Technically Speaking -newsletter included a challenge: share your public speaking goals for 2016. Looking at the examples like this, I decided to do mine following the format.
Technically speaking is one year old. I think that is about the same age as Speak Easy, my favorite diversity program. I love both initiatives. Technically speaking seems to grow newsletter first (useful stuff!), and Speak Easy seems to grow coaching first (amazing new speakers created within such a short timeframe!).
My Public Speaking Goals for 2016
I want to transform my focus to being a paid speaker - a professional speaker that does invited keynotes and paid workshops. I realize I will not be able to resist temptation to be somewhere just for the fun of it though.
Some of my 2015 Public Speaking Highlights
This was my "year of international conferences". Adding all that I did this year to Lanyrd, I learned this:
Technically speaking is one year old. I think that is about the same age as Speak Easy, my favorite diversity program. I love both initiatives. Technically speaking seems to grow newsletter first (useful stuff!), and Speak Easy seems to grow coaching first (amazing new speakers created within such a short timeframe!).
My Public Speaking Goals for 2016
- Give a high-profile keynote
- Publish 2 talks as videos online that wouldn't happen in conferences
- Less talks at conferences, just 3 (scheduled 2 already)
- Some workshops at conferences, as paid work (at least 1)
- Coaching 2 new speakers - finish one in progress and start one new
I want to transform my focus to being a paid speaker - a professional speaker that does invited keynotes and paid workshops. I realize I will not be able to resist temptation to be somewhere just for the fun of it though.
Some of my 2015 Public Speaking Highlights
This was my "year of international conferences". Adding all that I did this year to Lanyrd, I learned this:
And that is not all. That is conferences. Although, that includes some events from the past, so only 13 events and 7 countries in 2015.
Some numbers collected inspired by the example:
- 33 delivered sessions
- 2 keynotes and 2 opening presentations on a single-track conference!
- 13 different conferences in 7 different countries, 2 continents
- Breakdown for conferences: 7 CfP / 6 invited; 2 conferences were #PayToSpeak (did not cover travel+stay and was not local)
- 6 talks in meetups
- 1 peer conference with talk, and 3 open space conferences with a session (not counted on list)
- 1 webinar
- 6 training courses (public & private)
- Coached 1 new speaker through SpeakEasy to deliver her first talk and she did great!
I also organized quite many sessions and let others speak. My organizing theme of the year was #TechExcellence - Agile Technical Practices, in addition to the usual #Testing -community organizing I do.
And in case anyone was wondering, I did all of this on the side of my job. My employer let's me be out of office for trainings 10 days a year. So my typical conference experience is double shift to get the work done and weekends to compensate lost hours. Not a recommended practice.
My lesson learned: doing this long enough creates some level of fluency. It's time to take it to the next level and learn to "Talk like TED".
