Why aren’t you
giving talks yet?
@sheley
Michele with one L
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Excuses, excuses
@sheley
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You don’t have
anywhere to speak
@sheley
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There are tons of
speaking opportunities
waiting for you
@sheley
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People will judge you
too harshly
@sheley
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Brains are extremely
forgiving of speech
@sheley
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Speaking well just
comes naturally to
some people
@sheley
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It’s just like any other
skill
@sheley
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You must be an expert
before you can talk
@sheley
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You are qualified
@sheley
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You have to be a
people-person to be a
great speaker
@sheley
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Introverts can make
great speakers
@sheley
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You’re too scared
@sheley
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–Mark Twain
“There are two types of
speakers: those that are
nervous and those that
are liars.”
@sheley
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If you can comfortably
hold a conversation,
you can give a talk
@sheley
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–Ian Tyson, stand up comedian & motivational speaker
“The body’s reaction to
fear and excitement is the
same…so it becomes a
mental decision: am I
afraid or am I excited?”
@sheley
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You don’t have
anything to talk about
@sheley
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The average person
says 15,000 words a day
@sheley
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• a problem you solved
• anything that makes you feel feelings
• compare two unlike things you enjoy
• tell a story
• a topic you want to learn more about
@sheley
• topic doesn’t have to be unique
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You don’t know how
to write a proposal
@sheley
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It’s your elevator
pitch
@sheley
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You must have the entire
presentation ready before
submitting a proposal
@sheley
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You can propose a talk
before even thinking about
how you will present
@sheley
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You don’t know any
other speaker tricks
@sheley
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Fake it ’til you
make it
@sheley
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You know it would
just be a waste of time
@sheley
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• share your knowledge
• gain deeper understanding of a topic
• go cool places
• meet more new people
• get a new hobby
@sheley
• inspire someone
• challenge and surprise yourself
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@sheley
3rd Thursday every month
berlinjs.org
@berlinjs
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Further Resources
• Confessions of a Public Speaker by Scott
Berkun
• http://weareallaweso.me/
• http://wunder.schoenaberselten.com/
2016/02/16/how-to-prepare-and-write-a-tech-
conference-talk/
• @techspeakdigest
@sheley