Recently my dear friend Kent C. Dodds posted a video encouraging people to attend conferences and get into public speaking to supercharge their careers.
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But what if you have never done it before or cannot imagine yourself standing on a stage talking to a large crowd?
I am not a perfect speaker or an expert, but I love sharing my passion and knowledge with others. Let me walk you through my journey and share some insights on how you can make your mark in the world of conferences and meetups.
My First Steps into Public Speaking
I began my journey in 2020, an awesome year to get into public speaking! 😅. I didn’t start on a big stage or big events, I started by reaching out to communities and participating in online meetups. My friend Niall Maher trusted me (not sure how!) and invited my colleague Nelly and me to speak about Micro-Frontends at the Codu Community meetup, now one of the largest meetups in Ireland and the world. I am sure only my colleagues and a couple of hard-core followers of Niall watched it live, but hey! it was a start!
Finding Your Unique Style
I got invited to a couple of “big-name” online conferences. For me it was easier to present live, I am not very good at doing pre-recorded talks, however, if you feel more comfortable doing a recording, it is a great way to get started, meet the organisers and discover the process of applying, preparing and delivering a talk. Some conferences have online days where you can apply to speak and you might get more chances to get accepted, but you get to be part of the in-person day and might even get invited to the speaker’s dinner 😉.
There are a lot of people like you and me out there trying to do the same, so standing out can be challenging. Finding your style is important, for example, Kent C. Dodds signature style is to do “air squats” before a talk. I started using hand-drawn animations in my presentations to explain complex topics, but even more important is to be yourself, what you have to say is important to the audience and they would love to hear it!
Engaging Your Audience
The content of your presentation is the most important piece. If you don’t know what to talk about, just talk about something cool, something that you are passionate about or a recent experience that you had.
Tell a story! the best presentations are the ones that follow the “hero’s journey” and where you tell the audience how you overcame difficulty and implemented a cool technology that provided value to the company you work for instead of a “how to” tutorial and not just delivering a lecture.
Engagement is also key! I like to be dynamic and energetic on stage, you can use humour to connect with the audience, and body language to present yourself as open by extending your arms, you can ask questions, or even “doing squats” can help maintain that vital connection.
Overcoming the nerves
I get really nervous on stage, I get physically sick, and my stomach hurts for a good hour after a talk. It is normal, even seasoned speakers will tell you that those nerves never go away. When you choose the right topic and you know very well what you are talking about, it becomes easier and helps you get into the “flow” state.
Here are my tips on how to get rid of the nerves:
A Practical Tip: If you are right-handed clench your left fist as hard as you can, it is scientifically proven that it helps to calm down the nerves.
A Mind Tip: If you feel like running away, just remember, what you are about to tell the audience could change their careers or even their lives, if you don’t do it, they will miss out. You are on a mission, don’t think about going back until that mission is complete because what you have to say is important.
Reflecting on Your Performance
I like reviewing the recordings of my talks to make my next presentation even better. After my first on-stage presentation at React Advanced in London, I watched the recording and I realised I sounded like I was telling people off! 😂 I was so passionate about the topic that I sounded like my grandmother warning me why using Micro-Frontends was a bad idea!
The worst thing you can do as a speaker is to make the audience uncomfortable. So it is essential not to appear aggressive or attack the audience. I also realised my pacing was off, I gave my back to the audience a couple of times and noticed all those “umms” and “amms” that are still there today, so I strongly recommend reviewing your recordings.
What If Public Speaking is Not for You?
If you have stage fright or simply are not interested in public speaking, then get involved in other ways. Help organise the meetup or the conference, become part of the technical committee and help review the proposals, or it could be as simple as turning up early and putting the chairs out or setting up the refreshments.
Helping out and being part of the organisers is the best role, you don’t have to worry about delivering a talk, everybody knows you, everyone is looking up to you and you can make great connections as well.
Conclusion
If you have never tried speaking at conferences, give it a go! and get out there, you don’t need to be a professional, none of us are!
If you tried and you didn’t like it, go find a local meetup or contact a conference organiser and offer to give them a hand, I am sure they would be grateful for the extra help.
Also, remember to have fun! what I love the most about conferences is the amazing people I get to hang out with and have amazing discussions about not just tech but also about life.
