Beyond the Words : How to Conquer Your Fear of Public Speaking and Confidently Present Yourself to the World

Dry mouth. Sweaty palms. Itchy hives. All eyes are on you, the audience is ready to hang on your every word, but there’s just one problem... You. Can’t. Speak. In Beyond the Words , Williams reframes how readers view public speaking, offers solutions to fear-induced anxiety, and refocuses readers on the ultimate goal: human connection. Whether speaking to a full auditorium, a boardroom, or an attractive date across the table, readers are given the tools to find their voice, better present themselves, and effectively communicate and connect with others. This book is for those asking questions like: Are people really interested in what I have to say? Are listeners benefiting from my talk? What am I getting in return? How can I control my physical response to fear? Ultimately, readers will find the self confidence needed to build connections through public presentation. Beyond the Words dispels the myth that public speaking is only for professionals, experts, or extroverts, and teaches readers that “public speaking is attainable by all.”

The first volume of David M. Honey's comprehensive history of Chinese thought offers a close study of Confucius, that tradition's proto-classicist. This opening volume examines Confucius traditions that largely formed the views of later classicists, who regarded him as their profession's patron saint. Honey's survey begins by examining how these views informed the Chinese classicists' own identities as textual critics and interpreters, all dedicated to self-cultivation for government service. It focuses on Confucius's methods as a proto-classical master and teacher, and on the media in which he worked, including the spoken word and written texts. As Honey explains, Confucius's immediate motivations were twofold: the moral development of himself and his disciples and the ritual application of the lessons from the classics. His instruction occurred in ritualized settings in the form of a question and answer catechism between master and disciples. This pedagogical approach will be analyzed through the interpretive paradigm of "performative ritual, " borrowed from recent studies of Greek classical drama. The volume concludes with a detailed treatment of a trio of Confucius's disciples who were most prominent in transmitting his teachings, and with chapters on his intellectual inheritors, Mencius and Xunzi.