An exceptional, comprehensive resource for any presenter.
A former attorney reveals trial lawyer techniques for improving public speaking.
One of the most challenging forms of presentation—arguing a case at trial in front of a jury—is the basis for this outstanding public speaking manual. Read, the author of Winning at Persuasion for Lawyers (2021), combines his own prior experience as a trial attorney with illustrative stories of other lawyers and orators to offer a soup-to-nuts guide to effective speaking. As “a big believer in the Rule of Three,” Read appropriately divides the book into three logical parts, addressing public speaking basics in Part 1, presentation delivery in Part 2, and great orators and attorneys in Part 3. The first two sections provide a wealth of speaking strategies and techniques that culminate in the third part, which pointedly demonstrates a mastery of the subject. The book begins by discussing the fear of public speaking, a common affliction that the author suggests “most textbooks fail to candidly address.” Read’s frank reflections on his own nervousness are likely to be relatable to many readers; he also talks about how professional athletes overcome fear, provides specific ways to allay it, and then details the “seven principles of public speaking.” For each of the seven, Read offers excellent examples, a number of which are augmented by links to videos of speeches that are available on the book’s website. Part 1 includes valuable guidance on storytelling; once again, Read outlines specific suggestions for weaving compelling stories, such as “deliver a bottom-line message,” “give your story a soul,” and “start strong with a lightning bolt.” Also in Part 1 is a stimulating discussion of psychological principles that affect audience perceptions and receptivity, such as confirmation bias, “the nudge theory,” and the use of counterthemes.
Part 2 is a detailed section on presentation delivery, delivering a wealth of information on the correct use of PowerPoint slides. The chapter on “how to never use notes again” may cause stomach flips in some readers, but it’s crucial, the author says, to making headway in one’s career. In addition, there’s valuable advice on such physical aspects as posture, hand gestures, and voice control as well as useful tips for practicing presentations. Part 3 is a treasure trove of examples, with descriptions of the stylistic qualities of orators including Aristotle, Winston Churchill, and Abraham Lincoln. Additional chapters delve into the expertise of two exceptional lawyers: Mark Lanier (who provided the book’s foreword) and Allyson Ho; particularly revealing are the graphics that Lanier used in a high-profile case involving company Johnson & Johnson and the highlights of an argument that Ho made before the U.S. Supreme Court. These chapters contain truly remarkable “insider” excerpts that are rarely seen outside of a courtroom. Each chapter in the book typically begins with a “Chapter Road Map,” is supplemented by suggested additional readings, and ends with a “Chapter Checklist.” The text is clear and straightforward, the book’s organization facilitates readability, and numerous examples further enhance the advice.
Pub Date: Feb. 24, 2023
ISBN: 9798985115253
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Westway Publishing
Review Posted Online: April 5, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
It’s not Shakespeare, not by a long shot. But at least it’s not James Franco.
A noted actor turns to verse: “Poems are a Saturday in the middle of the week.”
McConaughey, author of the gracefully written memoir Greenlights, has been writing poems since his teens, closing with one “written in an Australian bathtub” that reads just as a poem by an 18-year-old (Rimbaud excepted) should read: “Ignorant minds of the fortunate man / Blind of the fate shaping every land.” McConaughey is fearless in his commitment to the rhyme, no matter how slight the result (“Oops, took a quick peek at the sky before I got my glasses, / now I can’t see shit, sure hope this passes”). And, sad to say, the slight is what is most on display throughout, punctuated by some odd koanlike aperçus: “Eating all we can / at the all-we-can-eat buffet, / gives us a 3.8 education / and a 4.2 GPA.” “Never give up your right to do the next right thing. This is how we find our way home.” “Memory never forgets. Even though we do.” The prayer portion of the program is deeply felt, but it’s just as sentimental; only when he writes of life-changing events—a court appearance to file a restraining order against a stalker, his decision to quit smoking weed—do we catch a glimpse of the effortlessly fluent, effortlessly charming McConaughey as exemplified by the David Wooderson (“alright, alright, alright”) of Dazed and Confused. The rest is mostly a soufflé in verse. McConaughey’s heart is very clearly in the right place, but on the whole the book suggests an old saw: Don’t give up your day job.
It’s not Shakespeare, not by a long shot. But at least it’s not James Franco.Pub Date: Sept. 16, 2025
ISBN: 9781984862105
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: Aug. 15, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
A virtuoso performance and an ode to an undervalued medium created by two talented artists.
The veteran actor, comedian, and banjo player teams up with the acclaimed illustrator to create a unique book of cartoons that communicates their personalities.
Martin, also a prolific author, has always been intrigued by the cartoons strewn throughout the pages of the New Yorker. So when he was presented with the opportunity to work with Bliss, who has been a staff cartoonist at the magazine since 1997, he seized the moment. “The idea of a one-panel image with or without a caption mystified me,” he writes. “I felt like, yeah, sometimes I’m funny, but there are these other weird freaks who are actually funny.” Once the duo agreed to work together, they established their creative process, which consisted of working forward and backward: “Forwards was me conceiving of several cartoon images and captions, and Harry would select his favorites; backwards was Harry sending me sketched or fully drawn cartoons for dialogue or banners.” Sometimes, he writes, “the perfect joke occurs two seconds before deadline.” There are several cartoons depicting this method, including a humorous multipanel piece highlighting their first meeting called “They Meet,” in which Martin thinks to himself, “He’ll never be able to translate my delicate and finely honed droll notions.” In the next panel, Bliss thinks, “I’m sure he won’t understand that the comic art form is way more subtle than his blunt-force humor.” The team collaborated for a year and created 150 cartoons featuring an array of topics, “from dogs and cats to outer space and art museums.” A witty creation of a bovine family sitting down to a gourmet meal and one of Dumbo getting his comeuppance highlight the duo’s comedic talent. What also makes this project successful is the team’s keen understanding of human behavior as viewed through their unconventional comedic minds.
A virtuoso performance and an ode to an undervalued medium created by two talented artists.Pub Date: Nov. 17, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-250-26289-9
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Celadon Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 30, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2020
PERSPECTIVES
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