Book Reviews

"Doreen Hamilton gets to the heart of the epidemic anxiety that stops so many wonderful people from living their gift out loud. No pop psychology, no fluffy promises; just the reality of the suffering and the clearest, cleanest step-by-step way through it ever put on paper."

Lee Glickstein

Learning to be true to yourself through public speaking

I found Essential Speaking: The 7-Step Guide to Finding Your Real Voice, by Doreen Hamilton to be a wonderful book--ostensibly about public speaking, but also about learning how to be true to yourself while in the presence of people listening to you.

Statistically, fear of public speaking is said to be higher on the chart than fear of death. Indeed, for many, public speaking is the same as death. Doreen Hamilton, a psychotherapist who understands human depths and motivations very well, wrote this book based on her experience of facing her own fear--terror, even--of public speaking. A high achiever and graduate of Toastmasters, she came to realize that simply putting a better face on her speaking achievements didn't bring her closer to her heart. Her original desire to share good things with an audience had been replaced by a look-good mask. This wasn't enough for her: she wanted the real thing--real answers, real connection.

Setting about to discover the true source of her own public-speaking fears, she found fear of being seen and criticized to be the real problem, and learning to be open-hearted and connected to be the cure. Based on her personal understanding, she has since helped many other people traverse the mountain path of their own fears, and break through joyfully. Her book, based on her work with Speaking Circles, has the ring of truth from one who has lived it and transcended it, and now helps others.

In providing seven essential steps (starting with "Be Silent"); illuminating case histories and stories from her own life; instructive and evocative writing; and the compassionate heart of a therapist, Hamilton's book speaks to the universal human need to be recognized, appreciated, and encouraged to speak confidently from the essence of who we are. Even if you don't need to speak in public, just reading this book for its own sake can help you to more fully understand how you may be hiding your light under a bushel, and open up a wonderful world where nothing need stop you from sharing your authentic voice.

Naomi Rose, Book Developer; creator, "Writing from the Deeper Self"; author, Starting Your Book: A Guide to Navigating the Blank Page by Attending to What's Inside You [...]

Elegant, Profound, and Easy to Read

I've studied public speaking for years, and was delighted to discover this book. Dr. Hamilton's step-by-step method is very clearly presented which makes it easy to read, yet contains material that is thought-provoking and life changing. She points out that stage fright at the deepest level is not really fear of speaking but fear of being ourselves in public, and gives you great tools to work at that level. I highly recommend it and suggest reading it several times!

Audrey Seymour (San Anselmo, CA United States)

Personal and Practical Guidance for Speaking With Ease and More

Buy this book! It will become your best friend and most effective guide for speaking with ease at a meeting, in a class, presenting at a workshop, giving a talk, offering a toast, introducing yourself in a group, or in any situation that calls for you to be visible. Dr. Hamilton's writing style is compassionate, intimate, inviting, encouraging and reassuring. The principles and exercises she provides are well organized for initial learning, as well as for quick review. In addition to all this, what I really liked is that Dr. Hamilton has offered more than a technique for overcoming the fear of public speaking. The authenticity that is encouraged as the key to speaking with ease, is also at the heart of feeling more connectedness, compassion, confidence, clarity, courage, creativity and calm in all areas of life. This is the brilliance of Essential Speaking and clearly separates it from other books on the topic.

Katherine Mapes-Resnik

Essential Being: a guide for "Taking the risk of being yourself"

Doreen Hamilton's "Essential Speaking" delivers practical tools from many perspectives to release the true self as speaker. She shows us how to become the open hearted, connected persons we all long for but are afraid of becoming. Doreen guides the reader into a sense of security with the silent center of self. From this truthful, honest place the speaker connects with intimacy ("into me see") to her audience, drawing a sympathetic and connected response. Doreen's compelling message disengages us from our fear of being imperfect, and instead challenges us to use this human quality of imperfection as the hook that attracts an audience to the person speaking even more powerfully than the words the person speaks. We remember "beyond fear is freedom" and with Doreen's gentle support enable ourselves to become dynamic and sought after speakers, on all platforms and to all audiences. Bravo !

Michael F. Bouscaren

Clear Confident Guidance

This marvelous handbook is one of the clearest guides I have seen to claiming your authentic speaking voice in public. I worked with Dr. Hamilton as a writing coach helping her develop the structure of the book, and found that she was an extraordinary exemplar of the principles she espouses: her own voice, in every sense of the word, is remarkably clear. I am thrilled to see this fine book in print and cannot recommend it highly enough.

The 7 Steps to Essential Speaking actually are steps to realizing one's essential being; as such, they are applicable in broader arenas than public speaking. Learning to be present, attuned, and positive, for instance, are practices that will enhance every dimension of life. Thus I recommend Essential Speaking to anyone who is seeking to become more aware and connected to self.

Joan Lester "Author" (Berkeley, CA. USA)

Awesome book

This book is excellent! It really helped me integrate and internalize what I'd learned from Lee Glickstein and Speaking Circles. Thank you Doreen!

Ricardo Lee (San Diego, Ca)

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