How to own the room; Women and the Art of Brilliant Speaking by Viv Groskop

Review by Milly Pickles, Event Executive at the Parallel Blue Group and FF15 Mentee in the 2021 group

One of my Fast Forward 15 goals this year is to better my public speaking skills and ‘How to Own the Room; Women and the Art of Brilliant Speaking’ by Viv Groskop has put me one step closer towards my goal. This fantastic and empowering book offers tips and advice to build your confidence and help you overcome the dreaded nerves that come with presenting.

Each chapter is based on a different well-known female speaker and their speaking style which Groskop analyses through past speeches. To name a few; the chapters based on a TED Talk, a Golden Globe Awards speech, and a commencement speech, are all a must read! Through Groskop’s use of chatty language you will learn how to be a ‘happy high status’ like Michelle Obama, show conviction, power and vulnerability like Oprah and pace yourself like Virginia Woolf.

Another standout from the book is at the end of each chapter, Groskop provides AMAZING tips, tricks, and exercises on how you can better your public speaking. As well as super helpful guides at the back of the book, which I will definitely be referring back to in the future!

The 2020 edition is the 2nd version of this book, with the 1st version being published in 2018. The last chapter explains ‘how to own the Zoom’, the question that a lot of people will have been asking themselves over the last 18 months. I learnt a huge amount from this chapter and as video calls are here to stay (for now anyway), I would recommend everyone to read it.

When I finished the book, the biggest takeaway for me was the following advice: ‘think of a time that you have been proud’ – then channel that feeling into your speech! This book is a must read for anyone who wants to better their public speaking skills, overcome their anxiety of presenting, learn different speaking styles, and OWN THE ROOM!

Milly Pickles

Milly Pickles fc sq

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