One of my goals over the next 12 months is to speak on product, development, and leadership on a more regular basis.
(Some of you know this, but right out of college, I was a middle school art teacher before jumping back into tech. So, presenting and speaking feeds the teacher's heart inside me. ? )
I've presented at Meetups, several Startup Weeks, facilitated a few workshops at accelerators and Galvanize, and every single time, I leave feeling energized and the feedback is mostly positive.
If this resonates with you and you have a goal to speak more regularly at tech conferences as well, here are a couple of links I've found extremely useful to start devising a plan. Hope it helps!
Karen Cohen: How to start speaking (in tech conferences): Great overview piece with a basic checklist on what to prepare, tips on picking a topic, and submitting a Call for Proposal.
Technically Speaking by Chiu-Ki and Cate: "Technically Speaking delivers call for proposals (CFPs), speaking tips, and inspirational videos straight to your inbox." Very useful, I've submitted three proposals that I learned about by subscribing to this newsletter.
We Are All Awesome: Seven articles to give the inspiration and encouragement you may need to get over the inner voice telling you that you don't have anything to say.