This document provides tips on how to become a kick-ass public speaker and addresses common myths and barriers that prevent people from speaking publicly. It encourages attendees to propose speaking opportunities and provides resources for training, including workshops, meetups, conferences and social media communities. The key points are that a good speaker is passionate about their topic and sharing that passion, speakers get better with experience, and public speaking opportunities are available all over the world for those who seek them out.

2. How to be a kick-ass
public speaker!
Chris Heilmann, MozCamp Berlin 2011

3. Developer Engagement

4. Go into the
open and
speak for
Mozilla!

5. We need you to go on stage
and rock the show!

6. Reasons:
1) Why go where you
already are?

7. Reasons:
2) Why send a few people
when we have hundreds?

8. Reasons:
3) Speaking can
be dangerous.

9. Let’s start with some
homework.

10. http://7qy.go.ly/kickass/speaker

11. http://developer-evangelism.com

12. What keeps interested
people from public
speaking?

13. Common myths...

14. “Everybody can give a talk, just send
them a slide deck”
BS
“Everybody can cook a 5 star meal, just give them
the right ingredients!”

15. “Nobody wants to hear from unknown
speakers!”
BS
Where do known speakers come from?

16. “Speaking means you stopped doing a
real job!”
BS
So why do people pay to see others speak about the
things they obviously know better?

17. Personal reasons and
barriers.

18. “I am not a speaker!”
“I got nothing to say...”
“Others already covered that...”
“I am scared of doing it wrong!”
“I will need training”
“I have no chance to speak!”

19. “I am not a speaker!”
A good speaker...
...is a person so passionate
about a topic that they want
to share.

20. “I am not a speaker!”
A kick-ass speaker...
...is a person passionate
about a topic and about
sharing that passion.

21. “I am not a speaker!”
A kick-ass speaker...
... is a mix of reporter,
educator and entertainer.

22. Five things that make you a
speaker - regardless of your
performing talent.

23. Know your stuff
Everything can go wrong on
stage. Be the expert. Then
they are a minor
inconvenience.

24. Run the show
It is you on stage - do not give
someone else’s talk.

25. Run the show
Be proud of your style and do
it your way!

26. Run the show

27. Be passionate!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/fdecomite/5674965049/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Prune.JPG

28. It gets easier the more you do it
My first talks were awful.
Really!

29. Listen to feedback and judge
It hurts, it is annoying, but
you get better by seeing
yourself.

30. Listen to feedback and judge
Danger: immediate feedback
*is* polarised.

31. “I got nothing to say...”
Mozilla has lots of stuff you
can tell people about!

32. The topic grab bag!
https://wiki.mozilla.org/Engagement/
Developer_Engagement/Grab_bag

33. “Others already covered that...”
Topics get re-used over and
over again.

34. “Others already covered that...”
But they were never covered
in your personal style and
with your experiences.

35. “I am scared of doing it wrong!”
If you stop being scared, get
off the stage!

36. “I am scared of doing it wrong!”
Mistakes happen, we learn
from them!

37. “I am scared of doing it wrong!”
Look at other presentations
and note down what annoys
you...

38. “I am scared of doing it wrong!”
...then make sure you don’t
do the same! Simple, isn’t it?

39. “I am scared of doing it wrong!”
Same goes for finding things
that you like. Do them.

40. “I am scared of doing it wrong!”
But don’t copy other people’s
styles!

41. “I am scared of doing it wrong!”
For example...
Some presentation styles and
moments that make me
cringe:

42. “I am scared of doing it wrong!”
The teleshopping presentation
a.k.a.
“my pet techie”

43. “I am scared of doing it wrong!”
Live coding LIKE A BOSS!

44. “I am scared of doing it wrong!”
A day at the movies...

45. “I am scared of doing it wrong!”
Numbers, graphs and bullet
points.

46. “I am scared of doing it wrong!”
So inspiring, like REALLY,
sooooo inspiring!

47. “I am scared of doing it wrong!”
Reading time with you, me,
and my slide deck.

48. “I will need training!”
Training can be given, but I
can predict what you really
need is experience.

49. “I will need training!”
That said, I’d love us to have
workshops to take this
further.
Demand them and they will
come!

50. “I have no chance to speak!”
Meetups, unconferences,
lightning talks rounds, meets
and greets happen *all* the
time *all* over the globe!

51. “I have no chance to speak!”
http://lanyrd.com
http://meetup.com
http://facebook.com
... amongst others.

52. “I have no chance to speak!”
Find something, then tell us
if you want to go!

53. “I have no chance to speak!”

54. “I have no chance to speak!”
Tell us where you think we
should be and how we can
support the event.

55. Talk to us!
http://hacks.mozilla.org
http://developer.mozilla.org
#devrel on IRC
@codepo8, @robertnyman,
@robhawkes, @mozhacks on
Twitter.

56. Thanks!
Chris Heilmann
cheilmann@mozilla.com
@codepo8
http://chrisheilmann.com