--- title: "Before You Open Your Mouth: The Keys to Great Public Speaking" image: https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/file-1604959910-jpg/blog-files/6a00d83451f23a69e201156f7ea43e970c-120wi.jpg --- [Skip to main content](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/2009/05/before-you-open-your-mouth-the-keys-to-great-public-speaking.html#maincontent) [ «  View All Posts ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog) # Before You Open Your Mouth: The Keys to Great Public Speaking May 7th, 2009 1 min read By [David Meerman Scott](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/author/david-meerman-scott) ![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/file-1604959910-jpg/blog-files/6a00d83451f23a69e201156f7ea43e970c-120wi.jpg?width=120&height=177&name=6a00d83451f23a69e201156f7ea43e970c-120wi.jpg) [Nick Morgan](http://publicwords.typepad.com/nickmorgan/) asks: "Why is most public speaking so awful? Why do we subject our fellow human beings to this form of torture when there are so many better things we could all be doing, like cutting our toenails, baking snickerdoodles, or watching re-runs of The Prisoner?" [![Trustmebook](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/file-1604959910-jpg/blog-files/6a00d83451f23a69e201156f7ea43e970c-120wi.jpg)](http://freshspot.typepad.com/.a/6a00d83451f23a69e201156f7ea43e970c-pi)Nick is the author of my favorite book on public speaking [Trust Me: Four Steps to Authenticity and Charisma](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0470404353/freshspotpubl-20). I have worked closely with Nick on improving my speaking skills. He knows what he is talking about! Nick just released a ChangeThis manifesto called [Before You Open Your Mouth: The Keys to Great Public Speaking](http://changethis.com/pdf/58.06.PublicWords.pdf). If you do any public speaking at all, you should read this (totally free) manifesto. "Why is most public speaking so awful? Beyond soulless venues and Death by Power Point, speakers make the same four mistakes over and over again, continuing the sorry state of the art." [![Nickebook](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/file-1604959925-jpg/blog-files/6a00d83451f23a69e2011570746e81970b-200wi.jpg)](http://freshspot.typepad.com/.a/6a00d83451f23a69e2011570746e81970b-pi)Download [Before You Open Your Mouth: The Keys to Great Public Speaking](http://changethis.com/pdf/58.06.PublicWords.pdf) and learn what the four mistakes are (and how to avoid them). [ David Meerman Scott ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/author/david-meerman-scott) David Meerman Scott is a business growth strategist, advisor to clever entrepreneurs who are building emerging companies, and the international bestselling author of a dozen books published in 30 languages. David’s high-energy keynote presentations, masterclasses, and virtual events educate, energize, and inspire. Connect: [mailto:david@freshspot.com](mailto:david@freshspot.com) Topics: [ Book Reviews ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/topic/book-reviews) [ ebooks ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/topic/ebooks) [ Best Practices ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/topic/best-practices) Don't forget to share this post: ## Related Articles [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/The%20Dip%20Lindy%20Hop.jpg?width=2000&height=1052&name=The%20Dip%20Lindy%20Hop.jpg) ### Revisiting The Dip May 13th, 2026|1 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/revisiting-the-dip) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Careless%20People%20book%20cover.jpg?width=1500&height=1117&name=Careless%20People%20book%20cover.jpg) ### Freedom of Speech? 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