DELIGHT IN THE LIMELIGHT

A motivational guide offers advice to aspiring public speakers.

Ugelow aims to inspire readers to pursue their professional goals, and, for many, that means enlarging their audiences and promoting their missions through public speaking. The author promises that “anyone who chooses to can spread their message on a bigger scale, to make connections and influence the conversation.” She discusses how readers can manage (rather than try to eliminate) fear in order to move forward. Her “Inner Freedom Framework” involves three steps: repattern habits, restore safety, and reveal and heal. Transformation, she says, requires changes in readers’ everyday behaviors as well as their thoughts. Ugelow also urges readers to let go of envy and the need to be liked, to reframe their past experiences, and to be more curious than critical when approaching a new task. She discusses how to deal with remorse, mistakes, and other glitches that can occur during public speaking, such as not knowing the answer to an audience member’s question. She also suggests that readers respond to online haters with grace. Advice on cultivating a confident presence through meditation and relaxation techniques follows. She includes breathing and vocal exercises so speakers can warm up as well as memorization tools so they can abandon notes. Throughout, she incorporates inspirational quotes from the likes of Rumi and Oprah Winfrey. Ugelow’s voice in this text is akin to a best friend who talks candidly but also plays the part of a cheerleader. She encourages readers in lines like “I’m super-proud of and impressed by you. By reading this book, you took a giant step toward your dreams.” She bravely shares her own professional struggles and will endear herself to readers in the process. Some of the counsel will sound familiar to avid readers of self-help books, including her recommendations to use affirmations, express gratitude more often, and get out of comfort zones. A few exercises veer toward the cringeworthy, such as instructing readers to greet inanimate objects in their environments. Ugelow is more helpful when she taps into her expertise on public speaking, such as providing tailored tips for podcasts and webinars.

This manual will help readers jump-start self-improvement efforts, especially those involving public speaking.