John-Paul Flintoff is a journalist, artist and performer who has delivered talks across four continents to audiences of as many as 5,000 people. He has worked as a writer and editor at the Financial Times and The Sunday Times, trained in improvisational theatre and has published five books, including How to Change the World. He lives in London.

I gave my first public speech at 15, at my Granny's funeral, and I wish I'd had this book then. Not because it would have changed what I said, but because it would have reassured me. My words, though carefully chosen and sincere, were not what people expected. But they were adequate, and this book would have told me that this was OK. Had I had Jean-Paul Flintoff's warm wit to guide me through my subsequent years of public speaking, I might have been a good deal better than adequate. Flintoff is erudite and playful and, despite the modesty, rigorous. This is about much more than adequate public speaking. It is about life. And it is great.

John-Paul Flintoff is a journalist, artist and performer who has delivered talks across four continents to audiences of as many as 5,000 people. He has worked as a writer and editor at the Financial Times and The Sunday Times, trained in improvisational theatre and has published five books, including How to Change the World. He lives in London.

I gave my first public speech at 15, at my Granny's funeral, and I wish I'd had this book then. Not because it would have changed what I said, but because it would have reassured me. My words, though carefully chosen and sincere, were not what people expected. But they were adequate, and this book would have told me that this was OK. Had I had Jean-Paul Flintoff's warm wit to guide me through my subsequent years of public speaking, I might have been a good deal better than adequate. Flintoff is erudite and playful and, despite the modesty, rigorous. This is about much more than adequate public speaking. It is about life. And it is great.