Discover Bob Monkhouse's secrets accumulated from a lifetime's experience in scriptwriting and speechmaking. With his own golden rules, advice and examples from fellow experts and famous friends, and a wealth of humorous material that worked for him, this light-hearted yet thoroughly practical handbook ensures that you will always be ready to say a few words.

Do an outstanding wedding speech - in 7 easy steps! Do you need to do a wedding speech but have no idea how to start or what to say? Are you nervous about standing up and speaking in public? Or do you just need some pointers to get that speech 100% awesome? Are you looking for a practical guide to walk you through the whole wedding speech process? The Wedding Speech Manual is here for you. Your 7 Steps to Wedding Speech Success - I will show you: Preparation - how to calm your nerves and be fully prepared before and on the wedding day Get your material - three simple ways to get you overflowing with ideas in no time - your main problem will be what to leave out! Structure and write your speech - how to turn those ideas into a great speech quickly and painlessly Edit your speech - how to polish your speech into the best it can possibly be Practice - the secret sauce - massively boost your confidence and ability to stand up and deliver your speech Delivery - do your speech as confidently, calmly and impressively as any professional Troubleshooting - so you’re 100% prepared for anything that could possibly happen! The Wedding Speech Manual is your complete, practical, step-by-step guide to writing and performing a personalised wedding speech which will be enjoyed and cherished by your loved ones, friends and family. “Thank you very much Mr Peter Oxley, the wedding was yesterday and the speech went down a storm. This book helped me so much, everyone said I nailed it. If anyone out there has a wedding speech to do soon, then forget the rest, this book is the only one you'll need or want. Thanks again” – Robert Butler This comprehensive yet readable guide is for all wedding speakers – father of the bride, groom, best man, brides, mothers of the bride, bridesmaids – and will: Give you the confidence that you have an excellent, original wedding speech which hits all the right notes Get your wedding speech written quickly – so you can focus on practising and all the other things you have to do! Show you the tools which the professionals use to master their nerves – so you can deliver your speech confidently, coolly and calmly - and enjoy the big day! The Wedding Speech Manual will show you: What you will be expected to say and do How to master your nerves and stop them getting in the way of your successful speech How to find loads of entertaining and amusing material to fill your speech How to get the audience on your side right from the start The key reasons why so many wedding speeches fail - and how to make sure yours doesn’t How to write and perfect your speech – a lot quicker and easier than you ever thought possible The “dreaded wedding speech etiquette” made simple - what you should and shouldn’t say How to deliver your speech as confidently, calmly and impressively as possible How to handle all the other stuff which can blind-side a public speaker: like using props, microphones and handling difficult audiences

Expert speaking coach Ian Nichol writes a thorough and authoritative guide to public speaking. Written in an engaging and informative style, with a great undercurrent of humour, Stand and Deliver! makes for a relaxing and highly enjoyable read, which reinforces Ian’s no-nonsense message on how readers can dramatically improve their speaking performances. Ian’s unfailing honesty when setting out his personal experiences of triumph and disaster will inspire readers, teaching them that what works for one person may not work for another. Stand and Deliver! provides countless practical tips and suggestions in a highly pragmatic text that will boost readers’ confidence. By demolishing destructive myths about public speaking, Ian shows readers how to think positively about nerves and use them to help, not hinder. Offering straightforward advice this book demonstrates that everyone can speak confidently in public by challenging preconceptions and providing a wide range of tools to success.

Confidence is essential for any stand–up comic and having confidence in your material is the first step to having greater confidence on stage. It is said that proper preparation makes for professional performance and this book provides the tools to achieve this, offering down-to-earth practical advice and a logical progression from identifying your stage persona, thinking about your audience and the craft of honing comedy material to fit your persona and audience, through to structuring your stand-up set, preparing for when things might go wrong, and last but not least – progressing your career. Get Your Act Together is a book for anyone who wants to be serious about becoming a stand-up comic and wants to do it well. ,

Stuck in a rut? Know what you want but don’t know how to get it? Feel like life is passing you by? Sick of getting mediocre results? Then enter the wonderful world of Liquid Thinking... A practical, jargon-free and easily accessible self-help book drawing on a diverse range of experiences and containing digestible lessons and exercises used by sports captains, charity leaders and business leaders. It is the only self-help book which has ever been endorsed by Sir Richard Branson, Angelo Dundee, Muhammad Ali, and Jonny Wilkinson. It is a brave man who starts his book on self development by quoting Jerry Springer and discussing the literary merits of the Joy of Sex; however, this is Damian Hughes to a tee. Combining his own experiences as a Manchester United football coach, HR Director and youth club leader with exclusive insights from Sir Richard Branson, Angelo Dundee, Muhammad Ali and Jonny Wilkinson, Hughes will help you to step forward to achieve your own special hopes, dreams and ambition. The books have been credited with helping people build their own houses, fight cancer and run marathons, so come on and be a fellow Liquid Thinker!

Speechwriting is the definitive guide to writing a speech, revealing all the tools and techniques of the trade, such as how to win an argument, construct a sound bite and perform on stage. The first part of the book covers the arts of persuasion, argument, story telling and metaphor, providing a solid grounding in the theory of speechwriting, which should appeal to anyone with an interest in politics, communication or language. The second part covers the crafts of editing, sound bites, media manipulation, performance and strategy, giving invaluable practical guidance to professional or aspiring speechwriters. This book combines academic rigour with practical nous, drawing on lessons from Aristotle to Obama. It is the essential guide for anyone who writes speeches, for themselves or others, in politics, PR or business.

So you've been asked to say a few words on the day. The problem is, we don't get much practice, do we? That's why this book will prove so useful to you. It will show you how to prepare and deliver a unique and memorable speech that you can be proud of. What's more, you'll enjoy it! CONTENTS: Finding a captivating opening and compelling close - turning listeners into participants - weaving quotations into your speech - saying it with humour - using your voice well - giving out the right non-verbal messages - having self-confidence and coping with nerves - fifty model speeches About the author John Bowden has over 20 years' experience as a professional trainer and senior lecturer in communication skills. He has written several books on speech making and is a member of the Comedy Writers' Association.

I know exactly what you are thinking. It seemed such a good idea at the time, but now you are beginning to realise there's going to be more to it than just turning up on time and handing over the ring. Am I right, or am I right? Fear not. Whether the happy couple has a traditional white wedding vision or a modernist view of their big day, this handbook will show you how to become their perfect best man...a best man who knows how to combine the best of the old with the best of the new. The groom will be glad he chose you. So pour yourself a cold one, sit back and get ready to learn how to turn a stressful honour into a piece of (wedding) cake.