Secrets for Exceptional Speaking

I am reminded of Peter Frampton's groovy 13 minute, 46 second talking-guitar anthem "Do You Feel Like We Do?" which--to jump musical genres and decades--still sets me off on the hippy hippy shake, but strikes my 18-year-old daughter as neither "phat" nor "tight." Different licks for different folks, I guess. I suspect the same can be said for methodologies behind successful public speaking, meaning that Stephanie Widener Hendrie's "The Hendrie Method," as outlined in this 2-volume seminar, will find favor with some but probably not all. Divided into three key concepts--creating background images connected to your speech, using various vocal rhythms and hand movements to accentuate/illustrate points, and employing a conversational style--the program cuts between Hendrie's expository comments and examples of bad and good public speaking by students taking her seminar classes. While I'm not even remotely convinced that "background imaging" (speech: "in the winter of last year"; mental image: "large sparkling snowflakes falling softly") is either crucial or even really helpful to successful public speaking (one of my favorite speakers, author David Sedaris, seems to follow none of Hendrie's rules), I do believe that viewers would still benefit from practicing the suggestions in the course, especially the creative use of hand movements (I'm doubtful whether I will ever see Nixon and Malcolm X on another list together, but they both used the "small one motion" movement while speaking) and the techniques for making one's speech more naturally conversational. Unfortunately, two drawbacks need to be considered here: 1) the accompanying workbook with easily lost one-time use worksheets (referred to on the tape, so you can't simply toss), and 2) the near $300 price tag. Still, according to The People's Almanac most people would rather die (7th greatest fear) than talk before an audience (1st greatest fear), so this is recommended for those who can afford it and don't already have earlier titles such as Be Prepared to Speak (VL-3/88), Perfecting Presentations (VL-1/93), Conquer Your Fear of Public Speaking (VL-3/93) or similar fare. Aud: C, P. (R. Pitman)