Own Any Occasion

Erik Palmer is an educational consultant and internationally acclaimed educational speaker. He has given keynotes and led trainings for educators across the United States and around the world. Palmer's articles have appeared in national publications, and he is the author of five books, including Well-Spoken: Teaching Speaking to All Students, Teaching the Core Skills of Listening & Speaking, and Good Thinking: Teaching Argument, Persuasion, and Reasoning. As a consultant, Palmer focuses on sharing practical, engaging ways to develop oral communication skills. He works with individuals seeking to become better speakers as well as with Fortune 500 companies. Whether training staff directly or developing courses for companies that want to improve employee communication skills, Palmer's framework for understanding and mastering oral communication leads to improved speaking skills in all speaking situations: formal or informal, small audience or large, in-person or digital. Prior to becoming a consultant, Palmer had a successful career in the commodity brokerage business and then spent 21 years teaching English, math, science, and civics. Palmer has a BA from Oberlin College and an MA from the University of Colorado. He lives in Aurora, Colorado.

Table of Contents: PART ONE Building a Talk Introduction The Blueprint for Building Effective Messages Step 1 Audience: Understanding the Listeners Step 2 Content: Making the Message Valuable Step 3 Organization: Putting the Words Into a Powerful Form Step 4 Looks: Dressing for the Occasion Step 5 Visual Aids: Enhancing the Words Postscript Tips for Mastering VOCAL preparation PART TWO Performing a Talk Introduction The Blueprint for Powerful Delivery Step 6 Poise: Appearing Calm and Confident Step 7 Voice: Making Every Word Heard Step 8 Life: Putting Passion Into the Voice Step 9 Eye Contact: Visually Connecting Step 10 Gestures: Making Motions Match the Words Step 11 Speed: Adjusting Pace for Maximum Impact Postscript Tips for Mastering PVLEGS PART THREE Using the Blueprints Section 1 Workplace Training and Staff Development Section 2 Workplace Managing Section 3 Personal Workplace Section 4 Using Digital Tools Section 5 Workplace Occasions Section 6 Non-workplace Occasions PART FOUR Resources