“I would like to show my respect and acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the Land, of Elders past and present, on which this meeting takes place.” I give talks a bunch. 18 talks & 14 events in 2016, This is to fill a slot someone canceled from Papers committee wants YOU not-yet-speakers to submit I will try to tell you everything I know about talks. How do you feel about this right now? Excited? Want to see me succeed? Want to see me fail? Why? Benefits you Meet fantastic humans Show expertise Change the community Benefits your company Show expertise Reputation & recruitment Benefits conference There's no conf without talks Need many options to build the best schedule Benefits community Recordings are documentation New ideas and approaches Scalable mentoring -- setting example Everyone learns something Newbies learn the topic Moderately knowledgeable can fill in gaps Experts learn a new way to explain "I can't speak..." Stephen Hawking TED talk screenshot Money Let the conference try to help Contracts Carefully choose topics Ask Fear Do what you want to. Scared of disappointing audience? You have control. No Ideas Ask friends & colleagues & mentors! Time Your time is yours. Time you've promised others? They may benefit from you speaking. Turn "Can't" into "Choose not to because". Places To Speak Company internal Meetups Classes Conferences! Getting Into A Conference Find a topic. Keep a list of neat ideas Ask friends what they want to hear What do people ask you about? What do you want people to *know*? What do you want people to *do*? What do you know, which people wish to know? (buzzwords) Which people? (identify your audience) Your "expertise" Free Topics... Tutorial for a tool that someone else will offer a deep dive in Lessons for techies from your hobby or underrepresented field Something you built Intricacies of something you use every day Lessons from deploying $BUZZWORD Lessons from your favorite mentor Deep dive into tech related to current events Find a co-presenter? Communication overhead Confidence boost Find conferences. Keep a list of conference dates Ask friends where they speak https://opensource.com/resources/conferences-and-events-monthly Missed it? Calendar for next year Search confs for your language/tools Search general confs for your area (education? FOSS? sysadmin?) Pick a conference. Who's their target audience? Speaker compensation? Conduct & enforcement? Location and dates? Write an abstract. helpmeabstract.com Ask a question you'll answer, or start a story you'll tell Show fluency & attention to detail Abstract or bio: Why you should present this Apply! Submit to conferences! Before their deadlines! Get rejected a lot. Happens to everyone. Nothing personal. Keep trying. Writing your talk Gather content I <3 notecards Lists, digital or physical Organization doesn't matter Brainstorm! Research Google Interviews (including Twitter/IRC) Hands-on trial-and-error Add results to your content Organize ideas Tell a story Beginning, middle, end Conflict & resolution Look up writing/storytelling resources How are your favorite talks structured? Toss what doesn't fit What did your title & abstract promise? Answer a question? Tell a story? People will be in your room because they want that. Transitions & Flow You will have to talk from one point to another Telling a story: Have implicitreason for switching topics Outlines often help Repeat key points Pick your top 3 takeaways Make sure each shows up at least 3x through the talk Making Slides Text vs images Text: Stand-alone slides, can get boring Images: Needs a blog post Cite yo' sources!! Expect crummy projector How do your favorite talks do this? Why do you <3 them? Popular tools Keynote reveal.js Beamer LibreOffice Impress Version Control! Commit early & often Iterate fast I prefer slides rendered from text Caution... Distracting gifs Don't count on audio Check for speeling erors Code-Of-Conduct... Taunting the Demo-Gods Pre-record Optionally, make it look real Static show-and-tell is fine Accessibility! Contrast? Font size? Seizures? PDF export? Use your spoken words (dyslexia, blind, ESL) Use your written words (Deaf, ESL) Put them online! License? (I'm bad at this) archive.org Put the URL in your slides, or tweet/blog it! Rehearsing your talk Plan your timing How long is your talk? How much time does each section need? Will you take questions? During or after? Record yourself Bad slide/topic transitions will feel terrible And then listen Take notes on verbal distractions Take notes on content flow Silence is OK. Make Changes Speaker notes: Key points, transitions Optimize topic order for storytelling and smooth flow Practice speaking clearly & articulately Community theater, Toastmasters can help soft skills Get Feedback Rehearse for a friend. Rehearse for a friendly internet stranger in your target audience. Rehearse for a subject matter expert. "Does this make sense?" Make sure "proof-watcher" knows your audience & abstract Feature freeze 2 rehersals before talk Route around bad slides > get lost/confused Realistic rehersals Wear what you'll wear Use a projector Eye contact with "audience" Whatever stimulants/depressants you'll be speaking on Conferencing Work with your work Training budget? Marketing/evangelism budget? Emphasize benefits (brand awareness, contributors, etc) Ask before & after acceptance to a conf Alternate funding Scholarships Speaker compensation Bundle conference with family vacation Ask the internet for ideas Register and book housing Most confs give free rego to speakers Some subsidize travel/hotel Budget: Airbnb, locals' spare rooms, hostels, transit Your Badge Name, pronouns, talk slots Only info you want people & computers to act on Use speaker perks Speaker lounge Speaker dinner? Before your talk Double-check time slot Make laptop talk to projector (dongles?) What to wear Comfy shoes Expect clip-on mic You'll be on a stage Lots of photos Presenting your talk Before Human maintenance (snack, water, bathroom) Laptop vs projector Plug laptop into power Remove lanyard Get mic'd Intro Who you are and why you're there When to ask questions How to tweet at you Where to get your slides The Talk That thing you rehearsed Resist temptation to speed up Handling technical difficulties Use humor, keep calm How do you as the audience feel? Q&A Not mandatory Doesn't have to be live "Email me..." "Ask this IRC channel" "Ask that mailing list" "Taking only questions about..." Stories instead? "I Don't Know" Watch the technologists you look up to -- they say this a lot "But here's how I'd find out" "I can connect you with Jane who's an expert" After The Conference Publish your slides, notes, etc Follow up w/ emails Brag on site, resume, LinkedIn, etc! More Resources https://github.com/edunham/slides/blob/master/README.md lucybain.com/blog/2016/conference-proposal-ideas/ https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/getting-started-public-speaking-kristine-howard/ https://littlekendra.com/2015/12/22/how-to-write-a-presentation-abstract-for-a-tech-conference/ https://medium.com/@sophie.koonin/things-i-wish-id-known-tips-for-first-time-conference-speakers-ffa4ca438ea