Book SummaryPublic Speaking for Success, by Dale Carnegie

1-Page Summary1-Page Book Summary of Public Speaking for Success

According to Dale Carnegie, public speaking is the one skill that can bring you more success, opportunity, and fulfillment than any other. By becoming a skilled public speaker, you'll be able to change people's hearts and minds, inspire action, improve your relationships, and succeed in life and work. In Public Speaking for Success, Carnegie argues that anyone can learn to speak with confidence and poise regardless of prior experience or the all-too-common fear of speaking in public. By following his lessons, Carnegie says, you'll be well on your way to owning your voice and the stage.

Carnegie was an author and lecturer most famous for his 1936 bestseller _[How to Win Friends and Influence...

Public Speaking for Success Summary Why Learn Public Speaking?

To begin, we’ll explain why Carnegie says public speaking is such a valuable skill. We’ll also discuss how to get past the fear of speaking and start owning the stage.

Succeed in Life and Work

According to Carnegie, public speaking can yield more benefits than any other life skill. Carnegie suggests that effective public speakers change people’s minds and hearts, influence the discourse on societal and cultural issues, drive businesses' growth, and much more.

(Shortform note: Another great reason to learn public speaking is to connect to the rich history of human oratory. From the rise of rhetoric in Ancient Greece, where public speaking became a skill to persuade, influence, and gain power, to the communal oral traditions of First Nations cultures in North America, speaking has been and remains a fundamental human skill. Before the invention of writing, entire cultures and traditions were passed down through speech. And while written language has become a key feature of Western civilization,...

Public Speaking for Success Summary Preparing Your Speech

Once you’ve decided to pursue the benefits of public speaking and not let fear hold you back, you’ll need to start preparing a speech. The best speeches, Carnegie asserts, are extensively prepared ahead of time. Taking the time to thoroughly develop your speech will ensure that you'll give it with ease, enthusiasm, and poise.

To help you achieve this, we'll detail Carnegie's strategies for selecting your topic, determining your speech's objective, structuring your ideas, and memorizing what you'll say.

Selecting a Topic and Developing Your Ideas

According to Carnegie, a powerful speech blends reason and emotion to truly reach an audience. To that end, Carnegie advises that you:

• Know your topic, ideas, and argument like the back of your hand.
• Become emotionally invested in the case you want to make.

When you thoroughly understand and deeply feel your topic, you'll deliver a speech that just works. Your emotions will fuel and animate your speech-giving, while your rock-solid information will persuade even the most intelligent and discerning audiences.

(Shortform note: Carnegie’s advice lines up with two techniques from the classical Greek rhetorical...

Public Speaking for Success Summary Giving Your Speech

Once you’ve prepared, polished, and memorized your speech, it’s time to get ready and give it. In this section, we'll discuss Carnegie’s recommendations for making last-minute preparations, giving a strong opening, holding the audience's attention, and closing memorably.

Preparing for the Day of Your Speech

Having put in the work to prepare for your speech, you’ll want to be ready for the day of. Carnegie recommends that you rest up before your speech: Get a good night's sleep to rejuvenate mentally, physically, and emotionally. Also, to prevent brain fog, don't eat before speaking.

(Shortform note: In contrast to Carnegie’s suggestion, it may be that you should avoid certain foods rather than food in general. Some foods, largely those that cause a spike in blood sugar, cause more brain fog than others—sugary foods, breads, heavy meats, and dairy are the common culprits. Instead, start the day with healthy fats from avocados, nut butters, or whole nuts, as well as unrefined sugars from whole fruits...

Shortform Exercise: Start Planning a Speech

Use Carnegie’s tips to jump-start your public speaking skills.

Before making any speech, Carnegie recommends that you identify and develop ideas that you feel passionately about. What contemporary topics, issues, or interests most appeal to you?