speaking.io

Thoughts on public speaking by Zach Holman

Public speaking is tough.

Be it at a conference, or during a company meeting, or in your car trying to persuade the cop not to ticket you for going three times the speed limit while streaming an episode of The Maury Povich Show on your iPad, talking in front of other people can be an intimidating experience.

What's going on here?

• Who am I? I'm Zach Holman. I've spoken at more technical conferences than anyone else on the planet, aside from those who have spoken at more conferences than me. Follow me on Twitter if you're into that kind of thing, weirdo.
• Who are you? I wrote this with conference speakers in mind, but the ability to convey information with your mouth is really something we can all improve upon. Presenting a PowerPoint to your boss ain't all too much different than a conference, for example.
• What does this cost? Make your checks payable to a shell corporation I have in the Caymans. Just kidding; it's all free. I hope you enjoy it. Also, if I ever see one of your talks, it better be damn good.

  I'll add to this site over time. You might be interested in watching the newest posts page.

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First: plan out your talk.

• Writing the CFP The conference will have a Call For Papers. You'll need to write one.
• Repetition Here's a trick of the trade: repetition. Repetition is a trick of the trade.
• The Number of Slides How many slides should you plan for?
• Outlining How do I get started on my talk?
• The Idea What should you talk about? What's a good topic for you?
• Finding Where to Talk How do you even get started, anyway? Where can I give a talk?
• Talks are Entertainment Public speaking's dirty little secret.

Design and build your slides.

• Typography What do the words on your slides look like? Hint: they're probably a disaster.
• Slide Transitions and Animations What should your animations look like?
• Software What software should I build my slide deck with?
• Dimensions Should your slides be 4:3 or widescreen?
• Color How do I choose a color scheme?
• Using Images Photos and clip art and images, oh my.
• Duplicating Objects Learn this one weird trick to build your slides quickly.

Prep for the big day.

• Scoping out the Room You're just about to go up on stage. Scope the room out.
• Recording Your Talk Think about recording your talk as practice, and for others.
• Practicing It At some point you should practice. Quit putting it off, you know I'm right.
• Live Tech Demos What's the best way to prepare a live demo in front of an audience?
• The Best Presenter Remotes Thinking about controlling your slides with a remote?

Deliver and do your thing.

• Your Voice How fast should you talk? How slow? How can you command your voice?
• What They Don't Tell You What are the things to think about that you won't think about?
• Remotes A quick little guide on navigating your deck with a remote.
• Dealing with Nervousness Everyone gets nervous.
• Fucking up All the preparation in the world won't save you from a brainfart.

React and reflect on what just happened.

• Sharing Your Talk Online Turns out your biggest audience wasn't even in the room with you.
• Improving a Talk C'mon, you're not perfect. You probably messed something up.
• Handling Questions What's the trick behind Q&A after a talk?

Here, watch some video now

Okay, all done. You are now an accomplished public speaker. Congratulations! Ask for a raise.