Public Speaking

We’ve written 8 blog posts about Public Speaking. View all topics »

1. 

   Fighting Stage Fright

   

   2/2/17

   by Tom McQuaid

   In my younger days I performed quite a bit. I liked rehearsing and being on stage. I was a student teacher for an acting class. I somehow became the host of my high school talent show (footage of that has been burned). Yet despite having zero qualms about putting myself out there once my lines had been memorized, I was completely and utterly terrified of auditions. To this day, I have recurring nightmares about auditioning for a play and bombing so miserably that I feel embarrassed for hours after waking up.

2. 

   Presenting Design with Confidence

   

   6/19/14

   by Chris Cashdollar

   When it comes to conducting a well-orchestrated design presentation, having prior presentation experience is a false measuring stick for success. Preparedness, not experience, actually breeds the confidence needed.

   “Are you ready?” Klaus asked finally.
   “No,” Sunny answered.
   “Me neither,” Violet said, “but if we wait until we’re ready we’ll be waiting for the rest of our lives, Let’s go.”
   – Lemony Snicket, The Ersatz Elevator

   Like Violet states, you can’t wait for the perfect moment or the deserving job title to feel comfortable presenting work to clients. To help nudge you out of the nest, I’ve culled these personal tips for anyone who has to stand up in front of an audience and talk about design fluently and with confidence.

3. 

   Meaning over Complexity

   

   5/22/14

   by Anthony Colangelo

   Over the past few months, I set out to write regularly. I also had a few potential talk topics bouncing around my head, and I had been waiting to find the right place to share them. This past April, I spoke at two events: Jersey Shore Tech on design patterns in JavaScript and Peers Conf about how we built the system at the heart of the O Music Awards.

4. 

   Stand on One Foot and Other Public Speaking Tips

   

   7/11/13

   by Jenn Lukas

   This is my last week at Happy Cog. I’ve coded a lot of websites in my six-plus years here, but I’ve also written and spoken a lot about coding websites. At Happy Cog, you are encouraged to put yourself out there and share what you know, which can be totally awesome, terrifying, and sometimes confusing. When I first started speaking, I, like many others, was in the “terrified” camp. I told this to my then-HC-co-worker, Dan Mall, and he said something along the lines of: “If you get nervous, stand on one foot.” Of course, I thought this was some kind of sure joke, but then he continued, “You’ll have to focus all of your efforts on not falling over that you’ll forget to be nervous.” Some of the best advice I’ve ever received.

5. 

   Elevating the Podium

   

   10/4/12

   by Aura Seltzer

   Design conferences are complicated beasts. They are weeklong marathons and single-day sprints. They are hotel ballroom affairs and intimate gatherings. They teach new skills and polish old ones. They appeal to the novice, expert, academic, and hipster alike. And, to add to their intricacy, depending on the marketing angle, we call them symposiums, conventions, festivals, and even the casual [insert word here]-cons.

6. 

   So Why Should I Speak Publicly?

   

   7/26/12

   by Jessica Ivins

   No matter who you are or how much time you’ve spent in the field, you have unique experiences that have shaped you and helped you to grow. And you may not realize it yet, but you can have a tremendous impact upon others just by sharing your expertise. Its time for you (yes, you) to enter the realm of public speaking. If you can find the right audience, they will eagerly listen and learn.

7. 

   An Interview with Jeffrey Zeldman, First SXSW Hall of Fame Inductee

   

   3/13/12

   by Kevin Hoffman

   The Happy Cog team could not be more thrilled that our founder, mentor, and good friend, Jeffrey Zeldman, has been selected to be the first inductee into the SXSW Hall of Fame. We thought it might be fun to sit down for a fireside chat, and ask a few questions that he hasn’t answered before in other interviews. Our User Experience Director and karaoke raconteur, Kevin M. Hoffman, spoke with Jeffrey about his long relationship with the SXSW conference, his career inspiration, and a few things you might not know about the man behind Designing With Web Standards, A List Apart, An Event Apart, A Book Apart, and more.

8. 

   Designing a Presentation

   

   12/1/11

   by Yesenia Perez-Cruz

   In my list of career goals, “Public Speaking” was somewhere towards the bottom, under the heading: “Save for Later.” I imagined the audience would fall asleep, the floor would turn to lava, and I’d be left clinging to the lectern while the scathing tweets were projected onto the wall behind me. Terrifying. Despite these fears, I made my speaking debut three weeks ago, along with two of my colleagues, Michael “MJ” Johnson and Allison Wagner, at AIGA Philly’s 3rd Pencil 2 Pixel presentation.