Web 2.0 Expo NY 09: Scott Berkun, "Confessions of a Public Speaker"
Summary
TLDRThe speaker, an author and public speaker, shares insights on the timeless nature of communication despite technological advancements. He highlights the importance of storytelling in various mediums, from public speaking to social media, emphasizing the human element that technology cannot replace. Drawing from his experiences at Internet World and Microsoft, he illustrates the power of authentic connection and the pitfalls of relying solely on technology for communication. The speaker encourages the audience to seek genuine stories and connections at events, rather than passively consuming information, and promotes his new book on public speaking and communication.
Takeaways
- 🗣️ The speaker is an author who makes a living by writing books and engaging in public speaking, blogging, and tweeting.
- 📚 The author's new book focuses on public speaking, sharing personal stories and lessons learned from his experiences.
- 🤔 The speaker's background includes studying creative thinking, invention, and innovation, with a book titled 'The Myths of Innovation'.
- 🕰️ Despite technological advancements, certain universal drives, needs, and problems remain constant, which the speaker finds intriguing.
- 🏢 The speaker reminisces about his time at Microsoft, working on Internet Explorer and attending Internet World, highlighting the rapid changes in technology.
- 📈 The speaker emphasizes that public speaking is still crucial even with technological advancements, as it helps in promoting and explaining new ideas.
- ✍️ Writing is an often-overlooked technology that remains fundamental in communication across various platforms like blogs, emails, and social media.
- 🍻 The speaker mentions 'beer and booths' as timeless social media technologies that facilitate networking and communication at events.
- 📖 Storytelling is key in all communication mediums, and it's the responsibility of the individual to infuse authenticity and value into their stories.
- 💡 Authenticity in communication is crucial; the speaker shares personal anecdotes to illustrate the impact of genuine interaction and storytelling.
- 🚫 The speaker argues that technology cannot solve all communication problems, such as misinterpretation and miscommunication, which are fundamentally human issues.
Q & A
What is the main theme of the speaker's new book?
-The main theme of the speaker's new book is public speaking, drawing from his experiences and lessons learned from his career as an author and public speaker.
Why did the speaker choose to write about public speaking?
-The speaker chose to write about public speaking because he has been doing it for the last seven years as part of his career as an author, and he believes he can share valuable insights and lessons from his experiences.
What is the speaker's background in the technology field?
-The speaker has a background in technology, having worked on Internet Explorer at Microsoft in the early '90s, where he was a project manager on the development team.
What historical book did the speaker write in 2007?
-The speaker wrote a book in 2007 called 'The Myths of Innovation', which focused on the history of innovation, creative thinking, and the true stories behind the myths often portrayed in media.
What is the speaker's perspective on the importance of storytelling in communication?
-The speaker believes that storytelling is central to communication, regardless of the technology used. He emphasizes that the ability to tell a good, authentic, and moving story is something that technology cannot provide; it must come from the individual.
Why did the speaker and his colleague decide to engage with people in the exhibition hall during Internet World in 1997?
-The speaker and his colleague decided to engage with people in the exhibition hall because they felt it would be more effective to proactively approach interested individuals rather than passively wait for them to come to their booth.
What was the speaker's realization after engaging with people at the exhibition hall?
-The speaker realized that when people understood he was not a salesperson but someone who was involved in the development process, they became more interested and engaged in the conversation, valuing the authenticity and insight he could provide.
What is the speaker's view on the role of technology in communication?
-The speaker believes that while technology can facilitate communication, it cannot replace the human element of storytelling and authentic connection. He suggests that the failures in communication are often due to human issues rather than technological shortcomings.
What advice does the speaker give for improving communication at events like the one he is speaking at?
-The speaker advises to humanize connections by asking for stories instead of allowing scripted responses. He suggests sharing your own story and asking how the technology can solve your problem, which encourages authentic and meaningful interactions.
What is the title of the speaker's new book, and when was it released?
-The title of the speaker's new book is not explicitly mentioned in the transcript, but it is about public speaking and storytelling. It was released a few days before the event he is speaking at.
What is the speaker's view on the use of social media and the importance of authenticity?
-The speaker criticizes the practice of retweeting or passing on information without having read or understood it, arguing that it lacks authenticity and integrity. He advocates for sharing information that one truly believes has value.
Outlines
🗣️ Public Speaking and the Evolution of Technology
The speaker begins by acknowledging the challenge of public speaking, especially when sandwiched between a break, and promises brevity. They introduce themselves as an author who writes books and engages in various online activities to support their work. The popularity of their books has led to numerous public speaking opportunities, which inspired their latest book on the subject. The speaker reflects on the enduring nature of public speaking despite technological advancements and draws a parallel with the history of Internet World events. They also delve into the historical context of the event's venue, the Jacob Javit Center, and the technological shifts since the 1990s, such as the transition from dial-up to broadband internet. The speaker emphasizes the timeless aspects of human needs and problems, which persist regardless of new technology, and sets the stage for discussing storytelling as a universal human activity.
📚 The Overlooked Importance of Storytelling in Communication
In this paragraph, the speaker discusses the enduring relevance of three seemingly outdated technologies: public speaking, writing, and social media technologies like beer and booths. They argue that despite the ubiquity and perceived simplicity of these methods, they are still fundamental to human connection and communication. The speaker shares a personal anecdote from 1997 about engaging with attendees at Internet World, which led to authentic conversations and a deeper understanding of the importance of storytelling in communication. They stress that technology alone cannot convey a good story; it requires the human element of authenticity and personal connection. The speaker also addresses common communication pitfalls, such as misinterpretation and the tendency to pass on information without fully understanding it, which they attribute to human shortcomings rather than technological flaws.
🤝 The Human Side of Technology and the Power of Authenticity
The speaker concludes by emphasizing the importance of the human side of technology and the need for authentic communication. They suggest that the technologies available at events like the one being attended can only facilitate so much, and it is up to the individuals to take the initiative to connect and share stories genuinely. The speaker encourages attendees to ask for the best stories at booths rather than settling for scripted responses, as a way to foster meaningful connections. They also reference a quote by Pen Gallette, highlighting that the real challenge is keeping up with the human side of technology, which is not something that technology itself can solve. The speaker invites the audience to check out their new book, which focuses on storytelling as a core method of communication, and to join them at an upcoming event for further discussions.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Public Speaking
💡Creative Thinking
💡Internet World
💡Authenticity
💡Storytelling
💡Technology Breakthroughs
💡Miscommunication
💡Social Media
💡Innovation
💡Human Side
Highlights
The speaker is an author who makes a living by writing books and supporting them through blogging, tweeting, and public speaking.
The author's new book focuses on public speaking, sharing horror stories and lessons learned from personal experiences.
The author's work revolves around creative thinking, invention, and innovation, with a historical perspective on these topics.
The speaker emphasizes the importance of storytelling in various mediums, including technology, writing, and social media.
Despite technological advancements, the core human drives, needs, and problems remain timeless and universal.
The speaker recounts his experience at Internet World in 1997, highlighting the drastic changes in internet technology since then.
Lecturing and public speaking have remained consistent despite technological advancements, indicating their timeless nature.
Writing, as a form of communication, is often overlooked but remains a crucial technology in various digital platforms.
Social media technology, such as beer and booths, serves as a social lubricant to facilitate connections and communication.
Authenticity in storytelling is key to humanizing connections, regardless of the medium used.
The speaker shares a personal story from 1997 about engaging with attendees at Internet World, emphasizing the power of direct interaction.
Technology cannot replace the human element in communication; it can only facilitate it.
Miscommunication is a human problem, not a technological one, and it requires human solutions.
The speaker critiques the habit of retweeting information without reading it, calling for more authenticity in digital communication.
The speaker encourages attendees to seek out authentic stories and connections during the event, rather than relying solely on technology.
The author's new book, which focuses on storytelling and communication, was recently released and will be discussed at an upcoming event.
The speaker concludes by emphasizing the importance of taking personal responsibility for effective communication and storytelling.
Transcripts
good afternoon so I know I am in a
precarious public speaking situation I
am all that stands between you and the
break so I be brief I have about 12 or
14 actually it says I have zero I have
no time thank you thank you that was
great so I have about 15 minutes of
stories I'm going to tell you about uh
some of it's from my new book but a lot
of it has to do with public speaking and
how that ties to a lot of the stuff I've
heard talk talked about already today
and and at web 20
Expo so this book that I just wrote I'm
an author I actually make a living as an
author I write books for a living and I
blog and I tweet and I do a lot of other
things to support the book but uh to
support the books that I write but one
side effect of having books that are
popular is that if you're fortunate
enough to have a popular book is people
want you to come and talk about the book
and talk about ideas from the book and
so since this is what I've been doing
for the last seven years I do a lot of
public speaking simply because I'm a
writer and so when I was thinking about
what to write for my next book I thought
wow let's write a book about public
speaking and I can tell all the horror
stories of things going wrong and all
the disasters that have happened to me
and you can benefit from my mistakes so
the book is largely about all these
things that I've learned but what I
wanted to start talking to you about
today I am going to talk about public
speaking but most of my work the stuff
I've studied for 15 years has to do with
creative thinking and invention and
Innovation and I wrote a book in 2007
called the my of innovation it's a was a
best-selling book and that book is
largely about what's the history what
can we learn from all the things that we
think happened what were the actual
stories that we can pull out of those
events what were in Da Vinci's actual
journals and Edison's journals and what
were the true stories behind the myths
that often end up in movies and in films
and how can we apply that to stuff that
we do so I know a lot about history and
technology and invention and creative
thinking but one side effect of studying
this stuff for so long
and understanding that whole tree of
history and lessons and tactics is that
there's another path that's become
apparent to me that's even more
interesting possibly more interesting
and that's the stuff that doesn't change
the stuff that's Timeless the stuff
that's Universal the universal drives
and needs and questions and problems
that even though we have so much new
technology that's great and fantastic
there are still these things that Linger
on that haven't changed so the first
story I wanted to tell you has to do
with this building the Jacob Javit
Center so 12 years ago I was working at
Microsoft I worked on a product called
Internet Explorer in the early '90s I
worked on version 1 through 5 and I was
a project manager kind of a sergeant
type guy on the development team and
there was internet World internet world
was the premier web development internet
latest happening kind of event so I
thought it'd be interesting to go back a
little bit since you guys are in the
same place that internet World took
place and do a little compare and
contrast so the first thing you should
know whenever you're doing history like
this is there's a way to do sort of
technological carbon dating is you look
at the megahertz in the ads for the
stuff at that time so this is actually
uh on the screens on your they not
behind me it's look over there over
there this this is an ad for internet
World from infoworld magazine which was
actually a printed magazine in 1997 no
longer the case another interesting
thing that you should know about from
that time just to let us know how far
we've come back then in 97 most of the
most of America was dialup they were
dialup Broadband bro di up internet
access users so in the exhibition Hall
at internet World there was probably 30
or 35 startup companies that were
focused on dialup and getting around
dialup push technology was in part an
idea for getting around dialup and the
whole idea was this it's going to seem
insane to you but the whole idea was you
could subscribe to websites and download
content at night when the dialup rates
were cheaper and then the next day you
could read the
web bizarre to us today clearly this is
something has changed clearly our
megahertz and our processors is much
better but uh oh that was bad okay one
thing that definitely has not changed
though one technology that is pretty
much the same is the one we're in right
now lecturing public
speaking and I find that fascinating
because if there's any community of
people that's going to move on in terms
of Technology do some do something new
it's going to be us who would find a way
to get over the inefficiencies of having
to be in the same physical place with
all these people at the the same time
it's expensive the logistics are
complicated but this is still what we do
12 years ago there were Keynotes In This
Very Room and I suspect 12 years from
now at the web2 conference or whatever
it would be called there'll be lectures
again and I find this fascinating that
means that any invention or new idea
however great or amazing it is if you're
the person who makes that thing you will
end up talking about it and people will
be convinced to follow or use that thing
in part based on your ability to speak
which is one of the oldest kinds of
technologies that we have
there's others that you should be aware
of that go back in time now writing I
mentioned speaking already writing which
is sort of a poo pooed kind of thing and
as an author I'm I am effectively a
professional writer writing gets
discounted a great deal because it's the
underlying communication medium in
blogging in web pages in email in
Twitter in text messaging and whatever
else comes next will will mostly be
writing and if you pay attention a lot
of people are still really bad at
written communication so we depend on
this technology that we Overlook now
because thousands of years are gone by
and everyone knows how to read and write
but it was an invention at a certain
point then the third technology we
Overlook the social media technology we
Overlook is beer and booths beer and
booths these are social lubrication
technologies that have been around
forever the idea of a booth putting up a
sign that says what you work on and
people come up to you and talk about
that stuff and you give them free kis
and t-shirts or maybe in ancient times
they give them toas or something you
give away free stuff because it it
allows people to find easier path to
communicate and talk and get what is
what you want which is connection you
come to events like this to connect with
new ideas or with new people or new
people about new ideas or new ideas
about new people and on and on it goes
that's really why you're here and all
the stuff is set up to afford that
speaking and writing drinking in the
booth is all set up to afford that stuff
so my first major point for you has to
do with storytelling that in all these
mediums really what we're doing is
storytelling and any technology is
available you can use any technology to
tell a good story the problem is
Technologies don't allow
don't the storytelling skill is not
something a technology can give you you
have to put that in yourself so one
story I want to tell you which is a
personal story goes back to 1997 at
internet world I was working on Internet
Explorer 4 and we were here to talk
about that and on that day we were here
interet Explorer had like 22% market
share which was not very good so instead
of sitting in the booth and being
passive we felt like me and another
program manager said we should go out
into the exhibition Hall let's go talk
to all the people because the people
come to us they're already going to be
interested we should go out there and
this was a crazy idea I was just a kid I
was not a sales professional or anything
I was a manager of software development
so we just did this fluky thing we w we
grabbed a St a stack of CDs and we
walked out there and I discovered that
something amazing happened in these
conversations cuz we would would go up
and say hey I work for Microsoft they go
oh and I say I work in inter Explorer
they go oh and then I'd say hey there's
this let me show you what I worked on
and they go you worked on this and I'd
say yeah and then they start complaining
and I go well let me explain and when I
got to the point where they realized
that I was not a salesperson I was not a
marketing person I was not a For Hire
evangelist but I was actually in the
room when these decisions were made and
I could give them more insight into why
certain things were done and they felt
like they were actually talking to the
real person that the look on their face
changed and there was something
authentic about that moment now I can't
take credit for the market share growth
of in an Explorer my conversations
probably did a lot less than some of the
other things that Microsoft may have
done around that time but um but it
changed me because I realized there
story you can tell a good authentic
honest moving story through any medium
if you're willing to go and do it the
technology of social media the
technology of this event it's a it sets
you up but there's always a step that
you have to take yourself
and I don't think the failures we have
all the stuff we complain about uh
technologically that we point the finger
at technology to why we feel isolated or
why we're frustrated but I think there's
always things that technology cannot do
for us and the more powerful technology
gets the more obvious I think those
things are so another situation another
story I want to tell you is a story that
many you probably experience and that's
a story that goes like this you have a
manager or an executive someone
important to you a client maybe even
your spouse and you carefully craft an
email to make certain points and tell a
certain story and you send it to them
but they have this disease this
neurological dysfunction where they seem
only capable of reading the first
sentence of your
email and they skip the rest but pretend
like they read it and have all these
assumptions they put in their response
and they reply all and then someone else
replies and they're basing it on the
assumptions and then you have to do like
the SWAT team dive into the email thread
to try to recover sanity and it becomes
this huge mess of miscommunication
and as technologist we look at that mess
and go wow this is like all this
communication data and the solution is
to Archive it and come come with a
taxonomy for it and index it and oh we
need a search engine for it and tag
clouds for it and we go hey it's still
kind of messed up but we believe these
are technological problems when I think
it's just a basic level of
miscommunication when people are talking
past each other in any medium that's
dysfunction If instead of listening
you're just waiting for the next moment
to speak that's d function and no
technology can save you from that it's
not a technological problem it's a human
problem and it's a problem of
Storytelling so the the diagnosis is
this is email interrupt us and many
people suffer from this there's no
technology that will ever prevent this
from happening and so when I look at
Twitter I see similar patterns that I
don't blame Twitter for it's not the
Technology's fault when people retweet
stuff that was retweeted to them that
they haven't read and they retweeted on
I think that's a really strange thing to
do it's really an odd thing to do
because what does that mean how can that
be an authentic act to pass on and
distribute something that you don't even
know what it is and it's a common habit
because we feel like volume is good pass
on more volume maybe someone else will
find Value in this but I feel the
opposite way I don't need more random
information I want people to be
authentic and to give me stuff that they
actually believe has value and if they
haven't read the thing or they skimmed
it or they're assuming what it is that
can't possibly be authentic there's not
a whole lot of integrity and that kind
of use of any media of any story of any
data or any information to just pass it
on and so Coan Luke is one of my
favorite films there's a there's a it's
a great film there's AO a line from that
film that gets repeated a lot uh what we
have here is a failure to communicate
and in the in the movie It's the boss
guy the uh the the prison Warden guy and
he says this to Luke right before he has
one of his goons beat the crap out of
him and it's kind of a metaphorical
problem here that his idea of
communication is punishment and you will
be punished if you don't do what I say
that's not communication that that's
abuse that's that's that's a a
misconstruction of what communication
actually is supposed to
be so the last story I want to tell you
has to do with um has to do with you
really so you're here at this event
because there things you want to learn
there's things you want to know there
are connections you want to make there's
ideas you want to discover and the
technologies that are provided to us
here in this format can only get you so
far just like I said before storytelling
is up to us we have to go and decide
that we're going to take that last last
step and humanize it and add your own
story to things and I'm convinced that
uh one of the reasons why I'm here in
front of you is because of this this
quote which I read years ago while I was
still working at Microsoft that we like
to focus on technology breakthroughs but
pen gallette who uh from pen and tell
had this to say which is you know the
isn't the technology breakthroughs it's
that we we're not keeping up The Human
Side is not keeping up we've lost our
ability to connect through some of these
mediums we fail to take responsibility
for what we have to do to make those
stories come through and it's never
something that technolog is going to
come around and do for us so a trick a
little tactic that you can use because
we're going into the break we have a
minute or two to go we're almost there
you're going into the break instead of
allowing yourself to fall into these
patterns think about stories when you go
up to the Booth don't allow them to give
you the whole scripted routine that
they've done a million times say what's
your best story what's the best story
you've heard of someone using this thing
for value or tell them your story hey I
have this problem I'm trying to solve
can your technology solve that for me
that's a story that's a much better way
to actually humanize connections and get
the things that you came here to
get so the last thing I want to say so
this is this is the book it just came
out it's actually brand new it came out
like two or three days ago and if you
like this one way of thinking about
speaking and communication that
storytelling is really the core way that
we get what we want that we communicate
and connect then I hope that you'll
check out the book and in about a half
hour at the O'Reilly booth at 4:00
there's this big confab of O'Reilly
authors and your favorite O'Reilly
author will probably be there and we'll
be talking about all kinds of stuff and
having a few using the drinking
technology I mentioned before we'll be
in the booth that's the second one I'll
be speaking there as the third we'll be
having a whole great conversation and I
hope you come down and uh tell me some
of your best stories thank you for
listening thank you
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