“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. Knowing this helps enormously..”
-Quote from ‘Confessions of a Public Speaker’-
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The praises for this month’s read- Confessions of a Public Speaker by Scott Berkun elevated my expectations greatly! Sample just two of the several reviews:
“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 (New Riders Press)
“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.; author of Slide: ology (O’Reilly)
They say we teach what we want to learn and truer words have never been spoken in this instance…As a co-host on the Café Construct Podcast, speaking is a major part of my job! No, it’s everything. It is a huge determinant of the rate of returning listeners (followed closely by the topic under discussion and interest in it).
Editing the podcast episodes for a couple of seasons now, it is clear that as podcast hosts and as guests to our podcasts there is a general need to be more intentional with our individual public speaking skills. Can I blame the 8-4-4 system for not putting this important skill set higher in the hierarchy of our-need-to-learn? I think I will. Blaming it on the education system! Pronunciations, not considered, our greatest pitfalls are filler words! the ‘like’, the ‘ummms’ the ‘aaaah ’and the ‘eeehs’
So I go into this book seeking to learn and grow my public speaking skills, let’s see where this journey goes.
One could argue that hosting a podcast isn’t necessarily speaking publicly to an audience and I see where you come from but this book still has great pointers for speaking to an unseen audience. As Scott Berkun, the author puts it: ‘The easiest way to be interesting is to be honest’. As hosts we try our best to be honest with who we are and the issues we face and also strongly encourage our guests to be real with whatever they are going through and/or bringing to the table.
There is no need to be inauthentically overhyped, the listener needs to see interest in the parties having the conversation, and genuine passion and enthusiasm. This stands true when speaking in front of a live audience as well.
From the book, you learn that what you say publicly speaks to what you think privately. The content quality/ message carries more weight than we think. It is amazing what a listener can forgive if what you share is relatable, authentic, useful and spoken from a point of simplicity.
I appreciate this book and the stories that back up each point. The author truly understands the value of capturing the audience. His chapter titles are an example: I can’t see you naked; The Science of not boring people; Do not eat the microphone and Confessions are a few of the chapter titles.
Not your typical non-fiction read, this book is truly worth the read. Especially on long waits and long trips. Pass time reading this book. Easy to ingest and absorb with the ability to make you reflect on how to improve your own skills.
You wonder if I got a solution for our ‘uuumms’ and ‘eeeehs’ - yes I did. You will have to get the book and see what that is. To bear witness, listen in on the podcast to see if the whole team having read this book will get better at our individual struggles hosting/speaking in a podcast.
As the book rightfully says though, it’s not about perfection, perfection is hard to achieve- confidence counts more! Confidence and content. Lessons galore for sure.
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