Hey lovely readers,
So you submitted your abstract, refreshed your inbox a little too often, and got the email you were hoping for. You have been accepted. That is exciting, and also a tiny bit terrifying, because now it is real.
I remember being afraid to click the confirmation button for the first time. It felt like I was signing a contract I might not be ready for. That feeling passed quickly, but I still remember the moment.
If you are new here, this post is part 2 of a series about getting into public speaking. In part 1, I talked about how to get started, how to write talk abstracts, how to use Sessionize, and how to apply to meetups and conferences.
If you already read part 1, welcome back. This is the next step.
In this part, we will go through what happens after the “yes”: what to check right away, how to plan your prep time, how to build slides and demos in a way that makes you feel comfortable on stage, and what to do on the actual day of the event so you can focus on having fun instead of feeling stressed.
Table of content
- I’ve been accepted, now what?
- Confirm the details
- Plan it out
- Make a rough sketch
- Presentation
- Demo Code
- Prepare, prepare, prepare
- The fun part: the event
- Other questions answered that I could not put anywhere else
- That’s a wrap!
I’ve been accepted, now what?
Have you been accepted to your very first conference or meetup talk? Congratulations, now the real work begins.
Confirm the details
When your session is accepted for a conference through Sessionize, you will receive an email with the subject “[Session title] has been accepted” with an email from the organizer and a confirmation button. Once you receive this email, immediately check the event date in your calendar to make sure you are not double booked.
Take a moment to read through the email carefully and make sure you understand what is expected from you. Things to double check include:
- The exact length of your session
- Whether there is time reserved for Q&A
- If the session will be recorded and shared publicly
- How travel and hotel arrangements work, or how reimbursement is handled
If anything is unclear, reach out to the organizing team and ask. It is completely normal to have questions, especially for your first conference. Most confirmation emails include a contact email address for the organizers, and they are usually happy to clarify things early rather than deal with confusion later.
If you think you have a clear vision of what they expect of you, feel free to click ‘confirm participation’. This way the organizer knows that you’ve confirmed too.
Plan it out
Sometimes you will be accepted 8 months before the conference or event takes place. Sometimes it will be only 2 months beforehand. You need to think about when you are going to make time to build your talk, prepare a demo, and practice. Try to do this when your mind has the most energy. If you are a night person, try working on it after regular work hours. If you are a morning person, prepare before your day starts.
How long it takes to finish your talk is really up to you. Did you promise demos in your abstract? Then you will have to code something. Just a presentation? In theory, that should take less time. It also depends on your time slot. A 20-minute talk takes less time to prepare than a 60-minute talk.
Make a rough sketch
Begin with a rough sketch. Read your abstract again to see what you promised, and decide what you want to talk about and for how long. AI can help with this part if you need some outlining. You usually start with an intro, then a bit of information about yourself and how you got interested in the topic. Then you add some background information on what people need to know before the talk starts, then the actual talk itself, a demo, and finally a conclusion with resources and your socials.
What you actually talk about depends on your topic. Keep in mind that you usually talk faster when you are nervous, and if the conference wants you to do Q&A at the end, keep 5 to 10 minutes available for that as well.
Presentation
Your presentation should not do the talking for you. Use it to explain things and to support your story. Do not put long sentences in your slides. Try to have a maximum of six items on a slide, such as bullet points or images.
Keep in mind accessibility and visibility. Use images that look good on small screens and large screens. Use code snippets and text with enough contrast and make sure the font size is big enough. If you use videos, be sure they have subtitles. Many conferences put talks online, so be careful with copyright for videos, images, and music.
Go through your rough sketch and make slides that fit your style or vision. Most likely, you already have an idea of what they should look like. Everyone has their own way of creating presentations, so I will not tell you exactly what yours should look like.
If you are having a hard time deciding which tool to use, a lot of people use PowerPoint or Google Slides. If you prefer making slides from code, check out Slidev
Demo Code
You should prepare your demo code well before your talk and have backups ready. If I am live coding, I always have a fully working project as well as video recordings as a backup. I also have a brand-new or halfway-finished project that I can start building on stage. In the past, I had a project that I wanted to create live on stage, until something in my project template suddenly decided to update. Do not let that be you. Be prepared for the unexpected.
Also have code snippets ready. If you need to type a big chunk of code, you might forget something due to adrenaline or the noise of the room. If you use a JetBrains IDE like I do, you can use live templates, where you can add code snippets and use them with just a shortcut name and a press of the Tab key.
Prepare, prepare, prepare
Before you leave your house to go to the event, rehearse your presentation and your code until you feel comfortable. Time it, and see where you need to add or remove slides. Keep in mind that you will talk faster under pressure, and try not to wander off in your story.
Once you think you are 80 percent done, present it to something or somebody. Preferably a real person. Even if they do not know what you are talking about, ask them to focus on your timing, filler words you repeat a lot, and how often you say “uh.” Knowing they are listening for these things will help you improve.
If you don’t have anybody near you, then record yourself. Once you’re done giving your talk in front of the camera, you’re going to watch and listen to it separately. For listening, turn your screen around so that you can’t see the video and just listen. See where the ‘uh’ moments and filler words are. For viewing, turn off your sound and just watch what you do with your body posture and with your hands.
Are you using those hands too little or too much? are you saying ‘uh’ a lot in a certain part of the talk? Are you sloughed over? Notice what you would like to do better, focus on that when you record yourself again and only rehearse the bits you were unhappy with, especially when it’s a longer (45 minutes or more) talk.
If you feel fully comfortable with your talk, you can decide to only rehearse the first few minutes of your talk. Starting is always the hardest part. Once you get past that first hurdle, your brain will take over if you have practiced the full talk a few times.
The fun part: the event
What are you going to do just before you arrive at the event? What are you going to do while you are there? Here are the ins and outs.
Planning your trip
Normally, when you are accepted to a conference that pays for your travel, there are two possible ways they will handle it. They might have a travel agent who will contact you and book your plane ticket, or you might book the ticket yourself and they will reimburse you after the conference. In most cases, the ticket will be an economy seat without checked luggage, so do not pack too heavy.
Also keep in mind that the evening before the conference, there is usually a “speaker dinner.” This is a dinner with all the speakers, where you can network and enjoy some local food near the hotel where the rooms were booked. It is great fun, so I recommend booking a flight that arrives at least a couple of hours before dinner time.
Just before leaving the house
Make sure you have your laptop with your slides and code on it. Also have a backup on the cloud or on GitHub, just in case. If you have a laptop without an HDMI port, bring an USB-C to HDMI adapter. If you need internet for your session, consider bringing an USB-C to ethernet adapter as well. Finally, take your laptop charger and a presentation clicker if you have one.
The night before your session
During dinner and the night after, try to stay away from too much alcohol. Speakers really love to drink after or before conference days. However, having a hangover during your talk, especially with bright lights on stage, is not fun. Eat enough so that you sleep well, and do not stay up too late if your talk is early.
Rest before your talk is very important for your memory, patience, and focus the next day. Try to get the amount of sleep you normally need.
Waking up
Do your usual morning routine and eat breakfast like you normally do. After that, rehearse your talk a couple of times, either completely or partially, just before leaving for the venue.
At the event
If you are speaking at a meetup, try to be there early and stay for a while if there are other speakers that day. People at meetups really appreciate it if you stay a bit longer for drinks, to have a conversation about your talk or to ask additional questions.
If it is a multi-day event, it is important to spend some time at the venue before and after your talk. Organizers put in a lot of effort to make the event comfortable for you, often with a speaker room where only speakers are allowed to relax, work, or chat without the busy conference noise. Walk around and talk to attendees, other speakers and sponsors. You can learn a lot from people who are interested in the same topics and it is a great way to connect.
Also, if it feels like it would help your nerves, go check out the room you’ll be speaking in.
Just before your talk
This is usually the moment where my nerves peak. Everything is ready, there is nothing left to change, and my brain suddenly wants to change everything anyway. But trust me, you’ll be fine.
Open your laptop and check your slides one more time. Close all software that you do not need. Double-check that Slack, Teams, Discord, or anything similar is not open, and keep your slides ready.
If you are showing code in an IDE, switch your IDE theme to light mode because it is easier to see on screens. Increase the font size for the IDE and the terminal. JetBrains IDEs have a presentation mode built in that works very well once you learn how to use it.
If you’re at a bigger event, also be prepared to get a microphone attached to a headband from somebody. You will need space in one of your pockets for the sender.
After your talk
You just gave your (first) talk. Congratulations! Do you want to do more? If so, write down what went well and what did not. That way, you can improve your presentation or demo if you give it again at another event.
Some events collect feedback from attendees. Some give you that feedback automatically. Others give it to you only if you ask. I still find negative, unhelpful feedback difficult to deal with, so I do not request feedback forms. But positive feedback and constructive criticism can be incredibly helpful, so if you want those forms, ask someone on the event team.
Other questions answered that I could not put anywhere else
Do I need a new talk for every event?
No. Most speakers reuse talks many times, especially in the beginning. Every event has a different audience, so the same session can be given at multiple meetups and conferences. Most speakers refine a talk over time instead of constantly creating new ones.
As you give the same talk more often, you will naturally start improving it. Feedback from attendees, questions that come up during Q&A, or moments where you notice people lose interest can help you adjust the flow, examples, or depth of the content. You might simplify the talk for beginner-friendly meetups, go deeper into technical details for conferences, or swap demos depending on the audience. Over time, you will also notice when a talk no longer excites you or feels outdated, which is usually a good sign that it is time to retire it or turn it into something new.
Do speakers get paid?
It depends. Meetups usually do not pay. Many conferences will cover travel and hotel, but not a speaking fee, especially when you are starting out. Paid speaking gigs are more common once you are known in the community or when companies invite you directly.
What if my demo fails during the talk?
It happens to everyone. Have backups: a working version, screenshots, or a pre-recorded demo. If something fails, stay calm, explain what would have happened, and move on. Attendees did not come to your session to laugh at you when you ‘fail’. The majority are forgiving and helpful.
How do I deal with nerves or stage fright?
Practice helps a lot, especially the first bit. Also try breathing slowly, drinking water, or having a short script for your opening line. Remember that the audience wants you to succeed. If you forget something, nobody knows your script but you.
How do I grow visibility as a speaker?
Share your slides and demos, write blogs about your talk, post recordings if available, tag the organizers on social media, and keep your Sessionize profile up to date. Being active in online and offline communities helps people remember you.
That’s a wrap!
Getting accepted is a big step, but it is only the beginning of the journey. Preparing your talk, dealing with nerves, and standing on stage are all part of learning how public speaking really works. Every single talk will teach you something new, about your content, your timing, and yourself.
Do not aim for perfection. Aim for feeling prepared and confident enough to enjoy the moment. Your slides do not have to be perfect, your demo does not have to be flawless, and you do not need to sound like a professional keynote speaker. What matters is that you show up, share your knowledge, and do your best.
If this is your very first accepted talk, take a moment to be proud of yourself. Enjoy the experience, talk to people, and learn from other speakers. If you have done this before, you already know that every event feels different, and that is part of what makes speaking interesting and fun.
Public speaking is something you grow into over time. With every talk, it gets a little easier, a little more comfortable, and a lot more rewarding.
If you have questions, experiences to share, or things you are unsure about, feel free to leave a comment under this post. You can also find me on my socials if you would rather reach out there.
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