"Mr. Berkun's book is packed with tips on how to reduce anxiety and how to speak in public with greater effectiveness."
--Wall Street Journal, Phillip Delves Broughton, author of Ahead of the Curve: Two Years at Harvard Business School (Penguin Press)
"I've seen Scott speak a few times before, and he knows his stuff. Add to this his sense of humor, plus the fact that pretty much everyone can stand to learn some new ideas about speaking, and this book is a MUST for your collection."
--Chris Brogan, President of New Marketing Labs, and co-author of the book, Trust Agents, with Julien Smith
"For those that are contemplating public speaking, or want to improve their current aptitude, it is impossible that after reading the book, that they won't be a better speaker. For those that simply want to know what goes into, and what makes a really good presentation, Confessions of a Public Speaker is also a worthwhile book to read."
--Slashdot review: Ben Rothke is the author of Computer Security: 20 Things Every Employee Should Know (McGraw-Hill)
"Scott Berkun tells it like it is. Whether you're speaking to 10 people or 1000 people, you will gain insights to take your presentation skills to the next level. It's a rare book that will make you think AND laugh." --Tony Hsieh, CEO, Zappos.com
"Smart, funny, and provocative, Scott Berkun's Confessions puts an very modern and wholly relevant spin on the fine art of public speaking." --Suzy Welch, bestselling author and public speaker
"At 7:48 a.m. on a Tuesday, I am showered, cleaned, shaved, pruned, fed, and deodorized, wearing a pressed shirt and shiny shoes, in a cab on my way to the San Francisco waterfront I'm far from home, going to an unfamiliar place, and performing for strangers, three stressful facts that mean anything can happen "
In this hilarious and highly practical book, author and professional speaker Scott Berkun reveals the techniques behind what great communicators do, and shows how anyone can learn to use them well. For managers and teachers-and anyone else who talks and expects someone to listen-Confessions of a Public Speaker provides an insider's perspective on how to effectively present ideas to anyone. It's a unique, entertaining, and instructional romp through the embarrassments and triumphs Scott has experienced over 15 years of speaking to crowds of all sizes.
With lively lessons and surprising confessions, you'll get new insights into the art of persuasion-as well as teaching, learning, and performance-directly from a master of the trade.
Highlights include:
Berkun's hard-won and simple philosophy, culled from years of lectures, teaching courses, and hours of appearances on NPR, MSNBC, and CNBC
Practical advice, including how to work a tough room, the science of not boring people, how to survive the attack of the butterflies, and what to do when things go wrong
The inside scoop on who earns $30,000 for a one-hour lecture and why
The worst-and funniest-disaster stories you've ever heard (plus countermoves you can use)
Filled with humorous and illuminating stories of thrilling performances and real-life disasters, Confessions of a Public Speaker is inspirational, devastatingly honest, and a blast to read.
"A fresh, fun, memorable take on the most critical thing: what we say. Highly recommended." -Chris Anderson, Editor in Chief, Wired
"Loved it! Anyone who speaks for a living-including teachers-will greatly benefit from this book." -Garr Reynolds, author of Presentation Zen
Nails it...November 27, 2009 D. Kanigan(CT, USA) 28 out of 28 found this review helpful
After grinding through far too many books on "how-to-present-better" books, I've finally found one that exceeds the promise. Scott Berkun, a former Microsoft executive who turned writer and professional speaker, practices what he preaches in his book.
* This book is written for anyone who has to give presentations (public speakers, managers, teachers) - it will benefit novices to veterans - and readers in all for-profit and not-for profit industries.
* This is a quick read - can be read in 1 or 2 sittings
* This is a page turning "how to" book
* It is written in a conversational tone packaged with excellent stories, persuasive tips, good research and "rhythmic" pace
* Author is informed via real world experiences - he is honest, humble and straightforward.
* He shares many usable tips and Do's and Don'ts that will stick (e.g. ask smaller than expected crowd to move up and dense-up; lose your content, ask audience for 10 topics they would like you to address; grab them early with a meaningful title for your presentation)
* Finally, a readable how-to book that delivers as promised...highly recommended.
* Some of my favorite excerpts include:
"...when 100 people are listening to you for an hour, that's 100 hours of people's time devoted to what you have to say. If you can't spend 5 or 10 hours preparing for them, thinking about them, and refining your points to best suit their needs, what does that say about your respect for your audience's time? It says that your 5 hours are more important than 100 of theirs, which requires an ego larger than the entire solar system. And there is no doubt this disrespect will be obvious once you are on the stage."
"Our bodies, sitting around doing little, go into rest mode--and where our bodies go, our minds will follow...with this distressing fact, it's easy to understand why most lectures are slow one-way trips into sedation...If you can stop boredom from happening, and stop doing things that bore people, you're well on your way to having an attentive crowd..."
"A common mistake people make is to shrink onstage. They become overly polite and cautious. They speak softly, don't tell stories, and never smile. They become completely, devastatingly neutral. As safe as this seems, it is an attention graveyard."
"By being enthusiastic and caring deeply about what you say, you may provide more value than a low-energy, dispassionate speaker who knows 10 times more than you do. You are more likely to keep the audience's attention, which makes everything else possible."
" The easiest way to be interesting is to be honest. People rarely say what they truly feel, yet this is what audiences desire most. If you can speak a truth most people are afraid to say, you're a hero. If you're honest, even if people disagree, they will find you interesting and keep listening. Making connections with people starts by either getting them interested in your ideas or showing how interested you are in theirs. Both happen faster the more honest everyone is. The feedback most speakers need is "Be more honest." Stop hiding and posturing, and just tell the truth."
Professional speaker Scott Berkun reveals the techniques behind what great communicators doDecember 7, 2009 Ben Rothke(USA) 14 out of 15 found this review helpful
While there is a plethora of books such as Public Speaking for Dummies, and many similar titles; Confessions of a Public Speaker is unique in that it takes a holistic approach to the art and science of public speaking. The books doesn't just provide helpful hints, it attempts to make the speaker, and their associated presentation, compelling and necessary. Confessions is Scott Berkun's first-hand account of his many years of public speaking, teaching and television appearances. In the book, he shares his successes, failures, and many frustrating experiences, in the hope that the reader will be a better speaker for it.
An issue with many books on public speaking is that they focus on the mechanics of public speaking. While there is nothing necessarily wrong with that approach, Confessions takes a much deeper and analytical look at public speaking. The book demonstrates that the best public speakers are not simply people with fancy PowerPoint's; rather they are excellent communicators with a strong message.
While other books focus and stress the importance of creating good PowerPoint's, Confessions shows how one can rise above the PowerPoint and be a presenter of ideas to the audience. Such an approach can take a dry presentation and turn it into a compelling one.
Berkun notes that while many people perceive public speaking to be a terrifying experience, the reality is that it does not have to be so petrifying. With fundamental preparations, even the most timid person can be a public speaker. While such a person will never be a speaker at the caliber of a Steve Jobs, there is no reason they can't present an enjoyable and educating presentation.
The book is loaded with chapter after chapter of practical advice. Berkun also shows what to do when things go terribly wrong; from how to work a tough room, when technology fails, microphones that go bad and more.
The book also provides effective techniques on how to deal with a participant, who in the course of asking a question, turns it into a monologue or diatribe. His suggestion is to throw the question back at the audience. Ask the audience "how many people are interested in this question?" If only a fraction of the audience raise their hands, tell the questioner to come up afterwards and that you will answer them. Berkun concludes that just because a question is raised, does not mean that the speaker is obligated to answer it.
Some of the advice in the book is obvious, but only after you read it, such as not turning your back on the audience, and more. One of the better suggestions is rather than ending a talk with "are there any questions", use "what questions did you think I would answer but didn't?
As an effective communicator, one would have thought that Berkun could have gotten his message across with less profanity. While the book is not necessarily profanity laden; it is there in numerous places. That will preclude the book from being purchased in many organizations sensitive to that.
Chapter 6 - the Science of not boring people - is perhaps the best chapter in the book, where Berkun takes a look at a fundamental problem with many public presentations, they are simply boring. The chapter describes an experiment in which heart-rate monitors were strapped to listening students during lectures. Their heart rate peaked at the start of the lectures and then steadily declined. Berkun notes that with this depressing fact, it's easy to understand why most lectures are slow one-way trips into sedation. Our bodies, sitting around doing little, go into rest mode, and where our bodies go, our minds will follow."
Berkun also writes of perhaps what is the biggest bane of having to listen to a speaker, death by PowerPoint. Far too many speakers lack relevant content and try to make up for that with fancy PowerPoint presentations. Berkun notes that far too few people create their content first. Rather they put their ideas immediately into a PowerPoint, with the hope that good content will magically emerge. The message Berkun says repeatedly and which speakers should take to heart, is that content is what matters, and not the sacred PowerPoint.
The reason for so much death by PowerPoint is that many speakers are seduced by the style of the presentation and get caught up in the fonts, videos, graphics, and more, and lose all context of the points that they want to make. Berkun concludes that the problem with most bad presentations is not the slides, the visuals or any of the things that most people obsess about; rather it is the lack of thinking.
The book also stresses the importance of good feedback for the speaker to grow into a better speaker. The challenge is that most attendees are reticent to give effective rebuke to the speaker. Berkun says the best way to overcome this is for a speaker to videotape themselves, and be merciless with themselves, extracting what their mistakes are.
The last chapter is "You Can't Do Worse Than This", is made up of stories of disastrous experiences from various public speakers. The chapter is exceptionally insightful and entertaining. Perhaps the funniest story was when Larry Lessig was invited to be a guest at a conference in Georgia (as in Eastern Europe) and after the introduction, was unexpectedly told that he was to give a one-hour talk comparing the German, French and American constitutions, with special insights for Georgia.
Overall, Confessions of a Public Speaker is a very well-written, entertaining and engaging overview of the art of public speaking. For those that are contemplating public speaking, or want to improve their current aptitude, it is impossible that after reading the book, that they won't be a better speaker. For those that simply want to know what goes into, and what makes a really good presentation, Confessions of a Public Speaker is also a worthwhile book to read.
Read this book AND watch the videos!November 8, 2009 Bob Dougherty(PA, USA) 13 out of 15 found this review helpful
I read this book online through Safari Books (a paid subscription service), so it was quite convenient to flip between the book and the author's "Latest Videos and Podcasts" (a link to his site is above, in the "About the Author" section). But you can get the same multi-media experience with the book in hand, by taking breaks between chapters so you can compare the book's advice to the author's actual public speaking performance.
The speeches are interesting in their own right, covering topics of innovation and software development. It's immediately apparent that Berkun uses conversational poise and timing to keep his audience's attention. But combining the book with Berkun's online talks leads to at least two rewards. First, you can evaluate how well the speaker follows his own advice. To my eye and ear, Berkun succeeds quite well here. Secondly, the book gives you an understanding of the huge amount of work that goes into an effective talk. After reading about the importance of mastering your topic, practicing your material, and respecting your audience's investment of time and attention, you can witness the tangible benefits.
You might not have the opportunity to watch Berkun's talks, or you just might find it hard to put the book down -- it is that well written. That's OK, because the book itself has plenty of good advice for public -- and private -- speakers. Blending humor with persuasion, and explanation with story-telling, Berkun describes how the speaker can manage their own emotions, keep the audience's attention, and appreciate the processes of learning & teaching. The book shows how to avoid mistakes, and how to survive them. This is done particularly well in the chapter, "You can't do worse than this". That very entertaining chapter tells the public-speaking horror stories that will help you keep your own personal catastrophes in perspective.
There are only a few, very minor, annoyances: I thought the book's occasional use of profanity was distracting, and the 3-page Colophon could have been just as amusing in one page. Of course, no book (or talk) can please everyone all the time.
The book gives plenty of practical advice: how to stop using verbal placeholders such "Umm"; tips on dealing with microphones, remote controls and even conference badges; what to look for in audience surveys and feedback; how to manage the audience's behavior. Whether you absorb this advice from the book alone, or from the book along with Berkun's online talks, it's a worthwhile learning experience.
The Best I've Ever Read on PresentationsDecember 23, 2009 George Coutts(Sherwood, OR USA) 3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Every teacher at every level needs to read this book. Every salesperson will find this book makes them better at their presentations. Anyone, whether they are presenting to one person or many will find great value in this book. I've heard much of the content before but the author's writing is superb, making it easy to understand and (hopefully) to apply.
Highly RecommendedJanuary 2, 2010 Corby Guenther(Oakland, CA United States) 2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Scott Berkun's "Confessions of a Public Speaker" is a refreshingly old-school book on presentation skills, if that's possible. He doesn't spend a lot of time offering tips on how to use the latest versions of PowerPoint or trying to teach you how to design slides that look slick and professional. If that's the kind of information you're searching for, you should probably look elsewhere. But if you need advice about how to construct a presentation around an effective argument and deliver it in a way that engages your audience rather than puts them to sleep, "Confessions of a Public Speaker" is a great place to get some help.
As Berkun points out, the problem with most presentations isn't "the speaking, the slides, the visuals, or any of the things people obsess about. Instead, it's the lack of thinking." Rather than sitting down at the computer and creating slides at the first whiff of a public speaking opportunity, Berkun suggests that presenters first consider the needs of the audience. Who are they? What are they interested in? What do they want to learn? How are you going to keep them entertained? This step in creating a presentation may seem obvious, but it's amazing how many presenters (and people teaching presentation skills) don't spend enough time thinking about what's important to the audience. Once you've got that figured out, Berkun's next step is straight out of the way we used to teach students to write basic essays in Composition class-- get out a piece of paper and come up with an outline that includes a strong argument and evidence to back up your claims. This may seem like the plan of a Luddite in our age of software and slide-driven presentations, but it really is an effective strategy for creating a focused talk. As a bonus, if you ever find yourself having to give an "unplugged" version of your talk when your projector has died or you've forgotten to bring your slides along, your outline can be an invaluable resource.
But you're not done yet! The other main theme of "Confessions of a Public Speaker" is that after you've written your presentation you still need to work hard to make sure that you engage your audience and keep them from getting bored. Because-- no matter what they say they want-- what audiences enjoy most of all is being entertained. Keep them entertained and they'll forgive all kinds of other mistakes. The good news is that audiences really want speakers to succeed and keeping their attention is mainly about not boring them. If you entertain them and give them something to think about, you're well on your way to a successful presentation. A few of the important suggestions Berkun offers for the delivery of your presentation include:
Making sure you know your presentation inside and out. If you know your topic well enough you should be able to improvise when you find yourself without your slides, the technology you're relying on breaks down, or you have to deal with a difficult crowd. Practice may not make perfect, but it certainly makes you better.
Maintaining enthusiasm and a high energy level throughout your talk. Your audience is much more likely to be excited about your topic if you are. They're also less likely to fall asleep.
Dividing up you talk into 10 minute chunks to keep the attention of your audience. That's about the limit of our attention spans, so you need to switch gears frequently. This is even more important for webinars, teleconferences and other situations where you're speaking to people who aren't in the same room with you.
Planning frequent interactions with you audience. Ask them questions, have them work in small groups or give them a demo. Mix it up so that they don't know what's coming next and don't have time to get bored. Keep your audience entertained and they'll usually see your presentation as a success even if you don't really have anything to say. Bore them with valuable information and they may hate you.
If "Confessions of a Public Speaker" has a drawback it's that the audience for the book isn't totally clear. Is it for people who are new to public speaking and need basic suggestions for how to build an argument, or for the veterans who would be most interested in Berkun's discussion of the realities of life as a professional speaker? No book is going to be able to teach everything about presentation skills to every audience but, by focusing on the basics of creating a good argument and delivering it with enthusiasm, Berkun makes a good go at it. Some people, especially beginners, will object to the lack of software tips. Others to how much time he uses telling personal stories and talking about himself. But those are the things I like best about the book. What he's doing is following his own advice, reaching out to his audience on a personal level and keeping readers engaged by breaking the book into easy-to-consume chunks. Early in "Confessions of a Public Speaker", Berkun says that he'd rather have a conversation over beers with the people whose ideas interest him than attend one of their lectures. I wound up feeling that sharing a drink with him would be fun and informative-- just how you want your talks to be.
