If you’re curious about what it really takes to deliver an effective speech, you need to understand both how engaging content is created and the presentation skills required 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 doesn’t convey the truth of what it’s like 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, you likely won’t hear such an honest assessment of what life as a professional speaker really is like.

Account in first person

Berkun tells his backstory, as well as what it takes to become a compelling public speaker. His first-person account is primarily 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 you don’t, you probably won’t like the book. Personally, I liked the book.

Berkun’s stories come home. They are instructive in the same way that speakers who take a chance and include personal stories in their speech can use their own material to inform and connect with an audience.

Valuable lessons

We hear about Berkun’s morning experiences traveling from the airport’s Starbucks to the backstage green room, where presenters gobble up donuts and take the stage with a sugar rush. We sympathize with him for the team’s problems and the challenge of delivering to non-English speaking audiences. And we learn:

• What to do when 45 people present in a 2,000-seat auditorium. (Ask them to group in the first rows).
• How to deal with nagging annoyances. (Address 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. (“Remove all nipple piercings”).

As that last example shows, Berkun has his own style of humor. Love it or hate it, you will discover aspects of what it is to be a public speaker that are well worth learning about before stepping on the podium.

Sound warning

Taken together, Berkun’s core advice is solid, focusing on a handful of principles:

• Practice makes perfect.
• Put the audience’s needs before your own.
• Get there early and finish 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 stands up for the audience and doesn’t conform to the mediocre standard of so many corporate speeches.

Authentic and compelling

Berkun wants the speakers to be authentic. He’s offended by executives who don’t spend a few hours preparing a speech and then waste hundreds of accumulated hours of hearing time. It challenges us to aim higher: Instead of providing incorrect slides and overwhelming details, it suggests spending time on content and encourages rehearsal delivery until the speaker can present their message with interest and confidence.

He notes that today’s speakers can easily be videotaped rehearsing, but regrets that few do so, because “it’s too scary for them to see.” To that, Berkun says, “If you’re too scared to see yourself speak, how can you expect your audience to watch you?”

Berkun wants speakers to tell compelling stories that pique the audience’s curiosity. It reminds us of how powerful it is to engage the audience, risk interaction, 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, rather than hiding behind the smokescreen of dry facts and abstract knowledge that many subject matter experts use to cushion their talks.

Confessions of a public speaker offers presenters – and those of us who support executives who make presentations – a great source of ideas to improve both the content and delivery of future talks.