Public Speaking for Technologists
A presentation at DevOpsDays Amsterdam 2019 in in Amsterdam, Netherlands by Daniel "phrawzty" Maher
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
Resources
The following resources were mentioned during the presentation or are useful additional information.
