Speak from the Heart: Be Yourself and Get Results

By Steve Adubato

Book Overview

In Speak from the Heart, Emmy Award-winning broadcaster, newspaper columnist, and motivational speaker Steve Adubato reveals the secrets to being a great communicator -- with a program that will dramatically change the way you talk, listen, and connect with others.

Steve Adubato's life experiences, both professional and as a husband, son, brother, and father, have taught him invaluable lessons about the power of personal, sincere communication. In Speak from the Heart, he demonstrates that being a truly great communicator is not simply about being articulate or being a "good talker." It is not about fancy visuals and PowerPoint presentations, or hard-core sales pitches, or even who has the most facts, figures, and technical wizardry. What really counts is making an authentic connection with other people that comes not merely from the intellect but from the heart.

If you want to make a lasting impact, Dr. Adubato shows you how to engage people through empathy and understanding, how to be a great listener, and how to make an audience -- whether one, one hundred, or one thousand people -- care about you and your message. He helps you to rely less on written speeches, teleprompters, and index cards full of too much forgettable information, and learn, instead, how to tell a compelling story and create excitement and enthusiasm. You will learn, for example, how to:

Lecture less and engage more
Communicate under pressure
Make effective use of eye contact
Develop a conversational style
Inspire in a human, personal way
Become comfortable with your core message

Speak from the Heart will not only make it easier for you to communicate your message without being ignored or misunderstood; it will also improve your relationships with other people and help you to become more productive at work -- with more satisfaction and less stress.

Written by a man who has trained thousands of professionals in all walks of life, including corporate managers, lawyers, educators, health professionals, salespeople, and customer service reps, Speak from the Heart is for anyone who interacts with others at work, at home, in the community, or at social functions.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 141658448X
• ISBN13: 9781416584483
• Release Date: October 2007
• Publisher: Free Press
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 0.71 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

You'll learn the author's secrets for being a great communicator

Heard SPEAK FROM THE HEART, written and read by Steve Adubato . . . he's a broadcaster and motivational speaker who shares his secrets to being a great communicator. Listening to what Abudato grabbed my attention so much that I then went back to get the print version--so as to make sure I did not miss anything. Furthermore, some of his ideas made so much sense that I wanted to make sure I had them down exactly; for example, his two-step approach on preparing speeches: * Step One: Determine How You Feel About Your Primary Message Step Two: Ask Yourself Three Key Questions 1. What is my message? (This is the one thing you want people to remember when you finish.) 2. Who is my audience? (What will move them? Touch them? Reach them? What do they need or want from me?) 3. What do I want these people to do or feel when I'm finished? I also liked the "Do It Now" activities at the end of each chapter . . . this one, in particular, caught my attention: * How well do you use eye contact? Starting today, notice if you look directly into the eyeballs of the people you communicate with. If you find you have a problem doing this consider these pointers: 1. Start small and slowly. Practice making eye contact for a few seconds at a time. Just make contact for a few seconds and then discreetly move to another part of the face-lower forehead or bridge of nose. You can also look down, but only for a second or two. Then look back up and engage the eyes again. 2. Relax. Consistent, steady eye contact doesn't mean you stare at a person throughout the entire conversation. You need to make easy, relaxed contact for a short while and then allow your glance to comfortably look away and then come back. 3. Smile. Just the simple act of smiling while speaking can make eye contact more relaxed and easier for you. Let your face show how you feel. 4. Increase the amount of time you make eye contact. Little by little it will become less of an issue, less of an obstacle, less of a barrier. The key is for eye contact to become second nature to you. That takes practice. 5. Concentrate. You have to give the person you're talking to your full attention. If another person walks by who may be more "interesting" you must make yourself focus on the person you're talking to and maintain eye contact. Nothing is worse than talking to someone while your eyes are playing the field. Finish your conversation with one person before you move on to the next. And one other thing that made this book a winner for me was Abudato's use of real examples . . . he not only used himself, but also the experiences of such speakers as Barry Farber, Richard Carlson, Bill Clinton (before he became a great speaker), Kathie Lee Gifford, and Joe Torre, to name just a few. The book's subtitle says it all . . . Abudato urges you to BE YOURSELF AND GET RESULTS . . . read what he has to say, and you should be able to do just that.

Heartfelt Thanks

As a professional speaker, I long ago learned the secret of "speaking from the heart." And, most of the better books on public speaking do in fact make this among their most important points. But, by using this critical point as his book title, Steve Adubato has brought this important concept front and center. Loud and clear! One of the things I liked most about this book was its excellent organization. The author connects with his great title by devoting the first part of the book to "Communicating with Passion." Then, the author drills down on the specific skills that support ones ability to speak with passion. In an age where so many books are not well organized and therefore tax the reader with developing ones own analytical framework for the subject, this book lays out a sound framework for being a great communicator. The framework is then well supported by both theory, and anecdotes that serve to effectively drive home the learning point. At the risk of being picky, my sole disappointment is that the author acknowledges some leading self improvement greats (e.g., Dyer, Robbins, et al) as among the very best speakers, but regretfully never shares what he thinks makes each of them such a standout. Is the only learning point from these greats that they speak from the heart? Personally, I believe each of those listed draws on many of the other points made by Adubato. Given the authors clear expertise, I would have benefited even more had he shared his insights into what makes those he learned from so great. MMMMmmmm...so Steve, is that the sequel? "Speakers from the Heart"?? I am ready to preorder that gem.