Over the past 4 years, I have spoken at meetups, conferences, and of course a bunch of presentations to colleagues and stakeholders. What do all these have in common? These are media I have used to verbally present my work.

My most recent talk was for Mendix World. Mendix World this year had 18,000 attendees. The conference had keynotes from Neri Oxman and Simon Sinek. The speakers ranged from customers of Mendix to Mendix employees to folks using low-code to build products. The talks are meant for anyone interested in digital transformation and innovation. I spoke about the importance of collaboration in building better products. You can watch it for free here by creating an account.

Preparing and presenting this talk has been quite different from the usual as this was pre-recorded and it was for a very different audience (digital transformation leaders rather than my usual design tribe). So I consider it important for my growth to reflect on my journey so far.

Here are some of my main learnings when it comes to thinking and preparing to present my work. While there is general apprehension and hesitation to "public speaking", I remind myself that there are several occasions even in our day-to-day job where we present our work to our stakeholders. 

1. Approach it like a design challenge 🎯

Define the problem/challenge you are trying to solve - Are you seeking to share your experience or spark a discussion or are you looking for feedback or do you want consensus for your proposal?

Define the solution and reflect - What's your proposal for solving the problem? How did you solve that problem? How effective was this solution? If you had to solve the problem again, how would you go about it aka What did you learn?

2. Who is the audience 😺

Get to know your audience with whom you will be sharing this information. What's that one key message that you want to convey? How will this message impact their life? Identify your assumptions about the audience. What am I assuming about the audience? How might I validate some of these assumptions? Think desk research or gathering information from peers or audience. 

3. Outline and story first, slides later 📝

The first two points help you define your story. Don't think of slides yet. And there won't be slides until later in the process. Think of slides as one of the many mediums to deliver your message. If you are a visual person, storyboard your outline.

Creating slides before having a clear outline limits your storytelling. Talking about storytelling, Terri Trespacio coached us with the gateless method. For me, this meant opening my talk with a metaphorical story (which was quite effective as I later learnt). A story that anyone can relate to. The cue to writing such a story was the good old "once upon a time..."

4. Feeling stuck? Go back to the initial steps or seek feedback 💬

If you are feeling stuck at any point (you mostly will), go back to the answers you explored in the first few steps. All that you know is captured in there. Take a walk without your devices and come back to a blank page. Trust yourself and your experience and your unique perspective. 

Feedback: Throughout the process from submitting the abstract to the final talk delivery, I reached out to my colleagues for feedback. Some were in async mode where I shared my doc and they left feedback. Some were moments where I walked them through my storyline. For a master procrastinator like me, these feedback moments, especially the sync meetings helped me make progress. It also ensured that I was challenged regularly to open up my views and write a story that others can follow along.

And the most important learning which deserves a post on its own ..

5. Shut the perfectionist voice 🥲

Practice. Practice. Practice. Use a clicker. Stand upright and away from your devices. Tell the story. Don't read the slides. If something doesn't come naturally, change the sequence of the slides or content to see what feels natural. Remember it's your story and YOU are the storyteller. Please ask the perfectionist voice in your head to stay outside the room for a while. There's nothing called "perfect". It's okay if you forgot that line or a "witty" joke - no one will know. Your preparation so far will ensure that the message gets conveyed.

I would love to hear what works for you when you are preparing to present your work? What are some doubts and questions that you have when it comes to presenting your work to a conference or a meetup or to your stakeholders?