I went to dConstruct last Friday and wanted to quickly capture some of my thoughts, before they fade. I discovered all kinds of interesting factoids, but many of my thoughts were related to the act and skill of public speaking.
What did I learn?
- I like energetic speakers. It’s nice to be enthused and inspired.
- It helps if a few jokes pepper a presentation.
- I like real-world examples to counter the confusion of theoretical chatter.
And the not-so-good stuff:
- Big words should stay at home. Speakers can lose an audience in a maze of esoteric language. What’s the point of speaking if nobody knows what you mean?
- A presentation benefits from a point. A big, juicy point that is clear and understandable. Just chatting about something you know is fine for you but less wonderful for the 600+ people listening.
