No one could accuse Steve Adubato of being shy about speaking his mind. As an author, columnist, television host and teacher, Adubato has hammered home the point that brevity, clarity and preparation are the soul of good public speaking. In “Make the Connection” (Rivergate Books; 231 pages; $21.95), Adubato has collected more than 100 of his columns and essays intended to “Improve Your Communication at Work and at Home.”

Adubato, who writes a biweekly column for NJBIZ, likes to cite the gaffes and good communication practice of figures ranging from New York Yankees manager Joe Torre to President George W. Bush. In doing so, he awards merits and demerits without regard to political affiliation.

Roger Ailes, who helped elect Republican presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush before becoming CEO of the Fox News Channel, wins praise as a communicator from Adubato for knowing that, “You are the message.”

Adubato writes that former New York Governor Mario Cuomo, a Democrat, is a masterful speaker who connects with listeners because he “speaks from the heart.” But the current President Bush cannot admit mistakes and comes on as “an inept public communicator.”

Adubato has scorn for speakers who drone on from notes or can’t get to the point. He recalls a high school principal who was so addicted to her three-by-five cards that she failed to even glance at an audience. When she finally agreed to outline her thoughts on a single card, one thought led to another, she got caught up in her remarks and so did her listeners.

That’s more than can be said for a speaker who showed endless PowerPoint slides to a bored-stiff audience. When, after 20 minutes into what had been billed as a 10-minute talk the speaker was told to wrap it up, she protested, “I’m just getting to what I really wanted to say.”

“What?” writes Adubato. “A good communicator leads with the main message. You don’t wait until you’ve lost your audience and any semblance of momentum before you say “what you really want to say.”

Adubato is aware of the plight of nervous public speakers, since he has been one. He recalls growing panicky before a TV appearance and calming himself by chatting with a technician. His advice for handling such situations includes becoming aware of one’s breath and developing a rhythm for one’s breathing. This “will in turn slow your heart rate, thereby centering you.” Another useful technique: “Focus on your message. Concentrate on what you want to say or do and why it is important.”

For those who find themselves dealing with the media or answering questions in a public forum, Adubato instructs that “your main message is your anchor. It should ground all your communication.” In other words, don’t confuse an audience with a welter of points; just stay on message.

Adubato turns his attention to arguments between spouses in a section on communicating with family members. He knows that it is all too easy “to get caught up in arguing our point of view as if we were in a court of law and had to convince some judge or jury.”

But “in any important relationship,” he notes, “being right is overrated. If your goal is truly to get along (and be happy), then a more cooperative, less adversarial mindset is required.” u E-mail to jgreenwald@njbiz.com

LIBRARY JOURNAL REVIEW OF
MAKE THE CONNECTION: IMPROVE YOUR COMMUNICATION AT WORK AND AT HOME (STEVE ADUBATO) APPEARING IN THE NOVEMBER 1, 2005 ISSUE

Adubato, Steve. Make the Connection: Improve Your Communication at Work and at Home. Rivergate: Rutgers Univ. Nov. 2005. c.256p. index. ISBN 0-8135-3652-9 [ISBN 978-0-8135-3652-1]. $21.95. COMM

Columnist, TV anchor, and motivational speaker Adubato (Speak from the Heart: Be Yourself and Get Results) offers tips and strategies for maximizing communication at home and at work. Topics include keeping an audience engaged during presentations, saying no, and talking to children about scary world events. Loosely categorized under such topics as "At Work" and "Communication 101," the essays lead off with illustrative anecdotes (many about high-profile leaders), followed by bulleted pointers for improving communication. The chapter titled "Dean's Scream Ended His Dream" highlights the importance of maintaining self-control and being aware of the impact of one's message. It illustrates how presidential candidate Howard Dean's attempt to rally his supporters in the face of his disappointing finish in the Iowa caucuses was interpreted not as a rallying cry but as an out-of-control rant capped by a primal scream. The message here is that a speaker must know his audience and understand how his message is being perceived. Unlike Loretta Malandro's Say It Right the First Time, which is more instructional in tone, this work takes a more informal approach to communication improvement. Recommended for public and academic libraries.
-Regina M. Beard, Atlanta

Publishers Weekly Review
November 2005

Adubato, a TV anchor, newspaper columnist and executive coach, provides a wide range of suggestions for improving public speaking abilities and learning to write without jargon. A useful chapter deals with communicating with kids - and teaching them how to communicate - but the focus is on building career competencies. Adubato's best points are made by the book itself: he excels at following his own advice, for example, using anecdotes and concrete examples to illustrate his points, keeping it simple and avoiding the use of jargon. Much of the advice for speakers, such as remembering to maintain eye contact with listeners, is hardly new. But sometimes he goes against common wisdom, as in his suggestion to avoid PowerPoint presentations and use low-tech ways of making your points (like the physical therapist who used a simple child's toy to illustrate how a spinal disc works). Adubato presents baseball manager Joe Torre as a model of good leadership for his supportive way of communicating with his players: "He knows when to push, prod, leave alone, or just listen." Adubato's engaging style makes this a cut above most communications-skills guides. (Nov.)