James C. Humes

Turn any presentation into a landmark occasion“I love this book. I’ve followed Humes's lessons for years, and he combines them all into one compact, hard-hitting resource. Get this book on your desk now.”—Chris Matthews, HardballEver wish you could captivate your boardroom with the opening line of your presentation, like Winston Churchill in his most memorable speeches? Or want to command attention by looming larger than life before your audience, much like Abraham Lincoln when, standing erect and wearing a top hat, he towered over seven feet? Now, you can master presentation skills, wow your audience, and shoot up the corporate ladder by unlocking the secrets of history’s greatest speakers.Author, historian, and world-renowned speaker James C. Humes—who wrote speeches for five American presidents—shows you how great leaders through the ages used simple yet incredibly effective tricks to speak, persuade, and win throngs of fans and followers. Inside, you'll discover how Napoleon Bonaparte mastered the use of the pregnant pause to grab attention, how Lady Margaret Thatcher punctuated her most serious speeches with the use of subtle props, how Ronald Reagan could win even the most hostile crowd with carefully timed wit, and much, much more.Whether you're addressing a small nation or a large staff meeting, you'll want to master the tips and tricks in Speak Like Churchill, Stand Like Lincoln.

"Perhaps it is a cliche that a politician thinks of the next election and a statesman of the next generation, yet my grandfather found merit in the maxim. He had known leaders he esteemed as the greatest of statesmen…Churchill, however, was the leader he admired above all…In hundreds of studies of Churchill, no one else, remarkably enough, has focused on Churchill's predictions and prophecies. James Humes has produced a book that is unique as well as necessary for an understanding of statesmanship."—David Eisenhower, author and senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute

Collection of trivia, history and little-known stories about American Presidents.

Ronald Reagan is more than a revered and popular president--he is a hero to millions, beloved as a persuasive leader who inspired America and shaped the future more than any other modern president. Reagan's everyman insight--stemming from his unique background as actor, sports broadcaster, and labor leader--make him America's most quotable president. In The Wit & Wisdom of Ronald Reagan, author James C. Humes brings together the best observations and opinions of the "Great Communicator." Spanning one-liners, anecdotes, zingers, and little-known stories, this collection also includes commentary about Reagan from friends and foes as well as analysis of his great speeches. The Wit & Wisdom of Ronald Reagan is an exceptional tribute to America's adored fortieth president.

James Hume - who knew Churchill personally - brilliantly captures the extraordinary life of this gifted, complex, and often troubled leader.

Although born and raised more than an ocean apart, Dwight Eisenhower and Winston Churchill—the two titans of the greatest generation—led remarkably parallel lives whose paths would intersect during history's most harrowing days. Through their youth, education, and military training, both men experienced similar triumphs and failures that shaped their lives, though they met only for the first time upon the eve of war in 1941.Eisenhower and Churchill tells the magnificent story of these two great leaders and their exemplary partnership in war and peace. Through enlivened pages and fascinating anecdotes, author James C. Humes illuminates the human side of each man, who had more in common with each other than a world war. You'll discover the extraordinary stories of how both were born to domineering mothers and failed fathers, both did not qualify for the military academy on the first try, both were traumatized by experiences in World War I, both were talented writers, and both lost a child in the very same year (1921). Remarkably, each man did not warm to the other at first; but as they worked together, their respect for one another grew to become a powerful friendship that lived long after the echoes of war had receded into the past.As allies, they shared a hatred for tyranny and led the world through the greatest war of the twentieth century. As friends, they shared a sense of trust and cooperation that should be raised as a standard. Containing new research and memorable insights, Eisenhower and Churchill brings to life the two lions of the twentieth centruy."Who would not welcome an intimate book about Churchill and Eisenhower, and who is better situated to write it than Professor Humes, who knew them both, and studiously—and ardently—records their careers and their friendship?"— William F. Buckley Jr."James C. Humes's Eisenhower and Churchill is a wonderful dual biography laced with lively anecdotes, engaging prose, and shrewd analysis. A truly welcome addition to our growing literature on the Second World War."— Douglas Brinkley, professor of history and director of the Eisenhower Center, University of New Orleans

A treasury of over 900 quotations spoken by the first "American" as well as numerous entertaining anecdotes about his adventures and misadventures, making it the fourth in the WIT & WISDOM series from RHVP. Covering everything from Sage Sayings to Franklin Fables, it even incudes a time line of Franklin's life and the world around him.

A former presidential speechwriter draws on the experiences and techniques of Winston Churchill and American politicians to provide a practical guide to preparing and delivering business speeches

Persuade, mentor, and motivate like the Great Communicator More than just an influential speaker, Ronald Reagan was a master of all types of communication and employed his personal warmth and charm to rally Americans around his vision. Now, former Reagan speechwriter James C. Humes shows how you can replicate Reagan's ability to influence others and utilize his communication tools when interacting with colleagues and partners. Don't just rely on words, • Communicate with gestures, postures, and even clothing• Learn the power of podium presence• Fine-tune your humor and voice for each unique audience Praise for James C. Humes'sSpeak Like Churchill, Stand Like "As a student of speech, I very much enjoyed this intriguing historic approach to public speaking. Humes creates a valuable and practical guide."-Roger Ailes, chairman and CEO, FOX News "I love this book. I've followed Humes's lessons for years, and he combines them all into one compact, hard-hitting resource. Get this book on your desk now."-Chris Matthews, Hardball with Chris Matthews

Speaker of the Century

A behind-the-scenes look at people who make presidents talk.

From Simon & Schuster, Nixon's Ten Commandments of Leadership and Negotiation is James C. Humes' exploration of Nixon's guiding principles of statecraft.Interweaving vignettes that capture Nixon's skills as a strategist and negotiator of foreign policy, a former White House speech writer illuminates the essential rules that brought Nixon success and shows how they can be applied by leaders in every field.

William F. Buckley Jr., who passed away in 2008, shaped America more than any other journalist of the 20th century. The father of the modern conservative movement, Buckley made a profound impression on Americans not only through his charm, sharp wit, and polysyllabic vocabulary, but also through his impressive body of work—more than 50 books, thousands of columns, hundreds of speeches, and countless hours on the airwaves. Now, in a heartwarming collection, James C. Humes captures Buckley’s intelligence, keen insights, and glowing sense of humor as only an insider can. Spanning never-before-published material, this compilation also includes commentary about Buckley from friends and foes, analysis of his great talks and debate performances, and entertaining stories from Buckley’s incredibly rich and varied life. The Wit and Wisdom of William F. Buckley Jr. is an exceptional homage to a truly fascinating figure.

„Ridicati-va paharele idolatrilor si amatorilor de toasturi, deoarece oricare dintre aceste peste 1000 de vorbe de duh poate intra in deschiderea unei cuvantari si poate incheia o alta, tinuta de un adversar plictisitor de vorbaret." (Booklist) „Un compendiu compact si o lectura placuta." (Newsday) „Curajos, belicos si plin de umor… Oricine isi doreste sa aiba la dispozitie o sursa generoasa de citate trebuie sa stie ca aici o gaseste. Churchill a avut o experienta de sapte decenii de oratorie. Pentru cei care au venit pe lume dupa cel de-al Doilea Razboi Mondial, acesta este un volum care merita citit si pastrat in biblioteca personala, deoarece ii va inspira." (Indianapolis Star)

In Bartlett's Familiar Quotations , the premier collection of noted sayings, Mark Twain is the only American with more citations under his name than Franklin Delano Roosevelt. FDR was the greatest raconteur to occupy the White House between the presidencies of Abraham Lincoln and Ronald Reagan. A superb mimic with a professional comic's sense of timing, he had an ear for a ringing phrase and could laugh at himself, relishing the opportunity to tell stories at his own expense. The anecdotes, sayings, and witticisms collected in this hugely entertaining and edifying volume are a testament to the high humor and insouciant, infectious personality of one of our greatest presidents.

Book by Humes, James C.

In this book, a well-known speech writer and brilliant public speaker explains how to use humor effectively in speeches for every occasion and for any type of audience. Included are more than 600 humorous stories and anecdotes from the author's own collection -- stories and anecdotes that anyone can use to enliven a speech.In Part One of "Podium Humor," the author discusses from the speaker's standpoint as well as from that of the audience. With numerous examples he explains what humor is made of, what triggers laughter, how to tell a story, and how to use humor to build suspense. From the basics supplied by the author, you learn how to develop your own humorous stories to suit your individual needs.Part Two of the book features a cross-indexed collection of humor: anecdotes, stories, and one-liners on many topical subjects. The author shows you how to work these humorous pieces into your speech by suggesting "lead-in" lines for particular stories plus "bridge" lines to return to the main sppech.Whether you wish to use humor to start or end a speech, to illustrate a point, or to establish rapport with an audience, "Podium Humor" will give you practical, easy-to-follow advice and a wealth of humorous material for use in your next speech.

Paklauskite savęs, ar turite bendravimo įgūdžių, reikalingų norint iškilti? Ar turite žvaigždėms būdingų galių, kurios palaikytų jūsų kompanijos augimą?Vinstonas Čerčilis, Abraomas Linkolnas, Margaret Tečer, Napoleonas ir kiti oratoriai ir permainų organizatoriai naudojo charizmos ir patrauklumo triukus. Be didelių pastangų jų galite išmokti ir jūs. Šie metodai padės jums užsitikrinti įspūdingą išvaizdą, sugebėjimą šaltakraujiškai elgtis ir savo kalba paveikti, įkvėpti kitus.Rašytojas sujungia istoriją ir iškalbos meną, siekdamas atskleisti sėkmingo pasisakymo paslaptis bei žodžio galią.

Winston Churchill er eini stjórnmálaleiðtogi mannkynssögunnar sem „hefur átt sína eigin kristalkúlu,“ sagði Richard Nixon Bandaríkjaforseti eitt sinn. Churchill bjó nefnilega yfir einstakri gáfu til að sjá fram í tímann og spá fyrir um óorðna hluti. Að baki bjó yfirgripsmikil söguþekking hans, víðtæk reynsla og óvenjulegt hugarflug og innsæi.Churchill spáði meðal annars fyrir um heimstyrjöldina fyrri, smíði skriðdreka, þýðingu flugvéla í stríðsrekstri, uppgang leiðtoga á borð við Adolf Hitler, þróun kjarnorkuvopna, stofnun Ísraelsríkis, átök múslima og hindúa, Evrópusamvinnuna, endalok kalda stríðsins og jafnvel eigin dauðdaga.Í þessari merkilegu bók er saga Churchills rakin með hliðsjón af þessum og fleiri dæmum af ótrúlegri framsýni hans um helstu atburði og breytingar í hernaðar- og stjórnmálasögu tuttugustu aldar.James C. Humes (1934–2020) var bandarískur lögfræðingur og rithöfundur. Hann var einn af ræðuskrifurum Bandaríkjaforsetanna Dwights Eisenhower, Geralds Ford, Ronalds Reagan og George Bush eldri. Hann var vinsæll fyrirlesari og skrifaði fjölda bóka, þar á meðal Churchill: Speaker of the Century (Churchill: Ræðumaður aldarinnar) sem var tilefnd til Pulitzer-verðlaunanna.Magnús Þór Hafsteinsson (1964–) er fiskifræðingur að mennt en hefur lengst af starfað við blaðamennsku og ritstörf. Hann sat um tíma á Alþingi og rær nú til fiskjar vestur á fjörðum. Hann hefur skrifað og þýtt fjölmargar bækur. Meðal eigin verka má nefna Dauðann í Dumbshafi (2011) og Návígi á norðurslóðum (2012), en af þýðingum stórvirki Max Hastings, Vítisloga – Heim í stríði 1939–1945 (2021), Kóreustríðið 1950–1953 (2022) og Kúbudeiluna 1962 (2023).

Anecdotes about famous men and women in history, literature, the arts, sciences, and government, designed to add color and interest to speeches and presentations, are arranged under such subject headings as ingenuity, ambition, and discovery

Gives practical advice on how to control nervousness, write an effective speech, avoid common errors, make use of anecdotes, quotations, and humor, deal with hostile questions, and avoid cliches

A top speechwriter and speaker explains how to use the techniques of effective public speaking to negotiate a raise, improve sales, get a new job, and handle difficult situations

Instant Eloquence. A Lazy Man's Guide to Public Speaking.

giving funny speeches

He helped Presidents to inspire a generation.Now he will inspire you. James C. Humes has been collecting short, humorous, inspiring stories for years. He used them as a speechwriter for Presidents Reagan, Ford, and Nixon, who referred to Humes as his “quotesmaster general.” Now he shares them with you, for use in speeches, sermons, and daily meditations, but mostly for the sheer pleasure of reading. Each story comes with accompanying Bible verse and is indexed by person, topic, and Scripture."James C. Humes has few peers as an historical scholar. From Winston Churchill to U. S. Presidents, he has time and again related the most appropriate anecdotes. We are lucky that he has agreed to correlate them in this book. It will make the reader a speech writer."-Senator Ernest Hollings"James C. Humes has a prodigious knowledge of history, of course. But what makes this collection a priceless asset is its author's keen insights into the qualities ordinary people call on to be great people -- and good people."-The Rev. John H. Taylor, Executive DirectorRichard Nixon Library & Birthplace Foundation James C. Humes , a former speechwriter for Presidents Reagan, Ford, and Nixon, is Professor and Schuck Fellow for the study of statecraft, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. He is the author of 25 books, including biographies of Churchill and Lincoln.

Book by Humes, James C

In 1998, Professor Humes and Doctor Ryals traveled with Edward Nixon, the brother of the President, to the People's Republic of China. While retracing Nixon's steps, they interviewed those Chinese Foreign Service experts who had planned the president's meetings with Mao Tse-tung and Chou En-lai. These protZgZs of Chou En-lai ended their diplomatic careers as envoys in Anglophone nations such as the U.S., U.K., Canada, and Australia. During interviews with Humes, Ryals, and Edward Nixon, these experts shared their observations about the forces, such as the Gang of Four, who were plotting to prevent the Nixon Trip, as well as why, at the time, Mao was amendable to restoring ties with America despite the ongoing Cultural Revolution.

This is a 4-audiocassette tape series. Vol I "Winston Churchill's Language of Leadership" reveals the five simple rules of effective communication formulated by Churchill himself; In Vol. II, find out how people like Churchill, Martin Luther King, Jr. Kennedy and Reagan were able to change the course of world history by using relatively simple communication techniques; In Vol. III "You Can Sell " learn how to sell yourself and your ideas successfully in business, at home, at church so others respond in a positive way; In Vol IV "Power Endings & Communication Makeovers" learn how to create an ending with people that will never let them forget you