Scott Berkun
Author and Speaker Berkun Consulting
- Seattle WA
Now that's a perspective! Best-selling author and speaker will provocativelly, yet delightfully, challenge you to think outside the box
Media
Social
Biography
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.
Since Aug 2010, Scott also works for Automattic on WordPress.com. He worked at Microsoft from 1994 to 2003, mostly on Internet Explorer 1.0 to 5.0 (not 6).
As a best-selling author and speaker, Scott lectures at Fortune 500 companies & top universities on creativity, management and a fun mix of everything.
Industry Expertise
Areas of Expertise
Accomplishments
Author - Confessions of a Public Speaker
In this hilarious and highly practical book, author and professional speaker Scott Berkun reveals the techniques behind what great communicators do, and shows how anyone can learn to use them well. Confessions of a Public Speaker provides an insider's perspective on how to effectively present ideas to anyone. It's a unique, entertaining, and instructional romp through the embarrassments and triumphs Scott has experienced over 15 years of speaking to crowds of all sizes.
Author - The Myths of Innovation
Since its initial publication, this classic bestseller has been discussed on NPR, MSNBC, CNBC, and at Yale University, MIT, Carnegie Mellon University, Microsoft, Apple, Intel, Google, Amazon.com, and other major media, corporations, and universities around the world. It has changed the way thousands of leaders and creators understand the world.
Author - Making Things Happen: Mastering Project Management
In this critically acclaimed and bestselling book, Microsoft project veteran Scott Berkun offers a collection of essays on field-tested philosophies and strategies for defining, leading, and managing projects. Each essay distills complex concepts and challenges into practical nuggets of useful advice, and the new edition now adds more value for leaders and managers of projects everywhere.
Author - Mindfire: Big Ideas for Curious Minds
This definitive best-of collection of one of the web's best young writers is packed with big ideas and fun, guaranteed to make you think and smile. You'll learn to find passion, think free, manage time, pay attention and more.
Links
- Website
- Speaker Confessions: True tales from a veteran public speaker
- Blog
- Scott Berkun Answers Proust's Questions
- Interview: Scott Berkun
- Ten Questions with Scott Berkun
- How to turn your blog into a book
- Training the Butterflies: Interview with Scott Berkun
- 'Good' Beats 'Innovative' Nearly Every Time
Event Appearances
Creative Thinking Hacks
Creative Mornings Seattle Seattle, Washington
2012-02-10
The Five Most Dangerous Ideas
DMI Design/Management Thinking Conference Seattle, Washington
2011-06-21
KEYNOTE SPEECH
RightNow Developer Conference Big Sky, Montana
2011-06-07
How is WordPress.com Made?
WordCamp Lisboa 2011 Lisbon, Portugal
2011-09-24
KEYNOTE SPEECH
Web 2.0 Expo New York New York City
2009-11-18
KEYNOTE SPEECH
WordCamp Seattle 2011 Seattle, Washington
2011-04-16
How Progress Happens: Leading the Human Side of Change
Tools of Change for Publishing Conference New York City
2009-02-10
KEYNOTE SPEECH
WordCamp Portland Portland, Oregon
2011-09-17
Teaching Seattle How To Drive
Ignite Seattle 15 Seattle, Washington
2011-08-20
KEYNOTE SPEECH
From Business to Buttons: Designing for Effect Malmo, Sweden
2009-06-12
KEYNOTE SPEECH
Construx: Executive Summit Seattle, Washington
2010-11-11
The top ten mistakes UX people make
Puget Sound SIG-CHI Speaker Series Mercer Island, Washington
2012-01-26
The Five Most Dangerous Ideas
An Event Apart Seattle Seattle, Washington
2012-04-02
KEYNOTE SPEECH
STC Summit 2012 Chicago, Illinois
2012-05-20
Creative Thinking Hacks
Google Chicago Speaker Series Chicago, Illinois
2012-05-21
KEYNOTE SPEECH
PMI Tel Aviv Tel Aviv, Israel
2012-05-30
The Five Most Dangerous Ideas
An Event Apart Boston Boston, Massachusetts
2012-06-18
Myths of Innovation
Communitech Tech Leadership Conference Waterloo, Ontario
2011-03-02
Sample Talks
The Five Most Dangerous Ideas
There are truths about how the world works that creatives don’t like to talk about. We get angry and frustrated when we’re not granted the power we think we deserve, but there are often good reasons the world works ‘against us.’ This session takes these ideas head on, from how power truly works, to our unavoidable dependence on salesmanship skills, so we can convert them from frustrations into practical behaviors for empowerment and achieving our dreams at work.
Creative Thinking Hacks
Scott will simultaneously demystify creative thinking, provide tips and tricks for finding ideas, provoke wild opinions and comical rants, and explore how to become more powerful at the creative aspects of your work and life.
The top ten mistakes UX people make
UX professionals worry about the wrong things: methods and techniques, despite how little of our impact hinges on extending our already well developed expertise. This fun, entertaining and interactive talk will share a fresh, entertaining, yet tough perspective on why we succeed or fail, and what we can do differently to make the changes we want to happen, to happen now.
Why Designers Fail and What to Do About It
All those who participate in design, from interaction designers to usability engineers, fall victim to the same kinds of challenges when trying to bring good design into the world. From politics, to hubris, to downright incompetence, what can we learn by examining the causes of our failures? Scott thinks we can learn everything, much more than studying our successes. This talk, explores why designers fail and offers advice on how to learn from and triumph in the face of these situations.
How Progress Happens: Leading the Human Side of Change
Talking about change is easy – making change happen in most organizations is ridiculously hard. But there are things we can learn from the history of technology, political revolution and change, and there is a playbook we can reuse to help us avoid easy mistakes and seemingly popular, but actually self-defeating approaches. This fun, interactive and entertaining talk will prime you for leading change, enhancing your skills for motivating, and making change happen in your world.
Availability
- Keynote
- Moderator
- Workshop Leader
- Host/MC
- Author Appearance
- Corporate Training
