Lend Me Your Ears: All you need to know about making speeches and presentations was first published in 2004 by Vermilion (Random House) RRP: £9.99
The UK edition of the book was reprinted within six months of publication. A second reprint became necessary when stocks ran out after a surge in sales during the first week of October 2006, when it reached its highest ever position (2nd) in the Amazon UK bestsellers list.
Increasing interest is also reflected by the fact that it s now available from the W.H. Smith chain of station and airport bookstores.
An American edition was published in the USA by Oxford University Press, New York in 2005 and can be ordered from amazon.com via the box on the right.
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A NEW
BOOK BY MAX ATKINSON WILL BE PUBLISHED IN
2008
Speech-making
and Presentation Made Easy:
Seven Essential Steps to Success by Max
Atkinson: Vermilion, £5.99.
Click here for pre-publication info from
Amazon
OUR MASTERS' VOICES: The Language and Body Language of Politics (1984), which reports on Max Atkinson's original study of the rhetorical techniques that trigger applause in political speeches, is still in print and available from Amazon UK at £18.04.
GREAT
LIBERAL SPEECHES,
edited by Duncan Brack and Tony Little of the
Liberal Democrat History
Group, and
published by Politicos, London, was launched at the
2001Liberal Democrat Annual Conference in
Bournemouth.
Max Atkinson wrote an introductory
chapter entitled Mere Rhetoric?
and was guest speaker with
Roy Jenkins and Paddy Ashdown at the book launch on 25th
September, 2001. It discusses issues relating to sound
bites, the coaching of politicians and television
coverage of elections, and can be downloaded in
different formats by clicking on MS Word or PDF.
AMAZON
CUSTOMER
REVIEWS OF LEND
ME YOUR EARS
Avg. Customer
Review: 
This
book got me a job, 7 Jun 2007
Reviewer: Ruth,
London
I could never figure why speeches and presentations
frightened me. A confident personality, I would
nevertheless only address an event under duress. Then one
morning I heard Prof Atkinson on Radio 4. Here, it seemed,
was a fellow who made sense. By marvellous happenchance
that was two days before the final interview round - which
included a 10 minute presentation - for a job I wanted
dearly. I bought his book and spent the weekend working
through the chapters, assembling my arguments and speech.
It was the best £9.99 I've ever spent. It explained to me
why I could confidently chair a meeting, or do a TV
interview but hated speeches. And more importantly it
showed me what to do about it. There was no waffle, no
nonsense and no management gobbledegook. I got the job. I
would have absolutely no hesitation in recommending this
book to anyone. In fact I do - every time somebody praises
a speech I've given with the words 'I wish I could give
speeches like that'. Because you can - and even come to
love giving them.
Best Ever How To
Speak in Public,
March 14, 2006 Reviewer: Peter M
Semper from
Lyndhurst, Hampshire UK
"Without doubt this is the best ever
"how to" book on speeches and presentations, no matter
what the topic - business, social, political, or
technical.
As a CEO I have sat through so many
turn-off presentations by people I know to be literate
and interesting. This book demonstrates how
unnecessary this is, and that one does not have to be
a "born speaker" to make lively, interesting, really
effective presentations.
It is completely practical in
identifying the tried and tested techniques which have
served the great communicators down the ages, all of
which are easily learned and applied. It is also first
class on how to use (but not overuse) modern computer
aids to great effect.
No wonder speechwriters to
Presidents Reagan and Clinton say the author Professor
Max Atkinson is the speechwriters Guru."
Lend Me Your
Ears, March 10,
2006 Reviewer: George
from Dinas Powis, Vale
of Glamorgan United Kingdom
Like a number of other people I came
upon this book by accident, whilst researching the
subject, as part of my preparation for delivering a
talk on presentation skills to a meeting of a
professional body in Cardiff.
I am a mainly self taught trainer and speaker who, at the
age of 66, gained a PGCE in the Post Compulsory Education
and Training Sector as part of a retirement plan to set up
as training consultant. Reading this book was an absolute
breath of fresh air to me as I mentally ticked off all the
things I've got wrong over the years and which are so
eloquently dealt with in the book. If only I'd had a copy
of it all those years ago!!!
With the tag of "Professor" Max could be forgiven for
taking an academic stance in his writing and it came as a
pleasant suprise to discover how clearly he explains
himself in such a down to earth manner.
I shall be happy to recommend this book to anyone who has
an interest in making presentations and congratulate Max on
a super piece of work.
A Guide for the
Perplexed,
November 15, 2005 Reviewer: Robert
Shakspeare from
Finland
Having taught presentation skills
for many years I had often wondered why the resulting
presentations were often so dull and forgettable. Now
I know. Throughout the book I found myself saying
"Yes, that's exactly the problem I've been having!". I
am now convinced that any presentation or speech can
be made memorable and interesting with a little
effort.
In the book common myths about what
is necessary to a good presentation are convincingly
exposed and all that is truly necessary is clearly
explained. The section on rhetoric, which seems to be
either a forgotten or maligned art these days, was
exceptionally interesting and useful. Examples to back
up the points are used throughout.
If you have to make a presentation
or speech and you don't know where to start then this
is the book you need.
Getting the
'inside track' about presentations, April 15, 2005 Reviewer:
Dil
Sidhu from
London, UK
I do a lot of public speaking and
thought I knew about the tips, techniques and
strategies that can make for a successful event. This
book is the one-stop shop in terms of covering all the
important elements of giving a presentation along with
some of the things we all think about but nobody has
ever written about, i.e. the annoying way that some
presenters pull the paper backing off of
acetates!!
If you are a seasoned presenter or
tasked with doing your first stand up presentation,
you will not be disappointed in this publication. It
is one of the few books I have purchased which fits
into the category of an 'investment' in improving my
performance versus something that was nice to have
read and then goes onto the shelf never to be referred
to again. Great stuff.
Quite simply, it
is a Masterclass!, January 14, 2005 Reviewer:
londonsoulpatrol
from London
I have
recently had the great privilege to attend a lecture
from the author whilst I have been attending Henley
Management College on an Executive MBA course.
Although I have given numerous presentations in
business situations previously, I have never
approached the subject with more than a fraction of
the irrefutable clarity and wisdom espoused by Mr
Atkinson.
I was inspired to rush
and buy the book immediately, and quite simply, it is
a Masterclass in presentational skills and
speech-making, written in an easy-to-read
commonsensical style which is impossible to ignore and
will never be forgotten.
If
you want to communicate better and achieve higher
impact to your chosen audience, then this outstanding
book is worth its weight in gold.
Read this - and you will never make another bad
presentation!Buy it, and tell your friends and
colleagues about it. It is
outstanding.
An amazing
discovery,
November 27, 2004 Reviewer: Trainer &
Consultant from
Oxford, England
I had never heard of Max Atkinson
until I discovered his book accidentally. And I'm so
glad I did.
I am an independent
trainer & consultant based in Oxford. I help
European and Asian business people to be better
communicators. This book has been extremely helpful
already. I have been able to improve a number of
points in my own training courses including the roots
of (classical) rhetoric, using lists of three and
asking rhetorical questions to link sections. In
addition, the book has helped me to confirm a lot of
my own beliefs as a trainer such as pausing with
purpose, stress & intonation and not doing 'death
by powerpoint' - something which is still popular in
Europe and Asia.
My clients will be
even better communicators because of Max
Atkinson.
Excellent,
October 30, 2004 Reviewer: A reader
from Kent, United
Kingdom
This book is brilliant (and a great
source of comfort when planning your first presentation!).
I found the analysis of different methods of presenting
your material i.e. PowerPoint, flipcharts etc. and their
relative merits in different situations particularly
helpful. I couldn't help but trust every single word this
author says - not only because of his calm authoritative
style, but also because his ideas correspond so well to my
own experiences of being part of an
audience.
Simply the
best, September
22, 2004 Reviewer: A reader
from Kent, United
Kingdom
Reviewer: Peter
Hancock from
Dublin Ireland
Over the last 30 years I have spoken in
28 countries, launching cars, opening buildings and
guest speaking at
conferences.
Throughout I have read
any book on oratory that I can lay my hands on and Max
Atkinson's Lend Me Your Ears
is by far the
best.
All the others I have
read whilst helpful, are spoilt by containing some
advice that is conterproductive and conflicts with my
own experience on how audiences behave. I have not
been able to recommend them.
I had planned, in my
retirement to write the perfect book on public
speaking. I will now have to find something else to
do!
It excites
me, September 10,
2004 Reviewer:
Jeanie
Civil
I am
passionate about management training. It is so easy to
rearrange existing knowledge and experience to meet
the needs of new delegates. However the difficulty is
in remaining motivated and stimulated. This book has
done just that for me. I have already improved my
presentations and audience involvement by using Max
Atkinson's tips.
I rate this
book so highly not only because I agree with so many
of his observations, but also because I disagree with
a few comments as I come from a psychological
background rather than a sociological one. It has made
me revisit some of my assumptions and inspired me to
check out previous and new
research.
It is easy to read,
as it is joyful and jargon free. I loved 'death by a
thousand slides,' and the anecdotes. Every teacher,
trainer and tomorrow's leaders need to read
this.
This will be a best
seller like 'Men are from Mars.' For me it is a better
book as it does not repeat the first chapter in
various disguises but offered me new ideas as I read
through every word until the end. This is very rare
for a professional book. As I am an author of seven
management books, I wish I had thought of
it!