The Seven Strategies of Master Presenters

Dr. Brad McRae The Seven Strategies of Master Negotiators

David Brooks Toastmasters World Champion of Public Speaking

Ted Corcoran President, Toastmasters International 2003–2004

CAREER PRESS

Copyright 2004 Brad McRae and David Brooks

All rights reserved under the Pan-American and International Copyright Conventions. This book may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system now known or hereafter invented, without written permission from the publisher, The Career Press.

THE SEVEN STRATEGIES OF MASTER PRESENTERS
Cover design by Brill Graphic Design Inc.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

McRae, Bradley C. (Bradley Collins), 1945-
The seven strategies of master presenters / by Brad McRae &
David Brooks; foreword by Ted Corcoran.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.

1-56414-744-4

(paper)
1. Public speaking. I. Brooks, David, 1952- II. Title.

PN4129.15.M387 2004
808.5'1—dc22

2003069597

Brad dedicates this book to his three lifelong friends John Loback, Terrye Perlman, and Carolyn Flynn; and to his beloved children, Andrew and Katie McRae.

David dedicates this book to his wife and son Beth and Matthew Brooks.

A portion of the profits from this book is being donated to Lara's Hope to find a
cure for Huntington's disease.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

One of the best ways to make the material in this book come to life is to illustrate the strategies through interviews with Master Presenters. The 28 Master Presenters we interviewed freely shared the wisdom that they had painstakingly gathered through countless years of experience. Their insights significantly broadened and deepened our understanding of The Seven Strategies of Master Presenters.

Brad would like to express his heartfelt thanks to his corporate clients. Being able to teach The Seven Strategies of Master Presenters throughout such organizations as Saint Mary's University at the World Trade Centre; London Life; Maritime Life; Great-West Life; CO-OP Atlantic; Credit Union Central of Nova Scotia; Michelin North America; and the Governments of Nova Scotia and Canada was invaluable.

We want thank our colleagues Pat Lazaruk, Betty Cooper, and Fraser McAllan for their insightful suggestions regarding both the content and the style of this book, and our home editing team of Katherine Coy, Mary-Beth Clark, Joan Homewood, and Lawrence McEachern, without whose help and encouragement this manuscript would have remained partially written forever. Glenn Sutherland kept the computers and the software running when they didn't really want to, and Alain Godbout helped get all of the figures in the right form and resolution. The staff in the reference departments at the Halifax Regional Library and at Dalhousie University Library had the grace and wisdom to track down and ferret out the most obscure references.

We were also greatly assisted by our editor, Mike Pye, our eagle-eyed editorial director, Stacey Farkas, and all of the staff at Career Press for turning our manuscript into a book. Their professional guidance and personal encouragement were invaluable. We would like to add a special note of thanks to Jeff and Deborah Herman for writing the book Write the Perfect Book Proposal, and to Jeff Herman for being the perfect agent.

Lastly, Brad would like to thank his children, Andrew and Katie, and close friends for their support and understanding throughout the research, writing, editing, and reresearching, rewriting, and reediting of this book. David would like to thank his wife, Beth, and son, Matthew, for their unflagging support and encouragement.

Brad McRae
Halifax, Nova Scotia

David Brooks
Austin, Texas

April, 2004

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

BRAD McRAE has a doctoral degree in psychology from the University of British Columbia. He is a registered psychologist, consultant, and author and is the president of McRae and Associates. He has lectured across Canada, the United States, in Mexico, and Africa. He was trained in negotiating skills at the Project on Negotiation at Harvard University and gives more than 100 presentations a year.

Brad has earned the Platinum Level Speaker designation from Meeting Professionals International. As such he is one of only 50 in North America, and three in Canada. He is a member of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers and the International Association of Professional Speakers.

Brad is the author of four books: How to Write a Thesis and Keep Your Sanity; Practical Time Management: How to Get More Done in Less Time; Negotiating and Influencing Skills: The Art of Creating and Claiming Value; and The Seven Strategies of Master Negotiators and is the editor and publisher of The Negotiation Newsletter.

Brad lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia, with his two children, Andrew and Katherine.

DAVID BROOKS is the 1990 World Champion of Public Speaking. He has coached, advised, and mentored five subsequent World Champions and dozens of finalists. His combined journalism and Toastmasters background have taught him the art of clarity and brevity. He has spoken in every U.S. state, every Canadian province, and in China, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Oman, Ireland, Sweden, Puerto Rico, and Jamaica. He was the top-rated trainer for three consecutive years with an international seminar company. In 1990, he triumphed over more than 25,000 initial competitors to become the Toasmasters World Champion of Public Speaking. Since that time, he has coached and/or mentored five additional World Champions and dozens of finalists. And, though he has spoken to multiple thousands of business communicators, David claims one additional distinction: over the past 13 years he has spoken to more Toastmasters than anyone else in the world. Major international corporations have brought David in to train their employees in effective presentation skills. He was the highest rated trainer with a multinational seminar company for three consecutive years, and he has appeared on nationwide television and radio broadcasts in the United States, Canada, and Oman.