The book is a powerful guide for new and experienced public speakers. Speaking with Impact talks about capturing and holding others attention in the age where all information is accessible and it's not easy to make an impression.

I got this book for my daughter who is going to school for teaching. She is generally shy and this book as provided outstanding tips and ideas for gaining confidence and speaking in front of others. I would highly recommend this book!

I’m not big on self-help books. I generally simple can’t make it past the first chapter before realizing I’m never going to do these exercises, which means that now I have to read the book with a sense of growing guilt. Perhaps the reason I have felt thusly about these types of books so far is because all of them dealt with aspirational goals of mine, rather than realistic ones. Yes, I will one day write a novel, sure. I am totally going to become a master at yoga. Of course I want to learn how to keep my apartment consistently tidy. Well, maybe I should revisit that last one, but most of these goals feel far away and aren’t related to my day to day life. Until, that is, I decided to find self-help or guide books that link to my actual job. And here we are, trying to overcome my fear of presentations and public speaking. Thanks to HarperCollins Leadership and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I admit, I still didn’t do the exercises as intended. I did not discuss the chapters with anyone, but rather I raced through them, taking notes, considering on my own. So I didn’t entirely fail Shapira right? The reason I decided to actually give Speak with Impact a try is because I recently moved into a supervisory role. I am now giving presentations. As a matter of fact, I had to give a presentation to get the job. I stumbled over words, got hot under the collar and I went lobster red the second I left the room. Somehow I still got the job so clearly the foundation is there, now I just want to bring some finesse to it. Make me look a little bit less like the millennial in her first corporate position.

I have to admit that a lot of Shapira’s advice makes a lot of sense. You have to plan these things out, you have to give them a structure, there has to be a purpose to how you say things and when. A lot of the advice and the techniques in Speak with Impact are genuinely useful and I will be following them for future presentations. What I won’t do is practice my hand gestures in front of a mirror, but that’s just because for me that would create the opposite of chill. Some of my favourite sections of the book were on how and when to include story telling and humour into your presentations. I love a good story, as I’m sure you can guess, and it’s something I use a lot. Overall, Speak with Impact has a lot to offer to newbies like me. Now I guess I just have to go and practice.

Although much of this material has been presented before, it is wonderfully organized here with an excellent index. Also useful are the book-related resources on Allison's website, including videos to demonstrate what she's writing about. Since terrible presentations abound, help the world by sharing this book widely.

This book gives great insight into how to feel more confident with public speaking. I've always suffered a lot when it comes to the arduous task of having to talk in front of people, this book gives clear methods to help you work through that, as well as great ways to prepare for who you're talking to, and what you're talking about.

Honest and in-depth advice for reaching your full potential. This advice is presented in easy to follow language that can be broken up and applied in pieces at a time.

As a 5’3” (barely) woman with a naturally quiet voice I have had to learn to command attention. It is never given freely to me. I have written my fair share of speeches and talking points for others during my career and one thing I know to be true is no matter how eloquent or succinct one’s words are, one has to have a certain personal presence for maximum effect. Speak with Maximum Impact: How to Command the Room and Influence Others covers this maxim. Allison Shapira shares excellent techniques and strategies to engage an audience and create executive presence. Whether you are delivering a sales pitch to top-level executives, delivering an impassioned speech at a community event or simply trying to reason with your teenage kids, Speak with Impact will empower you.