INFORMAL GUIDE TO PUBLIC SPEAKING

I liked this back in 1941; I still like it, and I've had a lot of chance to test its precepts in the interim. While perhaps not as comprehensive as some of the others (the Von Hesse book, for example) -- nor yet as extensively documented and provided with samples (good and bad) as many of its fellows, this hits at some of the basic needs and weaknesses, the points the amateurs (and many of the professionals) should have emphasized repeatedly. Preparation- organization- phrasing and delivery:-these are fundamentals. And yet many a book on public speaking gives scant attention to this ABC of English Grammar and Speech. Mr. Freeman makes special point of avoidance of cliches, of watching for slipshod usage, of seeking for the exact word. His advice throughout is sound. The new material on radio and particularly on television should prove helpful.