Everything I Use to Put Together a Conference Talk
I’ve been doing a lot of talk prep lately — more than usual, which is super exciting. My process is generally the same each time, so I thought I’d share what I do and the tools I use.
(more…)Some Thoughts on Virtual Event Fatigue
With the news of WordCamp US cancelling it’s virtual event due to fatigue, and subsequently the WordPress cancelling flagship (major/regional) camps in 2021, I’ve been thinking a lot about what to do about virtual event fatigue. I noticed it with my own webinar series, which I started when the pandemic hit the US. There was a stark drop-off in interest in May.
So what can we do to continue putting out good content without people getting virtual event fatigue? I have some ideas.
(more…)How A Podcast Can Replace A Live Event
Events are some of the best ways to learn, network, and engage with a community of people. With most in-person events being cancelled for the foreseeable future, we’re looking for a replacement – someplace to learn, grow, and meet new people.
Virtual Events seems to be the most popular, and they’re fantastic! But they also take a lot of work. Replacing, or at least supplementing, your event with a podcast could be a big, long-lasting win for you, your speakers, your sponsors, and especially your attendees.
(more…)Use Podcasting To Release Your Learning Material
Last night I gave what will probably be my last in-person talk for a while. Between COVID-19, social distancing, and my son being born in July, I won’t be doing much (if any) traveling for the rest of 2020. I’ll probably record and release the talk I gave to the National English Honors Society of my alma mater, Burke Catholic High School.
But this got me thinking about all of the conferences, meetups, and classes being cancelled. Lots of great content with no one to hear it…at least not in-person. Thankfully It’s easier than ever to publish your message. And I think podcasting is a fantastic avenue to do it.
(more…)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.
What I Learned from Asking, “How did you build that?”
Over the last few months, I’ve interviewed dozens of people, asking a pointed question: “How did you build that?” In that time I learned common tools, business decisions, and generosity. Recently I gave a talk where I went through the most important lessons I learned, and some tools to get the job done.
Why Open Source is so Important
This is the transcript I gave for the above talk. View the slides here.
Have you ever been on Spaceship Earth in Disney World? It’s “The Golf Ball” in Epcot Center and it’s one of my favorite rides on the property. If you haven’t, Spaceship Earth is not some crazy thrill ride like a roller coaster you’d find at Dorney Park. It’s a journey through the history of Earth; specifically how we communicate.
I’m Speaking at WordCamp Baltimore!
The last WordCamp I went to was WordCamp Chicago in June, with it rounding out a big tour that started in January to promote my book, Responsive Design with WordPress. While I took a much needed break (and started a new job thanks in part to that trip), I’m really excited to announce that I’ll be speaking on the topic at WordCamp Baltimore.
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.
Win a Free Ticket to WP Summit!
Last week I talked about the tail end of my speaking tour (thanks to everyone who came out to @WordCampPhilly). Up next is @WordCampChicago, but I’ll also be speaking at the WP Summit 2014, an online conference, on Wednesday, June 18th and I want to give away a free ticket!