

Ask HN: First tech talk I give, any tips? - franciscop

I am giving my first tech talk with Frontenders Valencia ( http:&#x2F;&#x2F;valencia.frontenders.me&#x2F; ) about a project that I made and debuted here in HN, Picnic CSS ( http:&#x2F;&#x2F;picnicss.com&#x2F; ).<p>Mainly, I&#x27;m really nervous and insecure right now and would love to boost my confidence. HN looks like the proper place for me to ask: any tips? I know to:<p>1. Review, review, review the presentation
2. Arrive early to get to know the people
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gk1
> "1\. Review, review, review the presentation"

Not just review, but give it. Talk to the mirror or a chair, and picture
yourself actually giving the talk. Reading it to yourself is not as good as
actually saying it out loud.

Practice good body language. It's been well studied that having confident body
language will actually improve your confidence. When you arrive early: Stand
tall, walk around with your hands clasped behind you (a very confident
position) and get to know the space. I used to do this before interviews,
while other candidates sat frozen in the reception room.

Think of 1-3 main points you want the listeners to come away with. No matter
how good your presentation, nobody will remember the entire thing, so be
realistic... Focus on a few central points that you want to get across.

Consider acknowledging in the very beginning that it's your first talk and
you're a bit nervous. This has the dual benefit of making the crowd less
critical and relieving you of some stress.

If you can arrange it somehow, film the talk. (Ask a friend in the audience or
the organizer.) Then you'll be able to watch yourself present (it'll be
unbearable, but do it!) and learn from your mistakes.

After the talk, approach a few people from the audience (or the organizer) and
ask for some constructive criticism. "This was my first talk, actually. What
do you think I could do better next time?"

~~~
franciscop
You made some great points. While there are some that I thought (constructive
criticism), there are others that are really valuable, like body language and
1-3 main points.

It's filmed so I'll review it when they upload it, thank you

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pariya
Whenever I give a talk, I show up wearing fancy lingerie underneath my
business clothes. That way I get the feeling that I know something absolutely
nobody else in the room knows... and that little fact gives me confidence.

If you're a guy and/or not into wearing lingerie you can always wear a
ridiculous shirt underneath your presentation clothes that has something
outrageous on it. Or (if you're crazy enough) put a printout of something
random, like a banana or a hamster or Oscar the Grouch in your pocket. Just
thinking in the first ten seconds that you did something so nonsensical make
you kind of wonder if you are losing your mind- in which case you may have a
little chuckle to yourself, causing the tension to dissolve. Also, you will
know something the audience absolutely doesn't.

I realize this is exceptionally unorthodox advice, but it works so don't knock
it 'til you've tried it.

Another tip is to pretend that you are talking to a room full of friends, that
you have been accepted by all of the audience members already and they support
you. Takes the edge off...

jsonne is absolutely right the lead up is always worse and after 10 to 20
seconds it starts to feel normal.

Knock 'em dead, you're gonna kill it.

------
rachelandrew
There is a load of great advice here:
[http://speaking.io/](http://speaking.io/)

Practice is the main thing, you are speaking about your own project so you
know your content well which is a great start.

Make sure that you know the main points you want to get across and make them
clearly.

It's very tempting to rush a talk when you are nervous. I used to put BREATH
in my speaker notes when I first started speaking to remind myself to pause,
breath, think about the next point.

Practice your opening so you know it really well, as many have said the first
few minutes are the hardest, so if you really know what you are going to start
out with you can get over that bit and into the main talk.

I speak at loads of events, am still always a bit nervous, but it does get
easier the more you do it.

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japhyr
I've always felt better when I pick out individuals in the audience, and
imagine myself speaking to a series of individuals instead of a large
audience. I like to pick out different people around the room throughout the
presentation, so I'm not staring in one direction the whole time.

Also, keep in mind that most people in the audience are truly interested in
what you have to say. Some people will attend to other things during the talk,
but most people are pretty focused on what you have to say, and want to see
you do well.

Good luck, and it just gets better with practice!

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jsonne
Not a talk specific tip, but just for presentations in general, the more you
want the talk to come off as casual and not rehearsed the more you need to
rehearse. Don't just read it over and over, but give the talk to the mirror, a
chair, your dog, etc.

Best of luck. I've found that the lead up is actual worse than actually
presenting. 10 to 20 seconds in, you'll feel fine.

------
taprun
Don't get overly technical. Many speakers feel like they have to show every
technical detail in order to prove their worth. It's more effective and
helpful to focus on concepts and applications rather than details.

------
dyeje
Relax. Have fun with it. You're going to do great.

------
melissakapl
You can be fully relaxed when you enjoy the talk. Yes, not all the audience
will be interested in our project, but so what. focus on the points that your
first backers will be interested in, and make friends with them after your
talk.

