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Press Release

October 27, 2009

Confessions of a Public Speaker--New from O'Reilly Media: How to Effectively Present Ideas to Anyone

"I make a living as a speaker for hire and I've learned from my own mistakes how to do it well. In the book I've captured all the things that can possibly go wrong, all the things people are afraid of that they probably don't have to be if they hear my stories of messing up and how I learned to get past those mistakes," says Berkun.

He continues: "For anyone who wants to change the world or has an idea about something they think should happen in their company, with their friends, in their workplace, this is the book that's going to help you figure out how to do those things."

Amid the lively lessons and surprising admissions in Confessions of a Public Speaker, you'll get new insights into the art of persuasion—as well as teaching, learning, and performance—directly from a master of the trade.

Highlights include:

• Berkun's hard-won and simple philosophy, culled from years of lectures, teaching courses, and hours of appearances on NPR, MSNBC, and CNBC
• Practical advice, including how to work a tough room, the science of not boring people, how to survive the attack of the butterflies, and what to do when things go wrong
• The inside scoop on who earns $30,000 for a one-hour lecture and why
• The worst—and funniest—disaster stories you've ever heard (plus countermoves you can use)

Filled with humorous and illuminating stories of thrilling performances and real-life disasters, Confessions of a Public Speaker is highly practical, a blast to read, inspiring, and amazingly honest. This book—brought to you by the bestselling author of The Myths of Innovation and Making Things Happen—can help you create more effective presentations and enjoy giving them.

Advance Praise for Confessions of a Public Speaker:
"A fresh, fun, memorable take on the most critical thing: what we say. Highly recommended."
— Chris Anderson, Editor in Chief, Wired

"Loved it! Anyone who speaks for a living—including teachers—will greatly benefit from this book."
— Garr Reynolds, author of Presentation Zen

For a review copy or more information please email peyton@oreilly.com Please include your delivery address and contact information.

Scott Berkun is the best selling author of The Art of Project Management, The Myths of Innovation, and Making Things Happen. His work as a writer and public speaker have appeared in the The Washington Post, The New York Times, Wired Magazine, Fast Company, Forbes Magazine, and other media. He has taught creative thinking at the University of Washington and has been a regular commentator on CNBC, MSNBC and National Public Radio. His many popular essays and entertaining lectures can be found for free on his blog at Scott Berkun.

Additional Resources:
For more information about the book, including a video interview with Scott, table of contents, index, author bios, and cover graphic, see: https://www.oreilly.com/catalog/9780596801991

About O'Reilly

O'Reilly Media spreads the knowledge of innovators through its books, online services, magazines, and conferences. Since 1978, O'Reilly Media has been a chronicler and catalyst of cutting-edge development, homing in on the technology trends that really matter and spurring their adoption by amplifying "faint signals" from the alpha geeks who are creating the future. An active participant in the technology community, the company has a long history of advocacy, meme-making, and evangelism.

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