Tag: Speaking

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Training & Community

Speak Effectively At Conferences By Sheen Brisals

SpeakEffectively

In this post, I review the 2025-04 early release of Sheen Brisals’ self-published 2025 book Speak Effectively At Conferences.

Table of Contents

Introduction

This year I’ve hit double digits in my speaker profile (I know, right – how did that happen?! – Ed). And, as with my tech career, I’m always looking for ways to improve my public speaking skills.

The internet is full of advice and suggestions, but I often wonder if they’re valid and trustworthy. I also ask questions of myself. Have I picked up bad habits? Am I practising my own advice?

So when I found out about Speak Effectively At Conferences it seemed like a good investment. After reading it, I want to reflect on my expectations and the insights gained from the book. Before I dive in, let’s take a moment to learn about the author.

The Author

Sheen Brisals is an experienced engineering leader with a career beginning in the early 1990s, including roles at Oracle, Lego and, most recently, Sky. He is an international speaker, an O’Reilly author and an AWS Serverless Hero.

The Book

From the Speak Effectively At Conferences blurb:

Speak Effectively At Conferences…goal is to make everything about speaking at conferences known to you. It aims to familiarize you with the entire process, grow your comfort level, raise your confidence, and transform you into an effective speaker!

Speak Effectively At Conferences is published on Leanpub, a self-publishing platform where authors can release their work in stages and get feedback. It is currently available at a suggested price of $20, with discounts for students and low-income readers.

As of June 2025, Speak Effectively At Conferences is an early-release eBook. I am reviewing version 10 of the book, which was published on 11 April 2025. The book is still undergoing editing and review, and the content will be updated as this process continues. The final release will also include page numbers and an ePub version.

Motivations

This section examines my motivations for buying and reading Speak Effectively At Conferences.

Boost My Knowledge & Skills

So far, I’ve been very fortunate to have access to some great speaking-focused resources, such as:

Speak Effectively At Conferences offered an opportunity to validate skills and learn from an expert. Sheen is renowned for his speaking expertise, and his book provided a great chance to explore his knowledge and insights.

Build My Confidence

Speaking of knowledge and skills, anyone reviewing my speaker profile, community involvement and career history might conclude that I am reasonably confident in using and applying them.

The reality is quite different. While I can claim to be more confident now than I was when I started this mad journey, there’s still much to work on as part of a pursuit that’s essentially endless.

As I connect with more speakers at various events, I’ve noticed that managing confidence and anxiety is a factor at all experience levels. Speakers often enjoy sharing tips with one another, so I was eager to discover what suggestions Speak Effectively At Conferences could provide. Ultimately, it could at least confirm whether others share my current habits and strategies.

Define A Roadmap

Currently, I find myself in an unexpected position as a speaker. On one hand, I can’t really call myself a new speaker anymore as my speaker events list is now in double digits. On the other hand, I don’t feel that I have enough experience to call myself an experienced speaker.

I’m seeking resources to help me advance to the next level (whatever that is). But I find myself struggling to identify what that looks like and entails. What should I measure and develop? What separates my counterproductive habits from my unique selling points?

Ultimately, I don’t know what I don’t know. Well, Sheen does! My hope with Speak Effectively At Conferences was that it would share some of his decades of experience and expertise, and might guide me towards answering some of these questions.

Book Review

In this section, I’ll summarise the various parts of Speak Effectively At Conferences and examine what stood out in each.

Part 1: Your Knowledge

Part 1 of Speak Effectively At Conferences begins before any words are spoken or slide decks are produced. It explores the historical significance of public speaking and its role in supporting basic human instincts like public gathering and group learning. Sheen examines how public speaking fosters knowledge, skills and trust for both the audience and the speaker. Additionally, the section addresses common mental barriers that new speakers may encounter.

Having built up the case for speaking, Sheen examines how to build credibility as a speaker. He explores several approaches to this, offering support and guidance on getting started. Not everyone enjoys writing or can film content, so this broad overview is a valuable addition.

Part 2: The Stage

Part 2 of Speak Effectively At Conferences focuses on the various aspects of the conference ecosystem. Sheen’s expertise is immediately apparent as he divides conferences into four (Four! – Ed) distinct groupings and examines the differences between them. These groupings all make sense – I’d just never thought about conferences in those terms before!

Sheen also explores various speaking venues, both common and uncommon. I can already tick a few off my list, including a warehouse and a cinema. However, I think I’m still a way off speaking in a ballroom!

Part 2 also examines the facilities and technology available to speakers, ranging from audio and visual equipment to private and backstage facilities. These tools vary depending on the venue – for example, don’t expect a teleprompter at a user group event. However, the right tech can make or break a session – something I can personally attest to, having been an attendee, speaker and stage manager (kinda – Ed)! I now have a persistent mistrust of HDMI cables.

Finally, Sheen comments on some of the perks of public speaking. I can imagine he gets asked about this a lot! Some of his experiences match mine – I’ve been invited to two speaker meals so far, although my nerves got the better of me for the first one! This section emphasises the themes of humility and modesty from Part 1 while considering these perks. Ultimately, public speaking isn’t about you; it’s about your audience.

Part 3: Content is King; Context is Queen

Part 3 of Speak Effectively At Conferences focuses on the lifecycle of a session, from creation to rehearsal. It begins with idea generation, curation and development. I use my Second Brain for this, and it appears that Sheen does something similar!

Then there’s a whole chapter dedicated to submitting talks, which is probably the star of the entire book for me. The Call For Paper (CFP) process has a fair amount of mystery attached to it, and rightfully so as the process should be as fair as possible. Sheen has been on both sides of the CFP process – both as applicant and reviewer – and the chapter fully reflects his wealth of experience.

Sheen also discusses how to handle CFP rejections, so don’t approach this chapter expecting hacks or a checklist for success! This is a common experience for most speakers – indeed, my Data Pipelines and Step On It sessions currently have rejection rates of 30% and 40%, respectively. So this is a thoughtful addition.

Part 3 then focuses on designing the talk itself. Sheen discusses essential elements such as the structure, flow and composition of a presentation. He then moves on to exploring slide design choices, offering creative tips and addressing common pitfalls. Part 3 ends by examining the rehearsal process. I personally have strong opinions about rehearsals that are built around another mantra of mine:

“The audience is making time for you, so make time for them.”

So seeing Sheen’s approach is very welcome. It seems we both rehearse in hotels!

20241002 HotelSmall

It was hard to summarise this part of Speak Effectively At Conferences – there’s loads of great advice that I don’t want to spoil or misrepresent! I already see this part as the one I’ll return to most often. Most of my bookmarks led to pages here, and the advice is credible, informative and relatable.

Part 4: The Delivery

Part 4 of Speak Effectively At Conferences focuses on the act of delivering sessions. It begins by focusing on physical stance, breathing, and vocalisation, followed by exercises for mentality and concentration.

Sheen then turns his attention to preparation. This is an area with many facets, ranging from the technical and personal to the administrative. Drawing on his own experiences, Sheen offers guidance that helps readers identify what is most relevant to their current needs.

Finally, Sheen emphasises the importance of delivering a compelling session by sharing strategies for engaging the audience and improving stage presence. He offers tips for audience interaction, including how to set expectations, a framework for addressing audience questions and, equally importantly, managing off-stage interactions with the audience. This aspect often discourages many individuals from speaking, so it is reassuring to see it included.

Part 5: Life As A Speaker

Part 5 of Speak Effectively At Conferences discusses what happens after the screens go dark and the audience departs. Sheen explores themes of reflection and introspection, focusing on recognising both strengths and areas for improvement. This section also discusses feedback, highlighting what speakers can offer to the organisers and what they can receive from attendees. Learning how to give and receive feedback is an important skill, and it is an area that I need to develop.

To close, Sheen explains how he organises and shares his content. This is essential for both current projects and past materials. A well-structured and reliable warm storage system is easy to navigate, simple to access and share and effective for version control. Additionally, a legacy storage system serves as a valuable and robust knowledge repository, is easy to back up and provides guidance for the development of future content.

Thoughts

In this section, I share my thoughts on the book and how it aligns with my motivations for reading it. As the book is currently subject to change, I may revisit some of these sections in the future as needed.

Structure & Scope

The structure of Speak Effectively At Conferences is logical and well thought out, covering the entire lifecycle of a session from initial development to final retrospective. I found certain chapters particularly interesting, and they were easy to find and complemented the surrounding content. I’ve placed several bookmarks throughout the book that I’m already revisiting now, and will continue to refer to in the coming months and years.

I feel like the book’s title doesn’t do it justice. Speak Effectively At Conferences almost sells the book short, as its advice goes far beyond the conference circuit. People might see this book’s title and think it doesn’t apply to them, but Sheen’s insights are equally valid at meetups, internal presentations and many other social settings. That’s not to say every speaker will benefit from every chapter – some may not aspire to present at re:Invent; others may be content with their idea curation. However, the book’s layout and tone make it easy to find and extract the advice that fits a speaker’s specific needs.

Style & Personality

Sheen’s writing style closely reflects his personality. The book is written in a conversational and approachable manner. Many chapters incorporate Sheen’s real-world experiences, not all of which are positive. This blend of honest and credible advice, alongside an inviting tone, brought many key insights to life for me.

In fact, I found myself mentally reading several sections in his voice. If you’re reading this, Sheen, an audiobook version might be a great idea!

Takeaways & Reflections

Learning about Sheen’s speaking journey has given me valuable perspective and guidance for my own speaking goals. I found myself nodding in agreement in some parts and recognising improvement areas in others.

My main goals as a speaker have always been to improve my communication skills and build my confidence. Speak Effectively At Conferences reaffirms that speaking, like any skill, requires time, practice and a willingness to fail. Sheen’s humility and openness are evident throughout, and his willingness to share his less polished moments with his proud ones makes the book all the more impactful.

Summary

In this post, I reviewed the 2025-04 early release of Sheen Brisals’ self-published 2025 book Speak Effectively At Conferences.

Speak Effectively at Conferences is a valuable resource that offers practical advice for speakers at all levels. Sheen draws on decades of experience to provide practical guidance, whether creating a first presentation or practising a keynote speech. I plan to refer back to it often and am very pleased with my purchase.

Sheen is currently actively working on the book. The final version will be available on Amazon and other booksellers. Follow Sheen’s LinkedIn for the latest developments.

If this post has been useful then the button below has links for contact, socials, projects and sessions:

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Thanks for reading ~~^~~

Categories
Me

YearCompass 2024-2025

YearCompass20242025800600

In this post, I use the free YearCompass booklet to reflect on 2024 and to plan some professional goals for 2025.

Table of Contents

Introduction

It’s time for the customary retrospective post! Previously, I’ve written these in December. From now on, I’ll post them on amazonwebshark’s birthday in January because:

  • It gives me more time to consider my goals.
  • If I’m going to write about a year, it makes more sense to write after the year is over.
  • In previous years, I’ve felt personal pressure to produce both a December YearCompass post and a January birthday post. My YearCompass post can cover both of these instead.

Firstly, I’ll examine YearCompass itself. Next, I’ll discuss how 2024 went. Finally, I’ll examine my 2025 YearCompass goals.

About YearCompass

From the YearCompass site:

YearCompass is a free booklet that helps you reflect on the year and plan the next one. With a set of carefully selected questions and exercises, YearCompass helps you uncover your own patterns and design the ideal year for yourself.

YearCompass offers a free alternative to New Year’s Resolutions. Available as A4 and A5 PDFs in several languages, the booklet can be completed digitally or by hand.

YearCompass PDFs contain two sections: reflecting on the past year and planning for the next. Each section features prompts to help users assess priorities and prepare for the future.

There are no rigid guidelines for completing YearCompass. Although the book recommends taking breaks between sections, many people choose to complete it in one go. I often focus on specific sections rather than the entire document, as I usually have what I need by a certain point.

2024 Retrospective

In this section, I reflect on my 2024 goals and evaluate my progress with them.

Build Technology Projects

As a cloud enthusiast, I want to complete valuable project builds so that I can develop and validate my knowledge and skills, and have subject matter for future session abstracts.

Exiting 2023, I felt I had done much theory but little practice. I had completed online learning, attended events and recertified my AWS SysOps Administrator certification, yet I still felt lacking in hands-on experience.

Well no more! Throughout 2024, I worked on my WordPress AWS Data Pipeline series, which greatly enhanced my understanding of several AWS services and cloud architectures. Also, I explored the AWS CloudFormation IaC Generator and DuckDB-WASM in February and June respectively.

Separately, in July, I joined Steamhaus as an AWS Consultant, where I build, scale, and optimise cloud solutions for clients. This role involves unique projects spanning diverse organisations, requiring creative problem-solving and offering many opportunities to learn and grow. And 2025 is already shaping up to be an interesting year!

Additionally, I earned the AWS Certified Data Engineer – Associate certification in August, validating my skills in areas including ETL, orchestration, model design and quality assurance.

Learnings from this certification have already found their way into my blog posts, sessions and client projects.

And speaking of sessions…

Build My Personal Brand

As an IT professional I want to build my personal brand so that I improve my soft skills and define my public image.

And to think that, at the start of 2024, I had no idea how this was going to go…

Having done my first session at 2023’s New Stars Of Data online event, 2024 was the first year I stepped onto an actual stage! After presenting my Building And Automating Serverless Auto-Scaling Data Pipelines In AWS session at AWS Community Summit London in April, I went on to present it at several user groups, a paid event and even internationally!

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comsum-talk

This year, I also launched a YouTube channel, primarily intended to practise and enhance my speaking skills. Although the channel has been somewhat dormant, I’ve been kinda busy!

Recently, I began a series of shorts to boost my spontaneous speaking ability. It appears to be working for me, and there’s still plenty to film!

Finally, in September I met Cat Mawdsley and Dan Knowles at Northern Reach for the first time. Northern Reach focuses on providing technology and innovation-driven business engagement initiatives for partners in both the public and private sectors across Northern England.

I was born and raised in Lancashire, and quickly discovered their ambitious plans for the region. We got chatting, one thing led to another and, well, I’ll have some exciting news to share soon about something I’m part of!

Build A Second Brain

As just a normal man I want to build a second brain so that I can organise my resources and work more efficiently.

So this is the goal with the least progress, but only because the first two goals blew up beyond anything I could have envisaged! Having read Building A Second Brain in January, I started putting some of the ideas into practice.

Firstly, I’m a big fan of the CODE information consumption method:

  • Capture
  • Organise
  • Distill
  • Express

In some ways I was already doing this, but lacked a framework or set of steps to follow. I now use CODE in several areas of my life, and while it’s not yet fully embedded everywhere it is starting to make a difference.

However, I’m no fan of the PARA organisational system:

  • Project
  • Area
  • Resource
  • Archive

Tiago Forte and I define Project very differently, and I dislike using Archive to describe anything. Archive always feels like a nondescript collection of stuff, which is what a Second Brain should not be. Even Tiago defines Archive as:

Anything from the previous three categories that is no longer active, but you might want to save for future reference.

https://fortelabs.com/blog/para/

Nah. Not for me.

Ultimately, my Second Brain isn’t where I want it to be right now. But to be fair, a second brain is never really finished as it constantly grows and evolves like a human brain. In 2025, I’ll be examining some Second Brain-related AI and SaaS tools and might make some related content if I think it’ll be helpful.

2025 Goals

In this section, I use YearCompass to decide on my 2025 professional goals. For each goal, I’ll explain my reasoning and then write a user story.

Community Investment

I am deeply grateful for the tech communities that supported me throughout 2024. They offered me opportunities to learn, grow and connect with like-minded peers who share my passion for technology. I was invited to speak at several local and international events, and I strongly believe that my journey to Steamhaus began at AWS community events.

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In 2025, I plan to build on these experiences by continuing to contribute through speaking engagements, writing, and social support, as well as giving operational user group support. In this way, I hope to strengthen and grow the communities that played such an integral role in my 2024 successes.

On a personal note, I look forward to continuing the growth journey that the communities have nurtured. This includes enhancing my confidence, refining interpersonal skills, strengthening relationships and expanding my experiences. Just like any solid investment – everyone benefits.

As an active tech community member, I want to support and grow these communities through content, involvement and participation so that both the communities and I thrive.

That said…

Gestalt Cycles

I did a lot in 2024, and looking back I didn’t allow much downtime. Feelings of ‘I should be doing something’ constantly ran into evenings, weekends, and annual leave, and I increasingly noticed disrupted sleep, diminished health and fitness and heightened anxiety as a result.

I’ve burned myself out before so I recognise the signs. And as keen as I am to continue on this unexpected, wild and incredible journey I’m currently on, I also don’t want to end up utterly cooked.

Turning this into a goal was hard as nothing really fit. The closest match I’ve found so far is Gestalt Cycles. This describes the natural rhythm of completing an experience, from identifying a need to achieving closure.

Each cycle involves several stages:

The idea focuses on completing each stage fully to maintain balance and well-being, avoiding lingering stress while creating space for rest and renewal. This aligns closely with what I need. My challenge hasn’t been starting or finishing tasks – it’s been allowing enough recovery time between them.

This aligns with Animas Coaching‘s Withdrawal stage definition:

Finally, after the satisfaction of the need or desire, individuals withdraw, returning to a state of relative equilibrium. This stage offers an opportunity for rest and reflection before the cycle recommences with a new sensation.

https://www.animascoaching.com/blog/gestalt-cycle-of-experience/

And with Shea Stevens‘ comments based on the works of Rosemarie Wulf et al:

…the goal is to find relief and meet needs in a way that they are assimilated, such that the organism is truly integrating what it takes in, and what is taken in is a good fit for the organism.

https://www.gestalttherapyblog.com/blog/gestalt-cycle

I have 2025 ambitions around fitness, home improvements and landscaping. To enable these, I’ll need to ease off the accelerator occasionally. So with all this in mind:

As an individual with multiple workstreams, I want to apply Gestalt cycles to recognize when a task is complete and take intentional breaks, so that I can improve my wellbeing and maintain consistent energy and focus.

Be The Change

Definitely the most LinkedIn-sounding of the three. But hear me out. This goal stems from Mahatma Gandhi’s quote:

Be the change you wish to see in the world.

Mahatma Gandhi…erm…

Expect that’s not what he said. But I digress.

“Be the change” is about taking personal responsibility to embody the values and actions you want to inspire in others. It emphasises proactivity and self-empowerment over simply waiting for change to happen.

Throughout my career, I’ve had ideas I wanted to share and a strong desire to contribute. However, I have constantly struggled with self-confidence, self-doubt and articulating my thoughts.

This changed in 2024. Through my professional role, speaking engagements and involvement in the AWS community, I gained the confidence and ability to express and implement my insights and ideas. This let me enhance my skills and uncover new opportunities, leading to beneficial outcomes for myself, my colleagues and clients and the wider tech community.

AWSUGLeeds

In 2025, I’m committed to embracing this newfound confidence to present and support ideas and changes that matter to me. By doing so, I hope to build stronger relationships, deliver impactful projects and advance initiatives that reflect my values and passions.

As a hard working dog dad, I want to confidently embrace and act on my ideas and opinions so that I can make meaningful contributions and changes to myself, my peers and clients and the wider tech community.

Summary

In this post, I used the free YearCompass booklet to reflect on 2024 and to plan some professional goals for 2025.

Reflecting on 2024 has highlighted key lessons and opportunities for growth, helping me shape an exciting vision for 2025. I’m eager to see where the new year leads and to share progress along the way! I’ll post updates here and via my social, project and session links, which are available via the button below:

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Thanks for reading ~~^~~

Categories
Training & Community

Three Mantras For The Anxious New Speaker

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In this post, I share three mantras for the anxious new speaker and some helpful resources for session development that I’ve used this year.

Table of Contents

Introduction

This year has been a whirlwind! After presenting my first in-person session at AWS Community Summit London in April, I’ve since spoken at user groups, a paid event and even internationally!

This hasn’t come easy for someone as naturally anxious as me. I work procedurally in many areas, which doesn’t lend itself fully to organic and spontaneous pursuits like public speaking.

I use mantras during exercise when I need quick guidance that’s easy to recall, and after London I realised that a similar approach while speaking would calm my nerves and refocus my attention. These mantras have since become invaluable, so now I’ll present them here.

Firstly, I’ll share three mantras that have guided me through developing, presenting, and evaluating my sessions. Following this, I’ll add some helpful resources for session creation, slide deck development and delivery mindset.

Mantras

This section contains three mantras for the anxious new speaker that I’ve used this year.

No One Wants You To Fail

I begin with some imposter syndrome goodness. Public speaking offers rich ammunition for imposter syndrome sufferers, like:

  • “The audience will be full of experts and I don’t belong in front of them.”
  • “No one will enjoy my session or find it useful.”
  • “No one will take me seriously.”

But the reality is very different. Audiences want speakers to succeed because it creates a more enjoyable and informative event, fostering better knowledge sharing and a positive atmosphere.

And it’s not like the session’s content is a secret! Consider delivering a session to a user group. The session’s abstract has likely been seen by a user group leader and several audience members before the doors even open. People know what they are getting into and are choosing to be there!

Audiences want to enjoy and benefit from the session, and they’re often patient, understanding, and forgiving when things don’t go perfectly. They’re not there to criticise or judge – they’re hoping the speaker succeeds and provides value.

AWSUGLeeds

People Are Watching The Slides, Not You

Flashback to April 2024 – my first in-person session at AWS Summit London. I was presenting midway through the day, and my anxiety brain entered high gear while waiting:

  • How should I stand?
  • What should I do with my hands?
  • How often should I look at the audience?
  • OMGOMGOMG

Anxiety brain then fixated on the various keynotes and TED Talks I’ve seen instead of focusing on my session. Great.

Then I had an idea. I started watching the audience. Some people were checking their lanyards and swag bags. Others were glancing at the passing crowds or grabbing a coffee from the nearby Serverlesspresso stand. But most were fully focused on the slides.

No one was fixated on the speaker.

Next, I watched the speaker. They looked up and down, occasionally gesturing. Nothing about their delivery felt like a finely choreographed routine.

In those moments, I realised that I was holding myself to impossibly high standards for my first in-person session. This wasn’t reality TV or theatre. This was a group of enthusiasts with common interests seeking knowledge. The audience wasn’t here to watch me. They were here to watch the slides.

That shift in perspective helped me so much. Without that mantra in April, there’s no way I would have been capable of doing Comsum (a filmed session in front of a paying audience) in September:

Every Minute Is A Victory

I said I use mantras during exercise earlier, and this one is pretty much a straight rip from those. Being a speaker (especially an anxious new speaker!) demands time and energy for tasks like:

  • Developing an abstract, submitting it to a user group or call for papers and awaiting the outcome.
  • Curating and preparing a session, updating and refining a slide deck and practising delivery.
  • Making sure you’re in the right place, at the right time with the right materials. And waiting for the day to arrive!
  • Delivering the session, maintaining flow and addressing audience questions.
  • Evaluating the session, tweaking the content and reflecting personally on the experience.

It would be easy to look at all this, nope out and spend your time elsewhere. So every minute spent on a session, from inception to post-delivery, is a victory.

AWSUGLiverpool

Resources

This section contains some helpful resources for session development.

New Stars Of Data Library

New Stars of Data is an event dedicated to mentoring and promoting new speakers in the Microsoft community. It is run by Ben Weissman and William Durkin, and is supported by a team of experienced speakers. I participated in NSOD6 in 2023.

New Stars Of Data has a Speaker Improvement Library supported by the Microsoft Azure Data Community. This library was invaluable during my New Stars of Data journey, and I still refer to it regularly for guidance and inspiration.

Here are some of my personal favourites from the library:

Cult Of Done

Next, let’s discuss Bre Pettis and Kio Stark’s Cult of Done Manifesto. I have previously written about the Cult Of Done, and actively use it for creative and professional tasks. The following CoD principles relate well to the anxious new speaker:

“Accept that everything is a draft. It helps to get it done.”

Cult of Done Manifesto Principle 2

In my experience, a session is never truly finished. Slide optimisations and delivery improvements often become evident during the presentation. Audience questions and comments may prompt revisions. And as technology and the cloud evolve, the session itself may need to change.

Currently, I’ve presented Building And Automating Serverless Auto-Scaling Data Pipelines In AWS five times this year. No two sessions have ever been the same. Each time has essentially been a draft!

“Pretending you know what you’re doing is almost the same as knowing what you are doing, so just accept that you know what you’re doing even if you don’t and do it.”

Cult of Done Manifesto Principle 4

This is already pretty descriptive – an eloquent version of “fake it till you make it”. To paraphrase Tris Oaten, you’re watching me learn how to construct a session in real-time. You’re watching me learn to present in real-time, and how to submit abstracts, build confidence and answer audience questions in real-time.

This is a continual journey that even seasoned presenters are on. There is no shame in such a journey, so embrace it.

“Done is the engine of more.”

Cult of Done Manifesto Principle 13

Every finished session offers something in exchange. This ranges from improved confidence and skills to increased momentum and drive. And the more abstracts written, the more sessions submitted and the more presentations delivered, the more you build a foundation for better talks, deeper insights, and greater confidence in your abilities.

Note that ‘more’ doesn’t necessarily mean ‘more sessions’ here. ‘More’ can mean:

  • Personal growth
  • Networking with fellow enthusiasts and community members.
  • Development opportunities (you never know who’s in the audience!)

I’ll end it here, but many other principles apply. Be sure to check out the full manifesto and Tris’ No Boilerplate video for more insights:

Summary

In this post, I shared three mantras for the anxious new speaker and some helpful resources for session development that I’ve used this year.

Public speaking comes more easily to some than others. I never expected to find myself in this position, and I’m not sure I would have believed anyone who told me this is how 2024 would unfold! Mantras are powerful tools for calming nerves and building confidence, and if these don’t resonate with you then there are plenty of others to explore.

If this post has been useful, check out the button below for links to my contact information, social media, projects, and upcoming sessions:

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Thanks for reading ~~^~~