
Great orators to learn from - veddox
Hi everyone,<p>as I do quite a bit of public speaking I have been trying to hone my rhetorical skills. One thing that really helps me is listening to great speeches: &quot;I have a dream&quot;, &quot;Yes we can&quot;, etc. So I just wanted to ask around which speeches&#x2F;speakers you would recommend watching or listening to?<p>I&#x27;m also open to reading suggestions, if you know any good books on the subject.<p>Thanks :-)
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wallflower
This is the best book that I have read. I have gifted many copies. There are
22 chapters, each authored by a professional speaker.

I will paraphrase what one of the professional speakers says in his chapter -
the goal is to not get standing ovations and speak _to_ your audience but to
speak _with_ your audience.

[https://www.amazon.com/Speaking-Secrets-Masters-
Techniques-P...](https://www.amazon.com/Speaking-Secrets-Masters-Techniques-
Professional/dp/0937539228)

The Toastmasters WCPS (World Championships of Public Speaking)

One example:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v26CcifgEq4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v26CcifgEq4)

In case you don't already know the secret of public speaking or storytelling
or connecting with people, the secret is vulnerability.

> It takes relationships to make relationships. And, in general, to make
> relationships, you have to allow vulnerability. Vulnerability is the
> difference between a conversation that starts, "How about this weather we're
> having?" and a conversation that starts, "Oh my God, let me tell you about
> how I just fell in a puddle in front of a group of nuns." The former is so
> boring that it makes listeners want to crawl under a table; the latter
> creates a spark and a list of follow-up questions. These are two extreme
> examples, but generally, the more of yourself you put out there, the more
> others will have to connect with.

[http://www.nerve.com/advice/miss-information/miss-
informatio...](http://www.nerve.com/advice/miss-information/miss-
information-209)

