Speaking at Tech Events for Beginners

Generic version of slides I used to give this workshop.

Transcript

1. Speaking at Tech Events for Beginners Julie Pagano
2. <Slide About Hosting Group>
3. Why are you here?
4. Learn how to speak at tech events!
5. Learn how to speak at tech events!
6. I am here to help!
7. My Credentials • Speaking for ~2 years • Conference organizer for 2 years • Frequent conference attendee • Active in local tech community • Organize speaker support group
8. Tech Conf Speaker Support of
9. This workshop is collaborative
10. This workshop is collaborative
11. This workshop will be a beginner-friendly place where you can feel safe working on and practicing a talk, even if you have never done it before.
12. Ground Rules (Code of Conduct) <insert your group’s code of conduct or anti-harassment policy> <insert link to full code/policy online>
13. Working Agreement (first 3 from the Hacker School User’s Manual) No feigning surprise No well-actually’s No backseat-driving Be constructive & helpful
14. Constructive Feedback
15. Constructive Feedback 1. What you did 2. The impact 3. How you can improve
16. Constructive Feedback 1. You spoke very fast. 2. People might miss something. 3. You should try slowing down and add some pauses.
17. Destructive Feedback Your proposal sucks. Your slides are ugly. Your talk is bad and you should feel bad.
18. Destructive Feedback Your proposal sucks. Your slides are ugly. Your talk is bad and you should feel bad. ✕
19. If there is an issue… • Talk to me • Email me [facilitator’s email] • Email not me [organizer’s email]
20. Let’s get started!
21. Expectations Management
22. for yourself
23. Suckin’ at something is the first step to being sorta good at something.
24. for the workshop
25. This workshop isn’t for general public speaking
26. This workshop is for speaking at tech events
27. This workshop isn’t for experienced speakers
28. This workshop is for beginner speakers
29. This workshop isn’t going to teach you everything
30. This workshop is going to help you get started
31. Lightning Talks
32. Lightning Talks 3 mins
33. Brainstorming Write proposal Outline talk Make slides Present talk
34. Brainstorming Write proposal Outline talk Make slides Present talk
35. Brainstorming Write proposal Outline talk Make slides Present talk
36. Brainstorming Write proposal Outline talk Make slides Present talk
37. Brainstorming Write proposal Outline talk Make slides Present talk
38. today’s activities are time sensitive
39. Experience Check! • Who has spoken at a conference before? • Who has spoken at a user group or other local tech event before?
40. Break into groups! 1 2 3 4 5
41. Assign a timekeeper 1 2 3 4 5
42. Introductions • Introduce yourself • Name • Why you are you here? • Use the worksheet, as needed • 1 minute each 5 mins group
43. Tech Setup • We will use Google Drive to share & collaborate • <insert shared drive link> • Let me know if you can’t use Google Drive. • You will use whatever presentation software you prefer. • Let me know if it’s not one of the ones listed on the worksheet. 5 mins solo
44. Brainstorming
45. I’m not an expert.
46. what you think you need to know
47. what you actually need to know
48. You are an expert on your experiences
49. Experts aren’t always the best for the job
50. expert
51. beginner expert
52. beginner expert
53. Brainstorming • Things you work on a lot (e.g. what you do at work, subject you study at school). • Things you work on sometimes (e.g. side project, open source work). • Topics you are excited about. • Topics you wish more people talked about. • Other ideas.
54. Brainstorming • Technical topics • People topics • Hybrid topics
55. Brainstorming • Fill out the brainstorming worksheet on your own. 5 mins solo
56. Brainstorming • Discuss with your group. • Get feedback on your ideas. • Help generate new ideas. • Give each other constructive feedback. • ~5 minutes each. 20 mins group
57. Select Topic • Select an idea! • You will use this the rest of the day. • Remember that you’re giving a 3 minute talk. 5 mins solo
58. Write Proposal
59. Elements of a Proposal
60. Elements of a Proposal TITLE
61. Elements of a Proposal TITLE DESCRIPTION
62. Proposals get your talk selected for an event.
63. C F P
64. Call F P
65. Call For P
66. Call For Proposals
67. Proposals get people to attend the event you are speaking at.
69. Proposals get people to attend your talk over someone else’s.
72. Elements of a Proposal TITLE DESCRIPTION
73. Elements of a Proposal TITLE DESCRIPTION
74. descriptive
75. “Speaking at tech events for beginners”
76. cute and descriptive
77. “I Am a Front-end Web Developer (and so can you!)”
78. cute (these ones better have a good description)
79. “It's Dangerous to Go Alone: Battling the Invisible Monsters in Tech”
80. descriptive is usually better
81. Elements of a Proposal TITLE DESCRIPTION
82. Help the reader answer some questions: • What is the talk about? • Why is it important? • What will people get out of it? • Who is the target audience?
83. Ask for Help
84. Write Proposal • Time to start typing. Use your name in your files, so they are easy to identify. • Write a first draft of your proposal. • Descriptive title. • Description answers the questions. • Keep it short — it’s only a 3 min talk. 10 mins solo
85. Review Proposal • Share your proposals in the group folder • Read through each other’s proposals. • Share constructive feedback. • ~5 minutes each. 20 mins group
86. Finish Proposal • Finalize your proposal based on feedback. 5 mins solo
87. Expectations Management for CFPs
88. rejection is normal
89. rejection is normal (even though it still hurts)
90. Speaking Slots
91. Your Awesome Proposal
92. Speaking Slots
93. CFP Submissions
94. CFP Selection
95. Other Variables • How do talks fit together? • Multiple submissions with similar topics? • What talks were given last year? • A million other little things
96. outline Talk
97. Outline • Introduction • 2-4 high level topics or points • Conclusion
98. Write Outline • Outline group folder. • Make a rough draft of your talk outline. • Keep in mind you have 3 mins. • I recommend 2 points (maybe 3) because of time. 10 mins solo
99. Review Outline • Read through each other’s outlines. • Share constructive feedback. • ~5 minutes each. 20 mins group
100. Finish Outline • Finalize your outline based on feedback. 5 mins solo
101. LUNCH! ~35 minutes
102. make slides
103. Keep It Simple
104. Slides are a prop or backdrop
105. Most good talks cannot be reproduced with just the slides
106. Typography
107. Find a few fonts you like
108. Roboto Roboto Roboto Roboto Roboto Roboto
109. Avoid scripty or cutesy fonts. They’re hard to read.
110. Fonts to avoid :(
111. comic sans
112. papyrus
113. Lobster Lobster Two
114. The fonts you pick aren’t as important as how you present them.
115. don’t use tiny text
116. use big text
117. use huge text
118. use ridiculously massive text
119. • But • what • about • all • my • bullet • points
120. Don’t.
121. • At most • you should have • a few bullets • on a slide.
122. <code> on slides
123. def merge_sort(m) return m if m.length <= 1 middle = m.length / 2 left = m[0,middle] right = m[middle..-1] left = merge_sort(left) right = merge_sort(right) merge(left, right) end def merge(left, right) result = [] until left.empty? || right.empty? if left.first <= right.first result << left.shift else result << right.shift end end result + left + right end ary = [7,6,5,9,8,4,3,1,2,0] p merge_sort(ary) # => [0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9]
124. def merge_sort(m) return m if m.length <= 1 middle = m.length / 2 left = m[0,middle] right = m[middle..-1] left = merge_sort(left) right = merge_sort(right) merge(left, right) end
125. def merge_sort(m) return m if m.length <= 1 middle = m.length / 2 left = m[0,middle] right = m[middle..-1] left = merge_sort(left) right = merge_sort(right) merge(left, right) end
126. def merge_sort(m) # Return if already sorted # Split into left and right # Sort left and right ! # Merge end
127. def merge_sort(m) # Return if already sorted return m if m.length <= 1 # Split into left and right # Sort left and right ! # Merge end
128. def merge_sort(m) # Return if already sorted # Split into left and right middle = m.length / 2 left = m[0,middle] right = m[middle..-1] # Sort left and right ! # Merge end
129. def merge_sort(m) # Return if already sorted # Split into left and right # Sort left and right left = merge_sort(left) right = merge_sort(right) ! # Merge end
130. def merge_sort(m) # Return if already sorted # Split into left and right # Sort left and right ! # Merge merge(left, right) end
131. Don’t put important content at the bottom
132. Colors!
133. High Contrast
134. Crappy Projectors
135. Color Blindness
136. Project Results
137. Project Results
138. Supporting Imagery
139. The Noun Project
142. flickr
144. Pop Culture
145. ALL THE MEMES! such meme wow
147. Don’t alienate your audience
148. Content is King
149. Create Slides • Make a rough draft of your slides using tool of choice. • Start with the outline. • Flesh things out. • Focus on content first. • Remember your talk is 3 mins. 20 mins solo
150. Review Slides • Each person should quickly walk the group through their slides. • Give constructive feedback. • ~5 mins each 20 mins group
151. Finish Slides • Adjust your slides based on feedback. 5 mins solo
152. Practice talk
153. Practice.
154. Practice. Practice.
155. Practice. Practice. Practice.
156. Timing matters
157. Playtest your talk
158. Playtest your talk June 13 - playtest June 25 - real talk
159. Practice Talk • Practice your talk a few times. • Time yourself. • Make a few adjustments, if needed. • Upload your slides. 15 mins solo
160. Present talk
161. I’m afraid of public speaking.
162. Help me improve! Please fill out the feedback survey!
163. Julie Pagano juliepagano.com julie@juliepagano.com @juliepagano Thank you!
164. Additional Resources
165. General Speaking Skills • Toastmasters • Steel City Improv
166. Blog Posts • I Support Speakers and So Can You - http://juliepagano.com/blog/ 2014/04/27/i-support-speakers-and-so-can-you/ • Presentation Skills Considered Harmful by Kathy Sierra - http:// seriouspony.com/blog/2013/10/4/presentation-skills-considered- harmful • http://weareallaweso.me/ • http://cognition.happycog.com/article/so-why-should-I-speak-publicly • http://writing.jan.io/2013/05/10/how-to-give-the-killer-tech-talk---a- pamphlet.html • http://blog.pamelafox.org/2013/08/why-do-i-speak-at- conferences.html
167. Talks About Talking • Conference Submissions and Presentations by Matthew McCullough - Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=fJz4JJIchaY&feature=youtu.be - Slides: https://speakerdeck.com/ matthewmccullough/conference-submissions- and-presentations
168. Presentation Tools Many beginners may be unsure what to use to create a presentation. Below are some tools I’ve used before. I don’t think there’s a “right” tool. Pick the one that is easy for you to use and meets your needs. • Keynote (Mac only) • PowerPoint (Windows and OSX) • Google Drive Presentation (browser) • Reveal.js - http://lab.hakim.se/reveal-js/ (browser)
169. Imagery Resources Places to find imagery for your talks: • The Noun Project - http://thenounproject.com/ • Flickr - https://www.flickr.com/search/? q=test&l=cc&ct=0&mt=all&adv=1 • Wikimedia Commons - http:// commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Main_Page
170. Example Early Speakers • Nell Shamrell - Behind the Curtain - Madison Ruby 2012 • Behind the Curtain: Applying lessons learned from years in the Theatre to crafting software applications. • http://www.confreaks.com/videos/1093- madisonruby2012-behind-the-curtain-applying- lessons-learned-from-years-in-the-theatre-to- crafting-software-applications
171. Example Early Speakers • Stephen Ball - Deliberate Git - Steel City Ruby 2013 • In Deliberate Git I'll share how to use Git to write detailed commits that craft a cohesive story about the code without giving up a good programming flow. • https://speakerdeck.com/sdball/deliberate-git • https://vimeo.com/72762735
172. My Speaking Timeline Throughout the talk, I mention that people should start small and can progress over time. I thought it might be interesting to share a timeline of my progression as a speaker over time, but it didn’t fit in the time for the talk. I’m leaving it here in case it interests you. You can find links to slides and videos from these talks on my site: http://juliepagano.com/speaking/
173. My Speaking Timeline • April 2012 - Lightning talk at work retreat (first talk) • July 2012 - Lightning talk at PghRb • August 2012 - Lightning talk at Steel City Ruby • January 2013 - Speaking support group created • February 2013 - Lightning talk at PghRb • June 2013 - Conference speaker at Pittsburgh TechFest (first conference talk)
174. My Speaking Timeline • August 2013 - Conference speaker (alternate) at Steel City Ruby • September 2013 - Conference speaker at Nickel City Ruby • April 2014 - Conference speaker at PyCon • June 2014 - Keynote speaker at OSBridge (first keynote)
175. Attribution • Presentation designed by XOXO from the Noun Project - http:// thenounproject.com/term/presentation/23951/ • Ice Cream Sundae designed by Olive Q Wong from the Noun Project - http://thenounproject.com/term/ice-cream-sundae/52683/ • Lightning Bolt designed by daisy binks from the Noun Project - http://thenounproject.com/term/lightning-bolt/9601/ • Brainstorm designed by Bastien Ho from the Noun Project - http:// thenounproject.com/term/brainstorm/20036/ • Happy designed by Julien Deveaux from the Noun Project - http:// thenounproject.com/term/happy/43940/
176. Attribution • Bullhorn by Marco Olgio from the Noun Project - http:// thenounproject.com/term/bullhorn/7439/ • Thought designed by Adam Zubin from the Noun Project - http://thenounproject.com/term/thought/35709/ • Chicken and Egg from Wikimedia Commons - http:// commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File: %E0%B9%84%E0%B8%82%E0%B9%88%E0%B9%84%E0%B8%8 1%E0%B9%88.jpg
177. Attribution ! • Calendar designed by James Keuning from the Noun Project - http:// thenounproject.com/term/calendar/9826/ • Dead designed by Julien Deveaux from the Noun Project - http:// thenounproject.com/term/dead/43902/ • Hacker School User’s Manual Social Rules - https:// www.hackerschool.com/manual#sub-sec-social-rules • Team designed by Joshua Jones from the Noun Project - http:// thenounproject.com/term/team/48301/
178. Attribution • Outline designed by Alex Fuller from the Noun Project - http:// thenounproject.com/term/outline/10528/ • Note designed by Anna Moreno from the Noun Project - http:// thenounproject.com/term/note/48407/ • Timer designed by Arthur Shlain from the Noun Project - http:// thenounproject.com/term/timer/66106/
179. Speaking at Tech Events for Beginners talk by Julie Pagano is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution- NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.