speeches and understanding the dynamics of various types of presentation - such as eulogies - in this concise and well written book. Having spent the last 25 years speaking in front of audiences, I recently have had a few less than stellar moments, and was looking for a quick refresher/primer and Noonan's book provides it. Yes, she was a political speechwriter. Yes, she is on TV as a conservative talking head. Separate the politics from the pedagogy. This is a good book, and an interesting read. The insights she provides into speech giving and speech writing at the highest levels of the craft are unparalleled. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #278,433 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #101 in Public Speaking Reference #152 in Communication Reference (Books) #530 in Communication & Media Studies | | Customer Reviews | 4.4 out of 5 stars 304 Reviews | ## Images ![On Speaking Well: How to Give a Speech With Style, Substance, and Clarity - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61-PR3Hb6uL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ How to Improve Your Public Speaking Skills? *by J***N on February 24, 2009* The title of this book is a misnomer. The author is a professional political writer and she uses political anecdotes throughout the book to drive the points home. This book should be called "On Speaking and Writing Political Speeches Well". Also, the book has no table of contents and only has a modicum of sections. This makes it difficult to read. And I find that the index is not very useful. However, this is not to say that the tips and lessons cannot be extrapolated to cover all conceivable situations. In fact they can, if you have the patience. I therefore agree with the blurb that for "anyone who fears the thought of writing and giving a speech - be it to business associates, or at a wedding - help is at hand". This book consists of hundreds of blinding insights. 10 of them are: (1). The reality you are imagining is worse than the reality that will be; (2). Reagan used to say that noone wants to sit in an audience in respectful silence for more than 20 minutes; (3). I have made more than 100 speeches and I still cannot do it from cards, every word has to be written down in a text; (4). Reagan always needed a joke at the top of a speech because he needed the quick victory of laughter; (5). Tell'em what you you've gonna tell'em - tell them - then tell them what you told'em; (6). True things are usually said straight, and plain and direct; (7). The most moving thing is a speech is always the logic, not its poetic or flowery; (8). Speeches actually have to say things. And great speeches are great because they say great things; (9). Style is not a replacement for substance, and cannot camouflage a lack of substance; and (10). The future does not belong to the fainthearted, it belongs to the brave. Because this book contains hundreds of blinding insights, I am prepared to give it 5 stars. Digest this book and your public speaking skills will improve dramatically. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Useful, Concise & Witty *by E***N on February 17, 2014* Peggy Noonan provides a witty and concise look at speaking, writing speeches and understanding the dynamics of various types of presentation - such as eulogies - in this concise and well written book. Having spent the last 25 years speaking in front of audiences, I recently have had a few less than stellar moments, and was looking for a quick refresher/primer and Noonan's book provides it. Yes, she was a political speechwriter. Yes, she is on TV as a conservative talking head. Separate the politics from the pedagogy. This is a good book, and an interesting read. The insights she provides into speech giving and speech writing at the highest levels of the craft are unparalleled. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Logic is required *by F***G on October 1, 2024* I have the Kindle version. The author knows her subject and presents it well. The book is relatively short and flows well. I've never been a speechwriter, but I do some writing and speaking and I try to inform myself on what others, like Ms. Noonan, think are best practices for both activities. Reading the book, you may think as I did, this is about how to be a Presidential speech writer, which I will never be. Just accept that this is writing and speaking at the highest level and I will try to apply these lessons as best I can at my level. So, it's well written and a fairly quick read. I thought it I interesting that she hammered on the importance of logic in the speech; a purpose on which all else hangs. Rhetorical flourishes are not so necessary and may detract from the speaker's message. First, have a message. The author provides examples. Princess Diana's brother's eulogy of her at her funeral was one. I found it moving in light of the obvious family stresses. I gave it four, and not five, stars because the book was published in 1998 before the ubiquity of social media. It would be interesting to hear how the author thinks that social media has affected the writing and delivery of speeches. If you do write and present speeches and talks to audiences, the book provides some useful guidance. For these purposes I recommend it. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.pt/products/4709786-on-speaking-well-how-to-give-a-speech-with-style](https://www.desertcart.pt/products/4709786-on-speaking-well-how-to-give-a-speech-with-style) --- *Product available on Desertcart Portugal* *Store origin: PT* *Last updated: 2026-06-16*