People who have spoken at tech conferences: what's one thing you wish you'd known before your first talk?
(RT for reach please?)
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Please note I have since changed the title to "Things Experienced Speakers Wish They'd Known"...!
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oh! a better one: don't take questions your first time. I don't recommend it because you get done with the tada! and then it just kind of tapers off from there. plus the best questions aren't performative, they're the ones that happen off the stage face to face
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I'm quite grateful that the organisers are asking people to leave questions until the break, so no organised Q&A!
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Plan out when you're going to pause during your talk. "Letting it land" is really important for the audience. It also keeps you from rambling at light speed (a habit I still have to unlearn for each and every talk)
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I'm definitely guilty of going a thousand miles a minute so this is helpful advice!
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You'll notice your own "mistakes" 100 times more than anyone else. But no one else knows what you were planning to say. So if you take a breath and keep going, probably no one else will know there was even a blip. Also, bring extra clothes. I spilled coffee😂
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I will definitely spill coffee on myself - I do most days - so this is a good one!
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