Lessons from Speaking at Conferences
Over the past couple of years, I’ve spoken at GitHub Universe, RSAC, BlackHat, and Microsoft Reactor. Preparing for those rooms taught me to be deliberate about how I explain complex ideas.
These are the lessons I use when preparing a talk.
Know your audience’s baseline
At BlackHat, I can assume the audience knows what a CVE is. At a general tech conference, I need to explain it. A talk lands better when its starting point matches what the room already knows.
I use the first few minutes to calibrate. A quick poll, a show of hands, or the room’s reaction to an opening statement tells me how much context to provide.
Stories beat slides
The talks I remember from other speakers are built around stories. My own talks get better feedback when I structure them the same way.
A specific supply chain attack gives the audience people, stakes, and consequences to follow. A chart can establish the trend. The story is what stays with them.
Nerves never fully go away
I’ve given dozens of talks, and I still get nervous. Nervousness and excitement feel almost identical in my body, so I treat the butterflies as excitement.
The hallway track is the real conference
My best conference conversations happen between sessions, in the hallway, over lunch, or at an evening event. I leave room in my schedule for them instead of filling every hour with talks.
If you’re considering your first CFP, submit it. You already know which lessons took you the hard way to learn, and someone else can benefit from hearing them.