Speaker Confessions | True Tales from a Veteran Public Speaker

Scott in the News

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Media Praise for Confessions of a Public Speaker:

“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, best-selling author and public speaker

“A fresh, fun, memorable take on the most critical thing: what we say. Highly recommended.”

— Chris Anderson, Editor-in-Chief, Wired

“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

“Your next talk will be ten times better if you read this book first. ”

— Gina Trapani, founding editor of Lifehacker.com

“Scott Berkun has written the book I wish I had read before I started speaking publicly. He’s described every bad experience I ever had and what I learned, painstakingly, to do about it. Plus, he has a whole bunch of tips that I’d never thought about before. And to top it all off, it’s a really entertaining read! Whether you’ll be in front of a team of 5 or an audience of 500, every tip in this book will make it easier.”

— Jared Spool, User Interface Engineering

“What a relief to finally read a book that prepares a presenter for the stage beyond eye contact and gestures. Scott covers a breadth of practical and humorous insights from his own success and mistakes. ”

— Nancy Duarte, CEO of Duarte, Inc. and Author of slide:ology

““Part of me wishes that Scott Berkun had never written this book. As one who does a lot of speaking in public, Scott is giving everyone a peek behind the curtain in his new book, Confessions of a Public Speaker. Now what will we do that Scott has revealed our secrets? Seriously this book is a gem. Full of anecdotes as well as cogent advise, this book is a must for anyone who aspires to the public stage as well as those who consider hiring them. For everyone else it’s a great read and full of practical tips on presenting. I recommend it highly. ”

— John Baldoni, author of Great communication secrets of Great Leaders

“For me, the book delivered. It was fun, funny, useful, easy to read, practical. I learned something from every chapter, and even when I ‘knew’ the point Scott was trying to make I still benefited from his framing and personal anecdotes.”

— Bradley Horowitz, VP of Product Management, Google

“Cicero said you should make your audience receptive, attentive, and trusting. How do you do that? First, avoid pretentious references to dead people. Second, read Scott Berkun’s fun and useful guide to public speaking.”

— Jay Heinrichs, Author of Thank You For Arguing

“Confessions of a Public Speaker is fresh, honest, comprehensive and well organized. The suggestions he offers are GOLD for anyone who has to deliver a presentation.”

— Susan Roane, Keynote Speaker & Author of How to Work a Room

“…packed with invaluable tips and advice — gold dust for anyone who ever has to talk to a crowd. ”

— Tom Standage, business editor for the Economist, and author of History of the World in Six Glasses

“Confessions of a Public Speaker is the best book on this topic since Alan Weiss’s Money Talks. I’d recommend it to novice and experienced speakers alike. It provides a lively introduction to the world of speaking professionally, and while it’s fun to read, it provides solid and important information. I highly recommend it.”

— Bill Gurstelle, producer of the PBS television show MAKE:Television

“Loved it! This is a very informative and entertaining look at the important art of public speaking. Anyone who speaks for a living— including teachers — will greatly benefit from this book.”

— Garr Reynolds, Author of Presentation Zen

“Read this book…it will make speaking in public a fun experience.”

— Arthur Pell, editor of Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends & Influence People

“Scott writes with both wit and wisdom and had me laughing one moment then in the next scurrying off to fix one of my upcoming talks. I recommend this book to anyone that has to speak to crowds of any size and in any setting. This book did more to relieve my fears and raise the level of my speaking than any book I’ve read. ”

— Bill Scott, Director, UI Engineering, Netflix

“Berkun takes you down the path of the experienced speaker. It’s not about slides, it’s not even about your words, it’s about a performance that marries the two together and let’s people walk away with at least one new idea. ”

— Brady Forrest, O’Reilly Radar/Ignite Co-Creator

“If have to just give one speech in your life, Chapter 5 is worth the cover price alone. Confessions of a Public Speaker lays out the traps that can turn a good idea into a bad speech, all wrapped in Berkun’s entertaining style of layering myth and science with clear writing. There’s a lot for veteran public speakers and put-upon audience members to learn about what goes on behind the scenes and inside the brain at one of white-collar works most dreaded features: the speech. ”

— Matt Waite, Principal developer at Politifact.com, 2009 Pulitzer prize winner

“This is a helpful, funny, useful, and most of all *truthful* book about public speaking. Read this and you’ll never give (or listen to) a talk the same way again. ”

— Erin McKean, TED 2007 speaker, CEO of WordNik