Book Review – Confessions of a Public Speaker – By Scott Berkun
If you’re curious about what it really takes to deliver an effective speech, you need to understand how compelling content is created and the presentation skills needed to deliver that content. Libraries are full of books on speech writing and presentation skills. They are also full of books on tennis and golf. But theory alone does not convey the truth of what it is to be an effective speaker.
Scott Berkun’s new book, Confessions of a public speaker, tells the inside story of one man’s experiences speaking about innovation to audiences around the world. Outside of a good late-night bar discussion at a National Speakers Association convention, he likely won’t hear such an honest assessment of what life as a professional speaker is really like.
first person account
Berkun tells his backstory, as well as what it takes to become a compelling public speaker. His first-person account is mostly a series of stories about life on the road, and he shares everything from daily rates and annual income to the embarrassment of being late for important talks. If you identify with him, you will find these stories entertaining, interesting and instructive; if he doesn’t, well, he probably won’t like the book. Personally, I liked the book.
Berkun’s stories hit home. They are instructive in the same way that speakers who take risks and include personal stories in their speech can use their own material to inform and connect with an audience.
valuable lessons
We learn about Berkun’s morning experiences traveling from the airport Starbucks to the backstage green room, where presenters gobble up donuts and take the stage on a sugar rush. We sympathize with him for the team issues and the challenge of delivering to non-English speaking audiences. And we learn:
- What to do when 45 people show up in a 2,000-seat auditorium. (Ask them to group in the front rows.)
- How to deal with persistent interrupters. (Go to them and move on.)
- How to overcome the fear of speaking. (Find a way to have fun on stage.)
- How to prevent a wardrobe malfunction. (“Eliminate all nipple piercings”).
As the last example shows, Berkun has his own style of humor. Love it or hate it, you’ll discover aspects of what it’s like to be a public speaker that are worth knowing before you take the podium.
sound warning
Taken together, Berkun’s core advice is solid, centered around a handful of principles:
- Practice makes perfect.
- Put the needs of the audience before your own.
- Show up early and end your talk early.
- Learn from your mistakes.
- Don’t be seduced by style over substance. “It is possible to become an eloquent speaker, who makes beautiful slides and has a great vocabulary and perfect diction, without having much to say.”
The reason Berkun’s advice resonates is that his heart is in the right place. He defends the audience and does not settle for the mediocre standard of so many corporate speeches.
authentic and convincing
Berkun wants the speakers to be authentic. He takes offense at executives who don’t spend a few hours preparing a speech and then waste hundreds of cumulative hours of audience time. He challenges us to aim higher: Instead of providing bad slides and overwhelming details, he suggests spending time on content and encourages rehearsing delivery until the speaker can present his message with interest and confidence.
He notes that today’s speakers can easily videotape themselves rehearsing, but laments that few do, because “they’re too scared to watch it.” To that, Berkun says, “If you’re too scared to see yourself speak, how can you expect your audience to look at you?”
Berkun wants speakers to tell compelling stories that pique the audience’s curiosity. He reminds us how powerful it is to engage the audience, to risk interacting, even with something as simple as raising your hand asking if the pace of the talk is too slow or too fast. Speakers should offer simple ideas, he says, instead of hiding behind the smokescreen of dry facts and abstract knowledge that many subject matter experts use to buttress their talks.
Confessions of a public speaker offers presenters, and those of us who support executives who give presentations, a great source of ideas for improving both the content and delivery of future talks.