Publications

Alan Mars is the author of ‘Confidence Tricks – Presenter’ a book on public speaking and presentation skills. He has taken the best techniques from the performing arts and adapted them for use in the workplace.

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By Richard Stokes
I first met Alan some years ago at a workshop that he ran, and which has provided me with a solid foundation for public speaking. This book covers many of the things that he teaches in person, using exercises and case studies to get his point across. What I so love about his method is that the body comes first, and the mind then follows, rather than having to think confident thoughts – hence the title. The confidence comes from being grounded, breathing freely and easily, making good eye contact – all behaviours. And from this grounded confidence, in contact with the audience, you’re then free to deliver your content. A better presenter – what does ‘better’ look like? How does ‘confidence’ stand, walk, look the audience in the eye? He gives specific exercises to practice ‘centering’, ‘footprints in the sand’, ‘owning the space’, and many more. Highly recommended.
 
By David Parish
This is a book I would definitely recommend for anyone who has to present in public – whatever the occasion. I have taken some sessions with Alan including some on movement and the Alexander Technique and have frequently found his ideas useful in my job – often in surprising ways. I am a lecturer in Biochemistry and so some of the topics (such as how to organise the contents of a presentation) I found relatively familiar but others were new to me, for example how being aware of your own balance and centre of gravity can improve the way you present yourself and how confident you seem to your audience. Another example would be how you can be aware of your breathing and use pauses to punctuate and give emphasis to your speech. These ideas sound quite abstract and could be difficult to explain in writing so one thing I really like about this book is the emphasis it puts on practical skills. Much of the text is a series of exercises for the reader to carry out – and most of them can be done on your own before you face that real audience. They are the real heart of this book.

By Kevin Brookes

In April of this year – 2013 – I had a panic attack! My daughter’s wedding was just 8 weeks away and I would have to face my greatest fear: public speaking. I had to do something urgently as the up-coming event was making me physically ill; such was my fear. So I Googled and found that Alan lived just 15 minutes away from me in Hove. So I booked a few 121 lessons and bought this book. I read it cover to cover and practiced simple breathing techniques, how to stand properly and reading out loud to project my voice. My confidence grew week on week and I practiced my speech. On the day I felt nervous but fine. The wedding organiser said it was one of the best speeches he had ever heard; all thanks to Alan and this wonderful book; a must get!

 


By Rick Clarke21-Jan-2014
I would heartily recommend this book to anyone wanting to improve their presenting skills or feel more comfortable – and even begin to enjoy! – speaking in public. I have been taking Alexander Lessons with Alan for the past few years and whilst some knowledge of the Alexander technique is helpful in getting the most from this book it is by no means a prerequisite.Alan writes in a very warm and accessible way drawing on a wealth of theoretical knowledge and practical experiential know how. The book is generously packed with easy to understand practical tips, tricks and exercises that address all the stages from preparing to delivering a presentation. Whilst this book is seriously good it is based upon ‘playful experimentation’ rather than serious or earnest striving to master public speaking. Confidence Tricks does exactly what it says on the tin and allows you to add Alan to your own personal claque – you will have to read the book to find out what a claque is!.

 

 

Speak with Confidence…