Resources for Giving Talks

Demystifying Public Speaking: Now Online For Free!  blog post

Y’all. I’m SO excited to share that I’ve just published the entirety of my book Demystifying Public Speaking online. Making it accessible for you to read, for free. :) (read more)

CodeNewbie: What makes a good speaker?   interview

We share our personal speaking stories (and nightmares!), how we prepare our talks, and the common mistakes we see first-time speakers make.

Non Breaking Spaces Show   interview

Christopher Schmitt of the Non Breaking Space Show interviewed me about Demystifying Public Speaking.

Track Changes   interview

Paul Ford and Rich Ziade talked to me about my most recent book, Demystifying Public Speaking, which aims to help get more diverse voices onstage in the tech world. Topics covered include overcoming specific fears before getting onstage, how to process feedback, and some of my own experiences onstage, from highlights on down to one particular public-speaking horror show. We also discussed my career at Etsy and the joys and challenges of management. Audio and Transcript

Inside Intercom podcast   interview

We covered a range of topics including managing developers, managing with empathy, tech’s diversity problem and how to handle speaking at conferences.

Claim the Stage podcast   interview

Claim the Stage is a podcast for creative, entrepreneurial women who want to be inspiring speakers who get paid.

Demystifying Public Speaking   publication

^{©2016, published by A Book Apart}

Don’t think public speaking is for you? It is—whether you’re bracing for a conference talk or a team meeting.

Demystifying Public Speaking helps you identify your fears and effectively face them, so you can make your way to the stage (big or small). Get clear, practical advice through every step, from choosing a topic and creating a presentation, to gathering and distilling feedback, to event-day prep. You’ll feel confident and equipped to step into the spotlight.

Giving Presentation Feedback  blog post

I routinely get the opportunity to provide feedback on draft versions of my coworkers’ presentations. I work with incredibly smart, interesting people, and it’s wonderful to listen to their stories, learn from them, and see what new thing they’re bringing to the industry. Having given different kinds of talks at a spectrum of venues, I’m able to ask questions and provide feedback that could (I hope!) help them with their presentation. (read more)

On unsolicited criticism  blog post

I had a new experience a few weeks ago when I was speaking at Velocity. I gave a keynote to 2,000 people; throughout the following day, a half-dozen strangers came up to me to supply unsolicited criticism of my presentation tone. (read more)

My presentation workflow and challenges  blog post

I was asked to write about my presentation-creation process the other day on Twitter. I thought this was really interesting – I would love to know how other people approach developing, editing and improving on their presentations and public speaking skills! So here’s my whole process, including what I’m really working hard to improve upon. (read more)

Live tweeting from Keynote  blog post

A version of this post originally appeared here. It’s now updated with more recent resources! (read more)