Romancing the Room: How to Engage Your Audience, Court Your Crowd, and Speak Successfully in Public

By James M. Wagstaffe and Bruce Bean

Book Overview

The thesis of this book is that the techniques of personal romance can be adapted directly to all public speaking settings. Communication begins like a blind date: without anxiety, one secures a favorable first impression and then aims to win approval. You must notice and address your listener's "wandering eye" - with the realization that your audience's attention is a precious commodity that should not be squandered through unclear communication objectives, verbal digressions or nonverbal distractions. Just as in romance, great communicators build relationships with their listeners. By asking questions about the audience in advance, speakers can maximize the target effectiveness of their message. Communicators must "listen while they talk," adapting to the audience's response, be it restlessness, confusion or disagreement.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0609805975
• ISBN13: 9780609805978
• Release Date: March 2002
• Publisher: James Wagstaffe
• Length: 200 Pages
• Weight: 0.46 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.2" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

really enjoyed this book!

Thought this was an excellent book - really helped me with my public speaking skills.

Thank you...

...to the reviewer who took the time to say that the book was boring but then referenced many specific points out of the book. "A reader" has shown that even if you do not fully enjoy anecdotal writing you will still remember it. The points that Mr. Wagstaffe makes in his book will no doubt help one become a better speaker. It takes little more than remembering his acronyms and focusing on them to become a better and more confident speaker. Just remember, even the reviewer who did not enjoy the book still showed that they remembered the points.

2 Enthuiastic Thumbs Up!!!

Romancing the Room is a fun book filled with anecdotes, but I feel that the true value of this book is the confidence that the reader can develop when following Wagstaffe's advice. Public speaking is a challenge, but with Romancing the Room, one can develop the art of public speaking and basic communication to any person/people. As a college student in South Bend, I am often faced with the task of presenting my work to fellow classmates. Wagstaffe has helped me earn the A+ that I was looking for. Help yourself develop confidence, public speaking ability, and charisma with Romancing the Room, by James Wagstaffe.

I've engaged my audience and courted my crowd.

I read Romancing the Room right before a big job interview - I stuck to a few guidelines - listen, don't apologize, identify with your audience, and be engaging. Needless to say this was probably the best interview of my life and yes I did get the job.This book is as entertaining to read as it is useful. The autor's use of anecdotes are well placed and poignant - not to mention humorous. I would recommend this book to anyone who is afraid to give presentations, controlling a room full of people, dealing with their family, or just wants to be entertained. I hope there is a sequel!

Engaging, Entertaining and Educational

Romancing the Room is a fun, well written guide to becoming a better communitcator. This book is filled with helpful tips, stories and examples on how to speak more effectively in any setting.