Bender's Blog

I had the luck of being able to participate in a “Community Summit” the day before DevLink in Nashville. In addition to other activities, and some (GREAT BBQ!) there was an open space on how to be a better speaker. A couple people were surprised when I suggested a practice I employ.

Occasionally I’ll take a presentation (slides, demo, etc.) that I’ve given several times and just “throw it out.” Even if it’s a popular talk. Even if I am comfortable giving it. Even if I think it’s perfect. Especially if I think it’s perfect! I throw it out and start over from scratch.

Why?

Probably the biggest reason I do this is that technology and attitudes change. They change very quickly. I’ve noticed a lot of speakers/presenters/whatever try to address these changes by adding “appendixes” to their talks. You’ve probably seen this; a well put together albeit dated talk suddenly veers off in an unexpected direction to accommodate a point release that came out a month ago. It’s jarring. It’s awkward. It feels “bolted on” (probably because it was) and I’m not a fan. I understand that sometimes, especially if you’re talking about “bleeding edge” technology or tools there are going to be last minute changes and patches that you might want to address. That’s fine. But if we’re talking about the delta between a “.0” and a “.5” release you should have (and take) the time to incorporate those changes in a way that keeps the flow of the talk smooth.

But I’ll throw out presentations sometimes even if this isn’t the case. Especially if it’s one I’ve given several times. Re-building a presentation causes you (like it or not) to re-think your approach to the topic. You can’t escape it. If you’re re-building a one year old presentation you have another year of knowledge and experience to put into the presentation. Not just in the topic you’re speaking on but in speaking in general. I’ve been speaking for over two years. In that time I’ve only used one slide deck and demo that wasn’t mine and I wasn’t allowed to alter. I did that presentation under protest. In those two years I’ve put many slide decks and many demos together. I can tell you without a doubt in my mind the presentation I put together last week is more than 100 times better than the first presentation I created.

The last reason is that when I give the same presentation again and again it can get boring. After awhile I start to feel like I’m going through the motions. When I feel like I could sleep walk through a presentation, I take that as a bad sign. Re-building is a way for me to re-capture that inspiration to speak on the topic in the first place. I’m a fan of the XBox game “Civilization Revolution.” I like the whole game, but one of my favorite parts is the beginning where I create my cities and kind of “mark out” my territory. I think it’s exciting trying to beat my opponents and lock up key strategic positions and resources. Once my territory is established and my cities well defended, it’s still fun, but not as much fun. I think it’s a creative thing. Good developers are like this too; we get excited about creating new things. That’s why most of the developers I know will jump at the chance to do some “green field” development and would fake their own deaths if they though it would get them out of maintenance. Presentations are the same way.

Again, this is what works for me.Your mileage may vary. But if the circumstance allow give it a try and let me know how it worked out.

Later.