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If this doesn't make you want to sit back and watch a movie, we don't know what will. (Source)
We freely admit it: Scott Berkun's totally awesome.
When it comes to public speaking, he's got the thing down. He knows all about how to:
implement different speech delivery methods at different times and places,
roll with the punches and not let the little mistakes trip him up and make him cry (anymore),
and use humor and interesting anecdotal stories to engage the audience, hold their attention, then use techniques for directly involving the crowd in his speeches while he's actually speaking.
Oof. That's a lot of info to keep in order and use all at once and in one place. But Berkun's a practiced pro, and that's precisely why we're reading chapters from one of his books and watching him actually putting to use all of the topics that we're talking about in his own speeches.
Not everyone can public speak with Berkun's ease and grace. In fact, you might never become a fully polished public speaker. But when you're finished with this course, we're 100% sure that you're going to be better prepared to get up in front of an audience and speak than you ever have been in the past.
Because we're all about learning by example, this lesson's focus will be watching one of Berkun's longer presentations. Don't worry: it's well worth your time and there isn't a ton of reading to do in this lesson. We think everyone can use a healthy video break now and again. And this lesson is now…and again.
So get your bag of extra buttery move-theater popcorn ready.
SIX POINTS TO CONSIDER
Near the beginning of the talk we're going to watch, Berkun outlines "six reasons for suckage," which is to say, "six reasons people fail at giving good presentations."
The six reasons are as follows:
You're afraid of the crowd.
This is your first time.
You are a turtle on drugs.
Obfuscation of fractured bilateral rhetoric.
You make everything boring.
Confused, visually evil slides.
Take a few minutes to think about all six of these points. Even if they don't make perfect sense to you right now (turtle on what now?) jot down some notes on what each of these topics makes you think about, and why you believe it might contribute to someone struggling to be a good public speaker.
Consider the second point, for instance: "this is your first time." We have loads of firsts in our lives—from walking and talking, to graduation, to falling in love, to trying new cuisines.
How might your first time presenting a speech make it difficult for you to be successful in the public speaking game?
Work through each of the six points, then get ready for a pleasant viewing experience.
"THE ART OF PROJECT MANAGEMENT"
There was a reason we had you check out and take some notes about the six points you'll hear Berkun bring up within the first six minutes of the video you're about to watch.
Not only did we want you to be familiar with some of the presentation material, we want you to watch specifically to see how Berkun thwarts these "six reasons or suckage" to come out at the end of this fifty-ish minute long talk with your full attention still intact.
In addition to the notes you made above, think about these points:
What specific audience involvement strategies does Berkun employ, and how often does he involve his audience?
How does Berkun use humor to keep his audience's attention?
What sort of tone, pace, and volume does Berkun use? Does this change at all throughout the speech, or does it remain fairly consistent?
Keep your notes handy, dim the lights, grab the snack of your choice, and watch Scott Berkun's "The Art of Project Management."
You'll be glad you did.
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