Improving Your Speaking Skills

It's evident that instructor Cara Hale Alter knows whereof she speaks: her every inflection and body movement here serves the message she's communicating—namely, that every presenter needs certain skills in his or her toolkit. In Improving Your Speaking Skills, Alter—who teaches at Stanford and does commercial voice work—presents a solid program aimed at those who want to deliver more at the podium. Alter stresses that public speaking is a physical activity that requires practice. Skills taught here cover body-mechanic basics such as correct breathing and controlling volume, as well as articulation, inflection, and pacing. In addition, Alter addresses the subtle psychology of stance, posture, eye contact (tricky with large crowds), and answers that big question—what do I do with my hands? Packaged with the DVD is a CD-ROM with a PDF format workbook. Also newly available is the 30-minute Speaking with Credibility and Confidence, priced at $79.95. Highly recommended. Aud: J, H, C, P. (C. Block)