Public Speaking for Technologists

Public Speaking for Technologists

Daniel “phrawzty” Maher Developer Advocate Datadog

Table of Contents

• Identify
• CFP
• Prepare
• Deliver
• After-care

@phrawzty // Datadog

Identify

Factors to consider

Business

• Themes
• Industry and market
• Influence Audience composition

You

• Topics / subjects
• Format
• Other presentations
• Networking

Logistics

• Help with expenses
• Production value
• Location Support

@phrawzty // Datadog

Where to look

In specific

• PaperCall.io
• Meetup.com
• Confs.tech
• Devopsdays.org

In general

• O’Reilly, SkillsMatter, etc…
• Tech sites, lists, and Slacks
• Word of mouth
• Google for “open tech CFPs”

@phrawzty // Datadog

CFP

You always need these

• Title
• Pitch
• Description
• Notes
• Headshot
• Bio
• Previous presentations
• Assistance required?
• Demographic data

@phrawzty // Datadog

Tips for CFP

• Be bold, but don’t be a jerk about it.
• Be terse. Don’t get bogged down in the details.
• Believe in your words.
• Pay attention to the guidelines!
• No, seriously, pay attention—especially to character or word count.
• Be early, but don’t be first.
• Don’t wait until the last minute (it might already be too late).

@phrawzty // Datadog

Prepare

Two basic elements

Say it

• The story you want to tell.
• What you are going to say.
• How you are going to say it.

Display it

• The visual support for your story.
• Slides, pictures, video, etc.
• Terminals! Live coding!

@phrawzty // Datadog

Slides are a trap.

– You are the most important element of the talk. – Your presentation should be functional without slides. – (Live demos excepted.)

@phrawzty // Datadog

Practice makes perfect

By yourself

• First, just say things out loud to see how they sound.
• Then, put on a timer and click through your slides.
• Modify as necessary.

With others

• Dry-run the first. It’s ok to be nervous. Accept the feedback and improve.
• Dry-run the second. Already a huge improvement!

@phrawzty // Datadog

Deliver

It’s your big day!

• Arrive early. Explore the venue and sort yourself out.
• Talk to the organisers to see if they have last-minute info.
• Find somewhere quiet to review.
• Sound / tech-check on stage.
• Close all apps you don’t need. Mute notifications, too.
• Silence your phone.

@phrawzty // Datadog

Do the thing!

• Being nervous is normal.
• Confidence is the best cure. (Practice was how you gained confidence.)
• Be passionate! You got this!
• Slow down and breathe.
• Find a comfortable standing position. Forget about your pockets.
• Take sips of water.

@phrawzty // Datadog

After-care

Oops it’s not over yet

Q&A

• It’s OK to ask for a question to be repeated or expanded upon.
• It’s OK if you don’t know the answer. Really. Take it off-line.
• If they go low, you go high.

Hallway track

• It’s usually the best part of a conference, but it can also be the worst for reasons well outside of your control.
• That said, embrace it! Have fun!

@phrawzty // Datadog

A little while later…

Reflect

• If the talk was recorded, watch the recording.
• If feedback was collected, read the feedback.
• Improve your presentation!

Publish

• Blog post; tutorial; workshop.
• A spin-off talk.
• Podcast? Sure! Why not write a book about it? The sky’s the limit!

@phrawzty // Datadog

Thank you

Datadog