Scott Berkun

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Articles

What Public Speaking Course Should I Take? A Detailed Guide

3 weeks ago | success.com | Dale Carnegie |Scott Berkun |Chris Anderson |Carmine Gallo

For many people, public speaking is an overwhelmingly daunting task that never feels easy, no matter how often we do it. So, if you have decided to take the plunge and start learning this skill, congratulations! You are already ahead of the majority. Public speaking courses can be a great starting point in your learning curve, as they offer just the structured training that sets the foundation for becoming a better public speaker.
Design is optimism

Jan 21, 2025 | berkun.medium.com | Scott Berkun

Scott Berkun·Follow3 min read·--I love talking to students for their refreshing ambition. I spoke recently at the UW HCI program (thanks to my friend and host Douglas Pyle) and their energy was delightful. They imagine great projects in their future and can’t wait to get started. Yet we all know after a few years in the workforce that joy often fades. What can we do to bring it back? Here is one way. Remember that design is optimism. That’s the best single word behind all that we do.
Design is optimism

Dec 26, 2024 | whydesignishard.substack.com | Scott Berkun

I love talking to students for their refreshing ambition. I spoke recently at the UW HCI program (thanks to my friend and host Douglas Pyle) and their energy was delightful. They imagine great projects in their future and can’t wait to get started. Yet we all know after a few years in the workforce, that joy often fades. What can we do to bring it back? Here is one way. Remember that design is optimism. That’s the best single word behind all that we do. Creativity is pure positivity.
When should my free office hours happen?

Nov 24, 2024 | scottberkun.com | Scott Berkun

For the launch of my latest book, Why Design Is Hard, I did weekly office hours every Thursday on Zoom. Anyone could show up, ask a question, get advice, or dig in on a topic I’ve written about before. Sometimes 10 people showed up. Sometimes just 2. But it was always fun, with lots of laughing and great conversation. I looked forward to it every week. It was so fun in fact I will do it on a regular basis starting next month.
The 5 most dangerous (and exciting) ideas for designers

Nov 19, 2024 | whydesignishard.substack.com | Scott Berkun

One of the best presentations of my career was when I gave the closing talk for the Design Management Institute’s (DMI) Make It Happen event. They were fun to work with and let me develop the talk during the event itself. To get the themes and topics I talked to attendees and listened to conversations. I worked on my laptop right until the moment I went on stage. I’m an experienced speaker and I like challenges, so this was fun and it worked out well. The talk was popular.
Why Design Is Hard

Sep 25, 2024 | berkun.medium.com | Scott Berkun

[This is an excerpt of my latest book]In a recent X/Twitter poll over 200 designers responded to our question about what’s the hardest part of making good design happen:In first place, with 57.4% of votes, was working with other people. In second place, with 38.4%, was understanding problems, which emphasizes the importance of good user and customer research. In last place, with an astoundingly low 4.2% of votes, was crafing the ideas.
Why Design Is Hard (new book)

Sep 16, 2024 | scottberkun.com | Scott Berkun

My latest book, Why Design Is Hard, launches next week. This is a sequel to How Design Makes The World, but it’s written primarily for designers. The core message of the book is that designers have the power to reframe their biggest frustrations into solvable problems. Instead of complaining and waiting we can take action. It’s a short, fun, and opinionated reading experience. It’s the honest, real-world book I wish someone had given me when I started working in UX way back when.
The design purity trap & how to escape it

Jun 25, 2024 | whydesignishard.substack.com | Scott Berkun

Thanks to all 170+ of you who voted last week on our cover design. The clear winner, coming in at over 70%, was this one, which makes me laugh every time. The book itself is in the layout stage (the manuscript gets converted to actual book pages) and on schedule for a release this September. Stay tuned for more details. We’ve already written about why growing up is hard and how to reframe frustrations, but beneath these lessons is a trap in design culture we call the design purity trap.