Mustapha Rufai
Mustapha Rufai 's Blog

Follow

Mustapha Rufai 's Blog

Follow
On Speaking At Conferences

On Speaking At Conferences

The hardest part of speaking in public, for me, is being in public.

Mustapha Rufai 's photo
Mustapha Rufai
·Jan 6, 2023·

2 min read

I have found that speaking at conferences is something I can do because of my love for teaching and my passion for the topics I discuss.

See a list of my previous conference here.

I often speak about APIs in front of large groups of people as part of my job, and I can do this because I am confident in my knowledge and experience on the subject.

To prepare for these talks, I spend a lot of time getting everything ready, including completing and deploying any demos beforehand. While I may not enjoy being in the spotlight, I am confident in my ability to deliver engaging and informative talks, and I am happy to share my knowledge with others.

These are things that help me on stage;

  • I have done my research.

  • I know what I am talking about. I am at home here.

  • I don't look anyone in the eyes during the presentation.

  • I only speak from my skills, knowledge, and experience.

  • My talks involve code demonstrations. This would have been completed and deployed before the session. This way, if I get nervous or forget what to say, I can refer to the code to jog my memory.

  • If I forget what to say ( or the demo stops working ), we will convert the session to Q&A.

  • I prefer walking around the room and engaging the audience during Q&A.

I am good for the conference. I am not good for the after-party.

 
Share this