Elevator Pitch
Conference speakers are amazing. Where do they come from?
The truth is, they are people like you and me. The biggest difference between speakers and the rest of us is that speakers have chosen to share their story.
In this session, I’ll share lessons I’ve recently learned becoming a speaker.
Description
As attendees, we look at speakers as experts. They know their stuff. But the biggest difference between speakers and the rest of us is that speakers have simply chosen to share their story.
In this session, I’ll share the many lessons I’ve learned in the past two years, going from conference attendee to conference speaker. We’ll look at all the stages of technical speaking: generating ideas, finding places to speak, submitting talks, building your content, and the day of the event.
Technical speaking can feel scary. If you look past the fear, it comes with an adrenaline rush. It is also a great way to contribute to the development community. If you’re interested in sharing your story but you’re not sure how to start, this session is for you.
Everyone has a voice. This talk will help you get started using yours.
Notes
Late in 2015, I realized that I wanted to speak at conferences. I didn’t really know where to start, but I knew it was what I wanted to do with my career.
Since that time, I have spoken at several local meetups and regional conferences in the midwest - including Milwaukee, Chicago, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Detroit, and St. Louis. These speaking engagements have by no means made me an expert - but they have made me a person who is a few steps ahead of beginners, and who has not yet forgotten the difficulties of getting started.
The curse of knowledge is that the more you know, the more you forget about how hard it was to get started. I can’t make attendees experts at speaking. But I can give them guidance to overcome the challenges that new speakers face, because I have recently faced them.