Software dev at Netflix | DC techie | Conference speaker | egghead Instructor | TC39 Educators Committee | Girls Who Code Facilitator | Board game geek | @laurieontech on twitter
But I’d say my biggest CFP tips are to ask for someone to read it over! This can be a friend, a fellow speaker, many conferences offer advice and mentorship if you ask.
The best advice I’ve been given is that people come to conferences to be entertained. They absolutely want to learn, but you need to hold their interest. Play to your strengths, engaging story teller? Funny? Creative? Pick a style that works for you. And leave yourself time to iterate your talk. Try it out on people or local meetups. All of these can be helpful tricks to feeling more comfortable.
I answered a bunch of these questions in an interview about speaking :)
cfpland.com/blog/speakers-story-la...
But I’d say my biggest CFP tips are to ask for someone to read it over! This can be a friend, a fellow speaker, many conferences offer advice and mentorship if you ask.
The best advice I’ve been given is that people come to conferences to be entertained. They absolutely want to learn, but you need to hold their interest. Play to your strengths, engaging story teller? Funny? Creative? Pick a style that works for you. And leave yourself time to iterate your talk. Try it out on people or local meetups. All of these can be helpful tricks to feeling more comfortable.
Thank you Laurie! These are some really great tips 😄