An Actor’s Take on Public Speaking

Josh Holmes, @joshholmes

Public speaking is a fantastic way to share your thoughts and ideas with the world. But to most effectively share those thoughts, you need to spend some time honing the craft of public speaking. There are a ton of techniques from the acting world that apply. This expands beyond the rehearsal of the talk. Actors do many things that public speakers should do including practicing speaking, practicing improv, speaking from the diaphragm, voice warm ups, blocking out your talk physically in the space and much more.

In this session, Josh Holmes, who has his degree in theatre, will talk with you about how he practices, warms up and delivers a talk leveraging many aspects of his classic theatre training.

There is a video of this talk available. Purchase Video

Timeline for a Talk

Emma Jane Westby, @emmajanehw

It takes time to prepare a good presentation. Conference presenters will typically spend 40-100 hours getting ready for a single talk. It sounds like a lot, but a few hours a week spent on the *right* tasks are all that it takes to prepare a fantastic presentation. In this session, Emma will walk you through the four-step process she has used time and time again to create her 5-star presentations.

You will learn how to:

• Effectively brainstorm your topic, creating useful learning objectives and practical outcomes for attendees.
• Pace your time and tasks so that you are not cramming those 40+ hours into the week before your presentation.
• Effortlessly create a Plan B, Plan C, and Plan D as part of your prep so that it’s impossible to fail on presentation day.
• Test your material ahead of time — even before you get on stage — so you know you’re delivering the right message.

If the idea of spending 40 hours preparing for a one-hour talk seems impossible, you absolutely need to attend this session. It’s time well spent.

There is a video of this talk available. Purchase Video

Finding Your Voice

Samantha Quiñones, @ieatkillerbees

There are so many ways that we can give back to our community, and becoming a speaker is one of the most fulfilling. The idea of standing on a stage in front of a crowd may be intimidating or even terrifying, but the truth is that speakers are made and not born. You have something valuable to share with your community, right now, and your community wants to hear it! If you’ve ever considered giving a talk at your local usergroup, a conference, or even for your coworkers, this session will give you all the tools you need to develop your ideas into engaging presentations and to deliver them with confidence.

There is a video of this talk available. Purchase Video

Exploiting the Brain for Fun & Profit

Alena Holligan, @sketchings

Sure, you could improve yourself or promote your project the normal way, with hard work and years of slow, incremental progress. Or you could use the brain’s built-in cheat codes and hack your way to success. Plagued by a raft of bugs and unwanted features, use these to your advantage to teach, learn and persuade. Tour of some of the most amusing bugs and exploits as we interface with our brains.

There is a video of this talk available. Purchase Video

The Indispensable Every Company Must Have (from an executive’s perspective).

Jon Shearer, @jonshearer

There are a few key traits executives are looking for in people they want to invest in and place their trust in. Hint: It’s not your programming skills. We’ll talk about the traits they’re looking for and how you can develop them. You’ll be more successful and so will the businesses you interact with. That’s a win-win. These types of individuals are few and far between, so it’s a wide-open playing field. If you’re willing to put the work in, you will be the go-to, the trusted partner, the indispensable.

There is a video of this talk available. Purchase Video