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So you want to speak at software conferences?

dylanbeattie.net

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Re: So you want to speak at software conferences?

#61

Post by fouc »

myhf wrote: post #46
onion2k wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

13. Have a message you're actually enthusiastic to tell people. The audience can quickly tell if someone is there because they want to talk about the topic they're presenting, and having a receptive audience makes it much easier to get on stage to talk about it. If the audience knows you're there because you want another line on your resume or because you're trying to sell them something the atmosphere can turn quite…

it's physically painful for me to stop talking about my topic

it's physically painful for everyone else to listen to you talking about your topic.. if you talk for too long that is. :)

Re: So you want to speak at software conferences?

#62

Post by koolba »

WalterBright wrote: post #56
laurieg wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 11. the anxiety goes away It is genuinely shocking how true this is. Also, it's not a gradual thing. I used to be very nervous about public speaking. I did it a lot and one day it just stops. Very sudden, very unexpected.

I still have it, but it goes away as soon as I start the presentation. Then it just becomes fun!

A shot or two of liquid courage doesn’t hurt either. Though beyond that you risk exceeding the Balmer peak.

Re: So you want to speak at software conferences?

#63

Post by ValentineC »

ghaff wrote: post #59
ValentineC wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I don't want videos of me online. This is just my personal opinion, but your expertise in your proposed topic would have to be really good (i.e. you've written a few blog posts about it) for a conference to overlook this. Recorded videos act as a portfolio for both potential speakers and conferences alike. I think some first-time attendees rely on past videos to determine whether a conference is worth going for. (T…

I don't know how often recorded videos are viewed--conference committees have to wade through a lot of applications. But conference presentations are basically public events and if that bothers you, you should probably reconsider doing one. (Yes, per parent, if there's a real disaster--and those happen--they may be deep-sixed but I wouldn't count on it.)

> I don't know how often recorded videos are viewed--conference committees have to wade through a lot of applications.

For most conferences that do blind-rating first, only in subsequent rounds when the programme is being put together.

Re: So you want to speak at software conferences?

#64

Post by ValentineC »

YouAreWRONGtoo wrote: post #30

FOMO is the only reason people attend conferences, which is why I visited a few to figure out whether I was missing out on anything. Speaking at a conference? Same story. You do it, because it's for "personal development", until it's pointless. Conferences have n00bs and PMs, not the experts, because they don't need to learn anything anymore.

> Conferences have n00bs and PMs, not the experts, because they don't need to learn anything anymore.

The real experts never stop learning.

Some of them go to conferences because that's one of the few times in the year they can hang out with each other, and find out what their community is up to.

Re: So you want to speak at software conferences?

#65

Post by em-bee »

Ayesh wrote: post #53
Aachen wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't want videos of me online. Would an audio recording + slides suffice in your opinion? Or would you doubt it was really live in front of a sufficiently large audience? Idk how common fraud here would be

I imagine it'll go against your talk getting into the shortlist. But there are some conferences that ask and respect your preference whether you'd like the video recording to have your face or just the audio. But I have yet to see a conference that go as far as asking the audience to not take photos of the presenter, so it's pretty much moot if you do not want your photos published at all.

i have seen presenters directly ask the audience to not take pictures. i think it's reasonable request, so i don't think it's a moot point.

Re: So you want to speak at software conferences?

#66

Post by em-bee »

YouAreWRONGtoo wrote: post #30

FOMO is the only reason people attend conferences, which is why I visited a few to figure out whether I was missing out on anything. Speaking at a conference? Same story. You do it, because it's for "personal development", until it's pointless. Conferences have n00bs and PMs, not the experts, because they don't need to learn anything anymore.

actually, the primary reason to go to conferences is networking. meeting people, make connections. you go to talks that interest you so you can meet people that share your interest.

same for giving presentations. you give presentations to promote an idea or work, to share something you have learned, to contribute to the community, and again, for networking.

fomo? not at all. personal development? that's a bonus, but not the motivation.

Re: So you want to speak at software conferences?

#67

Post by em-bee »

WalterBright wrote: post #39

Some things I've learned over the years: 1. do not show a slide full of code. The font will be too small to read. Nobody will read it 2. don't read your slides to the audience. The audience can read 3. don't talk with your back to the audience 4. make your font as big as practical 5. 3 bullet points is ideal 6. add a picture now and then 7. don't bother with a copyright notice on every slide. It gets really old. Besi…

8. depends on the nature of the presentation. if it is a coding workshop then live coding is actually quite a good idea.

Re: So you want to speak at software conferences?

#68

Post by wyattjoh »

I struggled for a long time to figure out what would be "interesting enough" to give a talk about. Turns out that the way that we do different things in Next.js was not talked about enough. Did my first technical talk about some decisions and mechanisms that Next.js uses for dynamic detection and rendering and found a sweet spot.

Re: So you want to speak at software conferences?

#69

Post by susam »

fouc wrote: post #61
myhf wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

it's physically painful for me to stop talking about my topic

it's physically painful for everyone else to listen to you talking about your topic.. if you talk for too long that is. :)

Indeed! It's said that no talk should be longer than a microcentury.

https://www.ams.org/notices/199701/comm-rota.pdf

https://susam.net/microcentury.html

Re: So you want to speak at software conferences?

#70

Post by bruce511 »

firecall wrote: post #50
WalterBright wrote: post #39

Some things I've learned over the years: 1. do not show a slide full of code. The font will be too small to read. Nobody will read it 2. don't read your slides to the audience. The audience can read 3. don't talk with your back to the audience 4. make your font as big as practical 5. 3 bullet points is ideal 6. add a picture now and then 7. don't bother with a copyright notice on every slide. It gets really old. Besi…

Above all else, make it interesting and entertaining! Which should go without saying…

In this line;

Tell a story. It might be "unrelated" to thd topic at hand (I based one on Shackleton's expedition, and another on a Robert Frost poem (two roads diverged.) Or it might be related, a "my journey" type, or it might be about the experience seen through the eyes of a customer. But a story helps the audience relate, and keeps a thread through it all.

If you can, be funny. Frankly this is hard if you're not a 'funny' person. Delivering a good joke, or line, well can be learned but if it's not your thing steer clear. Bad funny is worse than not funny.

If you're not funny naturally then get a funny person to help you script in "dry" humor lines. You can deliver them dry, in fact often the dryer the better.

"We founded our business in Jan 2020. Nothing could possibly go wrong".

But good funny is great. Learning while laughing really keeps the audience engaged.

Reacting to the audience engagement is also a skill worth developing. When they're bored, move on. When they hiss or boo or laugh or leave, these are all valuable feedback.

Enjoy yourself. If you're having fun, they will too.

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