# Confessions of a Public Speaker  Author:: Scott Berkun ## Highlights > "The best speakers know enough to be scared…the only difference between the pros and the novices is that the pros have trained the butterflies to fly in formation.” — — Edward R. Murrow ([Location 159](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B002VL1CGM&location=159)) > By the time I present to an actual audience, it’s not really the first time at all. In fact, by the third or fourth time I practice a talk, I can do a decent job without any slides, as I’ve learned how to make the key points by heart. ([Location 297](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B002VL1CGM&location=297)) - Note: Yeah, this isn't me. Practicing this way could take a full month for the one presentation!! > Why would sweaty palms be of use in life-or-death situations? ([Location 305](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B002VL1CGM&location=305)) > The best theory from scientists is that primates, creatures who climb things, have greater dexterity if their hands are damp. It’s the same reason why you touch your thumb to your tongue before turning a page of a newspaper. My point is that parts of your body will respond in ancient ways to stress, no matter how prepared you are.[11] That’s OK. It doesn’t mean you’re weird or a coward, it just means your body is trying hard to save your life. ([Location 308](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B002VL1CGM&location=308)) > We can minimize most of these fears by realizing that we speak in public all the time. You’re already good at public speaking — the average person says 15,000 words a day.[ ([Location 332](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B002VL1CGM&location=332)) > In fact, there is a greater likelihood of being judged by people you know because they care about what you say. They have reasons to argue and disagree since what you do will affect them in ways a public speaker never can. An audience of strangers cares little and, at worst, will daydream or fall asleep, rendering them incapable of noticing any mistakes you make. ([Location 338](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B002VL1CGM&location=338)) > [12] There is a wide range from 10,000–20,000, depending on the individual. (This data comes from Michael Erard’s Um [Anchor].) I wish you could know the number for the person sitting next to you on a plane before you start talking to him. ([Location 369](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B002VL1CGM&location=369)) > dreams. Sleep deprivation is a curse of the modern age, a problem born from our technological things. Before Edison’s light bulb, we averaged 10 hours a night; in 2009, we average nearly half that.[13] And ([Location 385](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B002VL1CGM&location=385)) > I’m worth $5,000 a lecture and other speakers are worth $30,000 or more for two reasons: the lecture circuit and free market economics.[ ([Location 448](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B002VL1CGM&location=448)) > Table 3-1. High-end speakers and their fees.[a] SPEAKER ONE-HOUR LECTURE FEE Bill Clinton $150,000+ Katie Couric $100,000 Malcolm Gladwell $80,000 Garry Kasparov $75,000+ David Allen $50,000–$75,000 Ben Stein $50,000–$75,000 Wayne Gretsky $50,000+ Magic Johnson $50,000+ Bob Costas $50,000+ Maya Angelou $50,000 Rachael Ray $50,000 Dave Barry $25,000–$30,000 [a] These fees were compiled from public listings on various speaker bureau websites. Most sites note that these fees are variable and may change at any time, and this list is a sample of the highest fees I could find. See http://www.keyspeakers.com/ or http://www.prosportspeaker.com/. ([Location 478](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B002VL1CGM&location=478)) > To put the numbers so far in this chapter in perspective, the average adult on planet Earth earns $8,200 a year (U.S. dollars), and the average American makes about $50,000.[19] ([Location 531](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B002VL1CGM&location=531)) > To make and practice a new lecture takes two days of full-time work, which is 16 hours. ([Location 561](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B002VL1CGM&location=561)) - Note: What?? What is he speaking about?? > [13] There is good anecdotal evidence suggesting that, before electricity, most Americans had natural patterns of sleeping soon after sunset and rising at sunrise. There’s harder data about recent trends: http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2007-08-29-sleep-study_N.htm. ([Location 572](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B002VL1CGM&location=572)) > In the interest of transparency and satisfying your curiosity, I average 25–30 lectures a year. Sometimes I’m paid as much as $8,000, depending on the situation. Maybe one-third are paid only in travel expenses or small fees, since they’re self-promotional or for causes I’d like to help. Roughly 40% of my income is from book royalties and the rest from speaking and workshop fees. So far, I average around $100,000 a year, less than I made at Microsoft. ([Location 578](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B002VL1CGM&location=578)) > In the speaking trade, this is known as eating the microphone. It’s the moment when the audience’s confidence in having its needs met is lost. Everyone stops listening. This never happens because of typos, bad slides, or even a momentarily confused speaker. ([Location 910](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B002VL1CGM&location=910)) > To prepare well, you must do four things: Take a strong position in the title. ([Location 920](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B002VL1CGM&location=920)) > With a weak position, your talk may become, “Here is everything I know I could cram into the time I have, but since I have no idea if you care, or what I would say if I had less time to talk, you get a half-baked, hard to follow, hard to present, pile of trash.” ([Location 923](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B002VL1CGM&location=923)) > Think carefully about your specific audience ([Location 927](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B002VL1CGM&location=927)) > Make your specific points as concise as possible. ([Location 931](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B002VL1CGM&location=931)) > Know the likely counterarguments from an intelligent, expert audience. ([Location 935](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B002VL1CGM&location=935)) > A better title would be, “How to be creative in doing boring work” or “Green eggs and brainstorming: how to learn creativity from reading Dr. Seuss.” ([Location 953](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B002VL1CGM&location=953)) > With an interesting title, even one you’re not sure you can live up to, the work shifts to possible points that just might fulfill what the title is promising. Grab a piece of paper and brainstorm by listing all the thoughts you have on the topic, even the strange, half-baked ones. ([Location 977](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B002VL1CGM&location=977)) > With a title and list in hand, you now have a strawman: a rough sketch of what your talk might cover and the points it might make. Show it to coworkers, friends, or even potential audience members, and ask them how to make the list better. ([Location 993](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B002VL1CGM&location=993)) > Don’t worry about how to support the points, answer the questions, or even whether you entirely agree with them. Just make a big, long, and most important of all, interesting list. A dozen is good, 15 is brilliant, and 20 makes you a rock star. ([Location 996](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B002VL1CGM&location=996)) > In effect, by working hard on a clear, strong, well-reasoned outline, I’ve already built three versions of the talk: an elevator pitch (the title), a five-minute version (saying each point and a brief summary), and the full version (with slides, movies, and whatever else strengthens each point). ([Location 1039](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B002VL1CGM&location=1039)) > People want to leave early, but when those same people get the microphone, they run late. Don’t be like them. Always plan and practice to end early. ([Location 1364](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B002VL1CGM&location=1364)) > Unless you are living alone on a private island and have your groceries mailed to you, you have an audience every time you open your mouth. ([Location 1478](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B002VL1CGM&location=1478)) > Full-day seminars are misery for teachers and students.Most of the research points to 9 a.m.-5 p.m., high-volume, short-break, full-day seminars as a bad learning environment. ([Location 2073](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B002VL1CGM&location=2073)) > The easiest way to be interesting is to be honest. People rarely say what they truly feel, yet this is what audiences desire most. If you can speak a truth most people are afraid to say, you’re a hero. ([Location 2117](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B002VL1CGM&location=2117)) > If you love ideas, speaking and writing are natural consequences. ([Location 2121](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B002VL1CGM&location=2121)) > It’s a gripe among theater types, but the podium is what you stand on. The lectern is what you stand behind. ([Location 2203](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B002VL1CGM&location=2203)) > it turns out the Greeks outlined all the tactics used today by courtroom lawyers, infomercial pitchmen, Sunday preachers, and just about any other person trying to make a point to someone else. In rhetorical terms, the previous list is described as: Logos: Logic Ethos: Character Pathos: Emotion With this list in mind, you have the basic time-tested toolkit for making a point. Any pitch you make, story you tell, or question you ask uses one of these three elements, and often more than one at the same time. ([Location 2230](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B002VL1CGM&location=2230)) --- Title: Confessions of a Public Speaker Author: Scott Berkun Tags: readwise, books date: 2024-01-30 --- # Confessions of a Public Speaker  Author:: Scott Berkun ## AI-Generated Summary None ## Highlights > "The best speakers know enough to be scared…the only difference between the pros and the novices is that the pros have trained the butterflies to fly in formation.” — — Edward R. Murrow ([Location 159](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B002VL1CGM&location=159)) > By the time I present to an actual audience, it’s not really the first time at all. In fact, by the third or fourth time I practice a talk, I can do a decent job without any slides, as I’ve learned how to make the key points by heart. ([Location 297](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B002VL1CGM&location=297)) Note: Yeah, this isn't me. Practicing this way could take a full month for the one presentation!! > Why would sweaty palms be of use in life-or-death situations? ([Location 305](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B002VL1CGM&location=305)) > The best theory from scientists is that primates, creatures who climb things, have greater dexterity if their hands are damp. It’s the same reason why you touch your thumb to your tongue before turning a page of a newspaper. My point is that parts of your body will respond in ancient ways to stress, no matter how prepared you are.[11] That’s OK. It doesn’t mean you’re weird or a coward, it just means your body is trying hard to save your life. ([Location 308](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B002VL1CGM&location=308)) > We can minimize most of these fears by realizing that we speak in public all the time. You’re already good at public speaking — the average person says 15,000 words a day.[ ([Location 332](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B002VL1CGM&location=332)) > In fact, there is a greater likelihood of being judged by people you know because they care about what you say. They have reasons to argue and disagree since what you do will affect them in ways a public speaker never can. An audience of strangers cares little and, at worst, will daydream or fall asleep, rendering them incapable of noticing any mistakes you make. ([Location 338](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B002VL1CGM&location=338)) > [12] There is a wide range from 10,000–20,000, depending on the individual. (This data comes from Michael Erard’s Um [Anchor].) I wish you could know the number for the person sitting next to you on a plane before you start talking to him. ([Location 369](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B002VL1CGM&location=369)) > dreams. Sleep deprivation is a curse of the modern age, a problem born from our technological things. Before Edison’s light bulb, we averaged 10 hours a night; in 2009, we average nearly half that.[13] And ([Location 385](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B002VL1CGM&location=385)) > I’m worth $5,000 a lecture and other speakers are worth $30,000 or more for two reasons: the lecture circuit and free market economics.[ ([Location 448](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B002VL1CGM&location=448)) > Table 3-1. High-end speakers and their fees.[a] SPEAKER ONE-HOUR LECTURE FEE Bill Clinton $150,000+ Katie Couric $100,000 Malcolm Gladwell $80,000 Garry Kasparov $75,000+ David Allen $50,000–$75,000 Ben Stein $50,000–$75,000 Wayne Gretsky $50,000+ Magic Johnson $50,000+ Bob Costas $50,000+ Maya Angelou $50,000 Rachael Ray $50,000 Dave Barry $25,000–$30,000 [a] These fees were compiled from public listings on various speaker bureau websites. Most sites note that these fees are variable and may change at any time, and this list is a sample of the highest fees I could find. See http://www.keyspeakers.com/ or http://www.prosportspeaker.com/. ([Location 478](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B002VL1CGM&location=478)) > To put the numbers so far in this chapter in perspective, the average adult on planet Earth earns $8,200 a year (U.S. dollars), and the average American makes about $50,000.[19] ([Location 531](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B002VL1CGM&location=531)) > To make and practice a new lecture takes two days of full-time work, which is 16 hours. ([Location 561](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B002VL1CGM&location=561)) Note: What?? What is he speaking about?? > [13] There is good anecdotal evidence suggesting that, before electricity, most Americans had natural patterns of sleeping soon after sunset and rising at sunrise. There’s harder data about recent trends: http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2007-08-29-sleep-study_N.htm. ([Location 572](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B002VL1CGM&location=572)) > In the interest of transparency and satisfying your curiosity, I average 25–30 lectures a year. Sometimes I’m paid as much as $8,000, depending on the situation. Maybe one-third are paid only in travel expenses or small fees, since they’re self-promotional or for causes I’d like to help. Roughly 40% of my income is from book royalties and the rest from speaking and workshop fees. So far, I average around $100,000 a year, less than I made at Microsoft. ([Location 578](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B002VL1CGM&location=578)) > In the speaking trade, this is known as eating the microphone. It’s the moment when the audience’s confidence in having its needs met is lost. Everyone stops listening. This never happens because of typos, bad slides, or even a momentarily confused speaker. ([Location 910](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B002VL1CGM&location=910)) > To prepare well, you must do four things: Take a strong position in the title. ([Location 920](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B002VL1CGM&location=920)) > With a weak position, your talk may become, “Here is everything I know I could cram into the time I have, but since I have no idea if you care, or what I would say if I had less time to talk, you get a half-baked, hard to follow, hard to present, pile of trash.” ([Location 923](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B002VL1CGM&location=923)) > Think carefully about your specific audience ([Location 927](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B002VL1CGM&location=927)) > Make your specific points as concise as possible. ([Location 931](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B002VL1CGM&location=931)) > Know the likely counterarguments from an intelligent, expert audience. ([Location 935](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B002VL1CGM&location=935)) > A better title would be, “How to be creative in doing boring work” or “Green eggs and brainstorming: how to learn creativity from reading Dr. Seuss.” ([Location 953](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B002VL1CGM&location=953)) > With an interesting title, even one you’re not sure you can live up to, the work shifts to possible points that just might fulfill what the title is promising. Grab a piece of paper and brainstorm by listing all the thoughts you have on the topic, even the strange, half-baked ones. ([Location 977](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B002VL1CGM&location=977)) > With a title and list in hand, you now have a strawman: a rough sketch of what your talk might cover and the points it might make. Show it to coworkers, friends, or even potential audience members, and ask them how to make the list better. ([Location 993](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B002VL1CGM&location=993)) > Don’t worry about how to support the points, answer the questions, or even whether you entirely agree with them. Just make a big, long, and most important of all, interesting list. A dozen is good, 15 is brilliant, and 20 makes you a rock star. ([Location 996](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B002VL1CGM&location=996)) > In effect, by working hard on a clear, strong, well-reasoned outline, I’ve already built three versions of the talk: an elevator pitch (the title), a five-minute version (saying each point and a brief summary), and the full version (with slides, movies, and whatever else strengthens each point). ([Location 1039](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B002VL1CGM&location=1039)) > People want to leave early, but when those same people get the microphone, they run late. Don’t be like them. Always plan and practice to end early. ([Location 1364](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B002VL1CGM&location=1364)) > Unless you are living alone on a private island and have your groceries mailed to you, you have an audience every time you open your mouth. ([Location 1478](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B002VL1CGM&location=1478)) > Full-day seminars are misery for teachers and students.Most of the research points to 9 a.m.-5 p.m., high-volume, short-break, full-day seminars as a bad learning environment. ([Location 2073](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B002VL1CGM&location=2073)) > The easiest way to be interesting is to be honest. People rarely say what they truly feel, yet this is what audiences desire most. If you can speak a truth most people are afraid to say, you’re a hero. ([Location 2117](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B002VL1CGM&location=2117)) > If you love ideas, speaking and writing are natural consequences. ([Location 2121](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B002VL1CGM&location=2121)) > It’s a gripe among theater types, but the podium is what you stand on. The lectern is what you stand behind. ([Location 2203](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B002VL1CGM&location=2203)) > it turns out the Greeks outlined all the tactics used today by courtroom lawyers, infomercial pitchmen, Sunday preachers, and just about any other person trying to make a point to someone else. In rhetorical terms, the previous list is described as: Logos: Logic Ethos: Character Pathos: Emotion With this list in mind, you have the basic time-tested toolkit for making a point. Any pitch you make, story you tell, or question you ask uses one of these three elements, and often more than one at the same time. ([Location 2230](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B002VL1CGM&location=2230))