Speaking tip

An IBM i colleague today asked me for tips to make his presentations at COMMON and other conferences more effective and helpful.

I told him that I like to arrive a day early, talk to people, gauge the audience’s level of experience with PHP, IBM i, DB2, performance, whatever topics I plan to cover. I ask people what they hope to learn at the conference and from my talks specifically. With that information in mind, I adjust the content, emphasis, and pacing of my talks for that specific group. Such pre-conference socializing also helps attendees become comfortable talking to me, such that they may be more likely to ask questions and participate fully in my talks, which brings them alive for everyone.

Conferences and user events where I’ll be speaking in Fall 2016
(Outdated links removed.)

• RPG and DB2 Summit, Chicago, October 4-6
• ZendCon, Las Vegas, October 18-21
• Fall COMMON, Columbus, Ohio, October 24-26
• OCEAN evening meeting, Costa Mesa, California, November 15 (WordPress and Drupal on IBM i)
• OCEAN daylong workshop, Costa Mesa, California, November 19 (WordPress and Drupal “Boot Camp”)