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Confessions of a Public Speaker

3.92 of 5 stars 3.92 · rating details · 712 ratings · 114 reviews

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...more

ebook, 211 pages

Published October 20th 2009 by O'Reilly Media (first published 2009)

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Aug 26, 2012 John rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I loved Confessions of a Public Speaker! Scott Berkun boils public speaking down to it's essence and candidly shares where he has gone wrong, where most speakers go wrong & how we can do better. I laughed out loud every page or two. Here's an excerpt from p.86:
"There are some things the human mind loves paying attention to, including the following: -Things we like to eat, Things that might eat us, Problems we relate to, People we empathize with, Topics we care about, Puzzles we want to sol...more

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Aug 21, 2012 Terri Griffith rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Reposted from my blog: TerriGriffith.com/blog

I'm glad I read Scott Berkun's Confessions of a Public Speaker. If you're in one of my audiences, you're glad I read it. If you give talks, presentations, or just need to share your own ideas, you should read it too.

BOTH NOVICES AND EXPERTS WILL FIND INTERESTING,USEFUL, ADVICE AND ANECDOTES.
For the novice:

Scott gives us the nitty gritty. Why do some speakers make more than others? How do you manage to get to the venue on time, or not? What can you do...more

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Jul 17, 2011 Michael Scott rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, humor, teaching, thought

I read Scott Berkun's Confessions of a Public Speaker triggered by the easy-to-read/good review feeling I've got from his Myths of Innovation. Again, it was a few hours' read.

What I like about this book:
1. I find myself in there: "In hundreds of lectures around the world, I’ve done most of the scary, tragic, embarrassing things that terrify people. I’ve been heckled by drunken crowds in a Boston bar. I’ve lectured to empty seats, and a bored janitor, in New York City. I’ve had a laptop crash in...more I read Scott Berkun's Confessions of a Public Speaker triggered by the easy-to-read/good review feeling I've got from his Myths of Innovation. Again, it was a few hours' read.

What I like about this book:
1. I find myself in there: "In hundreds of lectures around the world, I’ve done most of the scary, tragic, embarrassing things that terrify people. I’ve been heckled by drunken crowds in a Boston bar. I’ve lectured to empty seats, and a bored janitor, in New York City. I’ve had a laptop crash in a Moscow auditorium; a microphone die at a keynote speech in San Jose; and I’ve watched helplessly as the Parisian executives who hired me fell asleep in the conference room while I was speaking."
2. I told myself the same things to calm down my anxieties "Most people listening to presentations around the world right now are hoping their speakers will end soon. That’s all they want. They’re not judging as much as you think, because they don’t care as much as you think." and "As long as the message comes through, people naturally overlook many things."
3. There's a lot of craft behind the art of speaking. This craft, like any other, is based on a set of rules of thumb, such as "I was given 10 minutes to speak, and since the average person speaks 2–3 words per second, all you need is 1,500 words of material (600 seconds x 2.5 words per second)." Prepare well for the presentation, but also prepare well for *before* the presentation (until you start talking). Repeat/rehearse the presentation not until you're fed up with it, but until you feel comfortable about delivering it and you know well what's in it. Handling speaking for a TV broadcaster. Managing a tough crowd. Using the room. etc.
4. There's a lot of art: you and the audience are a form of theater. The unfolding drama may be yours.
5. The annotated and the ranked bibliographies, and in particular Scott Berkun's ranking system; books are sorted by the number of notes Scott took. Scott's ranked a whopping 278 in my list.
7. Insights into the life of a public speaker.
Honorable mention. In acknowledgments: "Games of Gears of War 2 (Horde) played: 168."

What I disliked:
1. This book rehashes many of the things I've heard about over the past decade.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this reading book, and there aren't others around that could make one feel better about speaking in public. I recommend it to anyone who needs to speak in public often. (@my PhD students: must-read!)

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Jan 28, 2011 Jeffrey rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I loved this book . . . I have been struggling to find my something of speaking voice and anything like a public persona for years. A trek wrought with anxiety and insecurity. And wow! check this out . . . I am not alone and really it's not about me or even what I think I have to say. I was profoundly comforted. Also, I embraced Scott's sub-text about the limits of public address to truly educate and I re-designed a couple of Sunday School Classes to workshop some of his assumptions. I was STUNN...more

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Jul 16, 2010 Nicole rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: business

When the index of a book on public speaking has the item "turtle on crack, not being, p. 162," you know you're in for a good read.

Short summary: good book, great information and tips, very accessible, with hands-down the best colophon I've ever seen.

If you're a novice just getting into public speaking, this book will help you get over the initial scary bits and avoid some newbie mistakes. For someone who has some experience and is looking to increase their audience, this is also full of great st...more

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Jan 06, 2013 Ed Frank rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

No matter what your profession (school teacher, professor, interviewee, best man at a wedding, etc) anyone who has to speak publically will be benefitted by this book.

This is not a formal textbook on public speaking; rather it is more like a loosely formed collection of speaking tidbits (with stories) that one can use in a variety of situations.
The author gives good insights into how to properly conduct a classroom or conference, especially when things aren't going according to plan regarding te...more No matter what your profession (school teacher, professor, interviewee, best man at a wedding, etc) anyone who has to speak publically will be benefitted by this book.

This is not a formal textbook on public speaking; rather it is more like a loosely formed collection of speaking tidbits (with stories) that one can use in a variety of situations.
The author gives good insights into how to properly conduct a classroom or conference, especially when things aren't going according to plan regarding technology, personal issues (sickness, running late, appearance), and people issues (classroom time hogs or hosts with potentially a different agenda).

I liked the fact that he pointed out how many feedback forms used to evaluate speakers are flawed and what a speaker should do to get perspective on how they have done. I also appreciated how he stressed not letting what is essentially a minor issue (which many speakers face) be a cause to derail and keep you from doing your best. His advice is to acknowledge it, maybe joke about it, and move on.

He does nicely by pointing out that one has to practice public speaking to get better at it and not just think that reading books like his will make you effective (though it certainly will help).

I found especially enjoyable the insight he gave regarding the TV industry and what one would expect during an interview.

Now, to a couple of potentially negative and minor issues, that in essence may be subjective and of no consequence to other readers. There were occasional instances of profanity and innuendo used that took away from the professionalism of the work. Also, sometimes it appeared that some of the speaking points are given too many stories to illustrate them (especially at the beginning) and that he goes off in a tangent about the illustrative point and not the speaking point itself. Thus, one can have trouble recalling what speaking insight he was talking about that initiated the story.

With that being said, in all I recommend this book and know that if one properly ingests its contents and practices them, he or she will be a better speaker and perhaps have to make far fewer "confessions" in their future public speaking endeavors.
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Apr 27, 2011 Angela rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Oh, the horrors of mishitting a button!

2nd try - better than the first?

With anything, practice makes perfect (which should be apparent when this post finally goes live). Scott provides us with a witting and refreshing take on presenting to others. While I'm not a public speaker of Scott's caliber, I do routinely have to speak in front of small to large crowds. I have my own pet peeves, which I attempt to alleviate while presenting information, but this book gives a whole list of others we should...more

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Jan 06, 2013 Greg added it · review of another edition

Practical advice for public speaking. Ultimately it all comes down to practice, but he does have lots of good advice. Also talks about what it's like to be a public speaker (and how getting paid ultimately is a popularity contest)

- Don't focus on the slide deck. Focus on what you want to say, and then build the deck to support your speaking points

- Practice is the only important thing in order to give a good talk. Recommends going full bore in front of a mirror, and whenever you find a mistake,...more

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Jan 19, 2011 Stacy Gahlman-schroeder rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A must read for all Public Speakers- Especially newbies, and reluctant Public Speakers!!

Confessions of a Public Speaker by Scott Berkun

This is the first book I have read and reviewed for O'Reilly Publishing house, and it is a definite read for any person who does any type of public speaking. Berkun starts the book with a story, and continues to provide personal stories through out the book which makes the book a great, fast read. Berkun also provides personal reflection as to what the audience e...more

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Nov 30, 2011 Andrew Shuping rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

this review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.

I've read pretty much any book I can get my hands onto about public speaking as I've recently started speaking at conferences and was expecting this one to be similar with the same trite advice as everyone else. This was not the case at all. Scott speaks regularly around the world and offered first hand knowledge and experience through out the book. He openly speaks of his flubs and what he learned from them and how the reader can learn fr...more

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Mar 20, 2011 Nathan rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: auto-biography

I know Scott, and he may even have spoken at my conferences. He is published by the company that I still do some work for. So, salt this review to taste :-)

This book is well-written, entertaining, with good stories. It felt, however, hollow--like it didn't have anything to say. I suppose, if pressed, it says what it purports to: this is the life of a professional public speaker, this is how unglamorous it is, these are some of the good moments, is is how professionals approach public speaking. B...more

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Sep 04, 2012 Aaron U. rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Scott Berkun delivers a well-written, relevant, and useful volume. Berkun includes a lot of first-hand experiences that were entertaining; I learned a lot of things about the world of professional speaking that I did not know.

In terms of criticism, the tone is kind of playful-condescending. While readers will appreciate Berkun's expertise, the tone does become a little irritating. Otherwise, I don't see anything to criticize. For me, I tend to make a lot of marginal notes in the book if I think...more

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May 23, 2012 Paul Milne added it · review of another edition

Highly entertaining and inspiring romp through Scott Berkun’s career (so far) as a public speaker.

Scott Berkun was a project manager for years at Microsoft, then left to make a life as a freelance writer and speaker. He states that one of his ambitions is “to be a great thinker someday”. Looks like he is well on his way.

One of the good things about this books is that it is experience-based – an amalgam of personal memoir and tips he wants to pass on about how others can learn from his successes...more

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May 06, 2012 Reid rated it 4 of 5 stars

I thought this book was a great overview of what it's like to work as a professional presenter. Unlike many other presentation books out there, Berkun doesn't mention slides or slide design at all; instead, he keeps his focus on how to connect and interact with a crowd during a presentation and how to deliver compelling content. I was gratified to see that his most-repeated piece of advice was something I've been doing for years: practice.

The book is a good mix of practical advice, helpful ane...more

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Oct 27, 2012 Sps rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle, professional

This book is pretty heavily padded, and could/should have been distilled into, oh hmm, a brief presentation. Or a series of blog posts. It occurs to me that what I see as padding other people may see as making-your-point-through-story, but even then it's just too much. Take the scissors to it!

His words of wisdom are fairly predictable, though I guess it's good to know that much of the standard advice is indeed practical and useful. E.g. practice, know your material, look for the part of the audi...more

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Jan 31, 2010 David rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Great book. Microsoft veteran and author Scott Berkun gives us a behind the scenes honest look at life on the road as a public speaker.

While this book is written in the context of doing speaking engagements, everything in here is relevant to internal company presentations, new business pitches, or any occasion that you have to speak to a group of people.

Apart from Scott's extensive experience speaking, he's also done his research on the topic.

Guess what? Everyone is afraid of public speaking. We...more

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Apr 05, 2010 Stringy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A quick read, packed with practical tips & anecdotes about how to give your presentation polish and keep it engaging. But he states right up front that the only thing that will get you through is practice, and that if you don't practice, then it doesn't matter how good your points are.

The appendices were very useful: What to do if your talk sucks; What to do when things go wrong; You can't do worse than this.

Experienced public speakers may not get a lot out of this, unless they suspect the...more

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Dec 31, 2009 Nick rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Very entertaining for the most part. The underlying theme of the book is that no book will ever make you a master public speaker. You could read 100's of these kinds of books and never get any better. The key is to practice practice practice until you master each and every presentation you give. He says that most of us will never be good public speakers because most of us are lazy and won't put in the preparation needed to be good at it.

I liked when he talked about what makes an interesting publ...more

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Mar 25, 2011 Jake Williams rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I love books like this. You get a chance to learn about experiences that you'll likely never encounter. Thus reaping the benefits without doing the work. I can know talk to a public speaker and sort've have an idea where their coming from. Theirs also little things that you'd never really think about. Like, if your in a large room that's nearly empty, you'll want to bring everyone close to the center and the front. Bunching the audience together will give you more attention and more interaction....more

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Nov 03, 2011 James rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I bought this book at Powell's in Portland at the science & tech annex. The woman who rang my purchase up told me that "Scott spoke here! He's a really nice guy." It's true! Scott is a really nice guy. Also, as someone who has done just enough public speaking to feel a little confident doing so, but not enough to be really good at it yet, I found this book pretty helpful. Partly due to the overall attitude (which I would sum up as "speaking is a skill you have to work at & take seriously...more

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May 24, 2010 Elaine Nelson rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: business, non-fiction, self-help, autobiography, wishlist

Not your typical public speaking handbook -- in the same way that Making Things Happen (aka The Art of Project Management) is not your typical project management handbook. Berkun is smart, weird, and funny. He writes about public speaking in such an honest and energetic way that I almost want to try it more myself...which is a huge thing for me. Lots of factoids, big-picture advice, and some little fiddly tips, but mostly, it's storytelling about speaking in public, and using those stories to po...more

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Oct 12, 2012 Rebecca rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Good book!! Nice info about public speaking, general and specific.
1. Mistakes - Only you know you make them
2. How and what to prepare for a presentation/speech, nerves
3. $ - irrelevant
4. Speaking venue and handling the audience
5. Engaging the audience, meeting their needs, developing the topic, outlines
6. Pace, attention, audience involvement
7. Performing - TV
8. Presenter feedback - giving and receiving
9. Teaching
10. Random thoughts
11. Tips and Tricks, emphasis, rhetoric, exercises, h...more

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Dec 04, 2011 Michelle rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Scott Berkun does an excellent job of analyzing the factors that make public speaking so intimidating, and provides practical advice for the essentials such as preparation, delivery, and what to do when things "go wrong". It's a great read for those (like me) who suffer from social anxiety. I've always been deathly afraid of being the center of attention, but I don't have to let that fear be a blocker. I know I have the potential to be an adequate speaker, no matte...more

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Jan 03, 2010 Nikolay rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ако ви се налага да говорите пред хора или да преподавате, това е полезна книжка. Вътре са събрани много практически съвети и весели истории.

Ако не ви се чете, ето двете най-важни неща: репетирайте и след репетициите кажете, нещо което да е полезно и забававно на хората пред вас. За предпочитане им разкажете история.

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Jan 05, 2012 Noah rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I've never actually heard Scott Berkun speak, but having recently embarked on my own journey as a public speaker I can certainly attest that his advice in this breezy and accessibly book is right on the money. I enjoyed having my own experiences confirmed as the norm and appreciated the advice about situations I've yet to encounter (and hope never to: empty rooms, broken projectors, etc.). Filled with straightforward advice illustrated by personal anecdotes and confirmed by research & fellow...more

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Oct 15, 2011 Neil rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was a well-written, entertaining book on public speaking, how to do it, how to anticipate pitfalls and prepare for them ahead of time. I wish Berkun had spent more time talking about how to craft a story, but generally, I liked this book because it confirmed a lot of what public speakers already know in a fun, anecdotal way that made sense. I didn't learn a lot that was entirely original or new, but an entertaining reminder of what you already know can also help to prod you along, and that'...more

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Dec 05, 2011 Lars-Christian Elvenes rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Anyone

Shelves: favorites

Just finished reading Confessions of a Public Speaker (CoaPS) a few days ago, and it's a brilliant book.

I’ve read a few of the famous books on presentation, and while Presentation Zen (Garr Reynolds) and Slide:Ology and Resonate (Nancy Duarte) are great, I love the different approach that Scott Berkun takes.

CoaPS is very personal, and Scott’s stories add to the value of the book. He presents lots of common advice that no book on presentation and public speaking can really avoid, such as prepar...more

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Feb 20, 2013 Greg Linster rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

There are two things I'm pretty damn sure of:

1) Most people are afraid of public speaking.
2) I fall into the category of "most people".

That's right, I have a confession to make: I'm afraid of public speaking!

Confessions Of A Public Speaker , written by Scott Berkun, is laced with insights about speaking -- it's partly autobiographical and entirely useful. Near the beginning of the book Berkun reminds readers that if they're interested in the world of ideas, and want to help traffic them, then th...more

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May 19, 2010 Todd rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: anyone who has to speak to more than three people

Shelves: kindle

A completely honest book on public speaking would be the size of a post-it note and would have the following written on it: "1. respect your audience, 2. practice your presentation a lot."

In this book ex-Microsoftie-turned-freelance-thinker Scott Berkun is as honest as a book this length can be. He even admits that his book won't make many people better public speakers because that takes practice and most people reading the book won't practice. Fortunately the rest of the book is filled with obs...more A completely honest book on public speaking would be the size of a post-it note and would have the following written on it: "1. respect your audience, 2. practice your presentation a lot."

In this book ex-Microsoftie-turned-freelance-thinker Scott Berkun is as honest as a book this length can be. He even admits that his book won't make many people better public speakers because that takes practice and most people reading the book won't practice. Fortunately the rest of the book is filled with observations, anecdotes, and useful tips about public speaking.

He helpfully points out that no one has ever died from public speaking. Well, except William Henry Harrison, who got pneumonia and died shortly after his inaugural address. Oh, and Malcolm X who was assassinated at the beginning of one of his speeches. But that's about it. Thanks, I feel much better.

I will probably read this book again in a few months to make sure I've absorbed most of the material. It's very good. Some of the tips are very practical, like how to deal with a partially filled room or a laptop meltdown. Other tips are more conceptual, like the explanation how from an evolutionary point of view it is perfectly normal to feel vulnerable when facing an audience. (People who felt relaxed on a flat, exposed surface with a bunch of mammals starting at them probably didn't survive long enough to pass on this trait.)

I admire Mr. Berkun's honesty in this book. He's very open about how much he makes speaking and what the necessary qualities are to make a living as a public speaker. (Hint: One of them is *not* skill at public speaking.) He is also brutally honest about times that he screwed up and how he was able to recover from some of them.

The last appendix in the book is filled with other horror stories from public speaking engagements. Though they were somewhat uneven in quality, I felt butterflies in my stomach and sweat on my hands just reading them.

Another book of his that I highly recommend is Making Things Happen (not Getting Things Done as I originally put). It's a project management book that goes a long way toward nailing down the abstractions in a job where you have most of the responsibility for a project but only some of the necessary power. When it comes to public speaking, you have all of the power and responsibility to make your presentation a success. Just practice...
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Oct 09, 2011 Mark rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A very complete and amazing book on public speaking. I started reading it with some novice experiences and was looking for some guidance. This book lets me start improving right away, and points to some awesome resources for further guidance.

Some key points that stood out for me are public speaker as teacher and facilitator, practicing the speech beforehand, taking improv acting classes, being honest with your audience, and not to sweat the small stuff.

Thank you for this book, Scott.

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About Scott Berkun

Scott Berkun is the best selling author of The Myths of Innovation, and Making Things Happen. His work as a writer and public speaker have appeared in the The Washington Post, The New York Times, Wired Magazine, Fast Company, Forbes Magazine, and other media. He has taught creative thinking at the University of Washington and has been a regular commentator on CNBC, MSNBC and National Public Radio....more

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