speaking

  • October 14, 2021

    We Need to Talk About Speakers and Virtual Events

    Have you ever had a friend ask you for a favor, only to ask you for like 5 more while performing that favor? “Hey can you help me move? Oh also, I’m out of coffee; can you pick some up? Also I need to stop at the realtor’s office to get the key,” and so on. It might be an innocent mistake, but sometimes it feels like your generosity is being taken advantage of. And it’s kind of annoying.

    That’s how it’s felt over the last few years with the emergence of virtual events. I’ve spoken at several, and many of them follow the same format of putting a lot of the onus on the speaker while reaping all of the benefits.

    Now, a few caveats:

    • I’m not talking to any one event organizer, and I’m not mad at anyone. This is true for most virtual events and I think we’d all benefit from a few changes.
    • I’ve been considering hosting/organizing a virtual event myself, so this serves as a way to outline how I envision such an event going1
    • I also know that planning any event is a lot of work. I don’t think event organizers are undeserving of the benefits, financial or otherwise.

    That said, I think we need to rethink our approach to having speakers at our virtual events. In my opinion, the speaker has one job: to deliver a great talk.

  • August 18, 2020

    Announcing the (Unofficial) WCUS 2020 Speaker Interview Series

    I’ve sorely missed going to WordCamps. I love traveling, I love hanging out with people, and I love public speaking. I also know how much time and effort goes into planning a WordCamp, as well as WordCamp talks. I was also super bummed about WordCamp US 2020 cancelling its virtual event (though I totally understand virtual event fatigue).

    I wanted a way to give back at least a little to those who worked so hard, so I have a plan…and the first part of it is interviewing potential WCUS 2020 speakers on my podcast, How I Built It.

    Saving Wasted Time

    I know how much time goes into figuring out a good topic and putting applications together.Because I don’t want that work to be wasted, I’m doing an interview series on the podcast.

    I’ll pick 15-20 people who applied to speak to do 10 minute interviews with – it won’t be a formal talk, but they’ll have the opportunity to chat about their topic. I have a decent platform, and I wanted to lend it to some people who were looking forward to speaking.

    Send in Your Applications!

    I should make it clear that this is an unofficial series – it’s not backed by the WordCamp Organizers or the WordPress Foundation…though I’ve been told by members of the team that this is a good idea 🙂

    If you applied to WordCamp US 2020, fill out the form here. Please only submit one form. If you submitted multiple talk ideas, pick your favorite.

    If you’re selected, I’ll be in touch. Applications close on August 31st.

    Apply to be interviewed about your WCUS 2020 talk

    PS – if you want to get news on what else I’m working on, join my Build Something Weekly newsletter using the form below!

  • August 12, 2019

    My Travel Schedule for Fall 2019

    Every year there seems to be a season where I travel more than usual, and this year it starts today! Here’s a list of conferences (or cities) I’ll be visiting now through the end of the year. If you’re going to be around at the same time, let me know!

    (more…)

  • June 15, 2018

    How to Handle Interruptions During Your Talk

    Maybe this has happened to you. You take the stage. The slides are peeped and displayed. Your talk starts. The nervousness subsides and you’re getting into a good flow. Then, when you’re finally comfortable, someone just has to interrupt you. This has happened to me more times than I can count. It even happened recently, when someone in the crowd felt the need to correct me on the duration of a construction project. So what do you do? What’s the best way to handle interruptions? Let’s take a look.

    (more…)

  • May 17, 2018

    My Summer Travel Schedule for 2018

    One of my favorite things to do is travel and speak at conferences, and summer is prime time to do that. Not only is it nice most places in the summer, but lots of great events happen – especially in July. Here’s where I’ll be traveling and/or speaking. If you’ll be at any of these places, be sure to say hello!

    (more…)

  • June 25, 2014

    Why I Reuse Talks

    Recently at one of the many WordCamps I’ve attended this year, the topic of reusing talks came up. It’s no secret I’ve been reusing my Responsive Design and WordPress talk at several events (not just WordCamps) but during the discussion a few folks mentioned that they will only give a talk once or twice, and there was a very strong opinion that you should never reuse a talk. I think that’s plain wrong, and here’s why.

    (more…)

  • June 6, 2014

    WordCamps, Summits, and Coding, Oh My!

    I’m hitting the final stretch of my speaking tour, with just 3 (maybe 4?)  WordPress events left for the summer before taking July off. I’m also giving a  TEDx talk in Scranton in August, but more information to come on that later. I won’t be off the grid though, as I have lots of great stuff planned in the Downtown Scranton area! More details and my speaking schedule after the jump.

    (more…)