The case studies provide an excellent flavor of the mental side of sports for all you "armchair" athletes and sports psychologists to savor. As a psychologist and self-proclaimed athlete, I was entertained and enlightened by the multitude of case studies that Thompson and Vernacchia chose to explore. I found myself relating my own sports-related challenges to those offered in the book. The funnest part was formulating my own hypotheses about the various issues that were presented in each case. This is a must read for anyone who has been frustrated by the challenges of competitive athletics. You're not alone! However, you might find that you're #1 competitor resides in the barriers that you have built in your own mind. Learn how to knock down, or atleast, get around those self-imposed barriers.

I found this book when looking for something above the many "basic" presentation skills books that are out there - and this book delivers.
Ralph covers the various voice qualities in detail, and the impact these qualities has on audience perception. He covers how to add more variety to your voice via rate, pitch and volume - each are covered in detail along with when to vary these for effect.
Ralph also covers how to support your voice, and then goes into the technical aspects of voice production and phonetics (via the International Phonetic Alphabet - or IPA).
The book finishes with tips on dress, movement, eye contact, external factors, health and practice. It also includes 27 exercises designed to improve your voice and overall presentation technique.
Overall this book provides much information that can help take your presentation style to the next level.