Inspired by a post by Dylan Beattie, I wanted to share my own experience and advice.
At the end of 2022, I woke up with a singular decision: I was going to start public speaking. Up until then, I’d only given a couple of meetup talks and a slot at a Laracon US "Science Fair", but I had never been on a big stage. Within a few months of that decision, I went from speaking at meetups with 40 people to standing in front of crowds of over a thousand.
After giving a dozen talks around the world over the last few years, here are the ten things I’ve learned.
Preparation & Logistics
-
Start small. Don’t underestimate the power of local meetups. Giving both technical and soft talks in smaller, safer environments was crucial for building my confidence. It proved to me that I had the ability to deliver before the stakes got high.
-
Practice is a form of respect. Holding an audience’s attention for 30–60 minutes is a privilege, and you should give them your best. You can always tell when a speaker is surprised their submission was accepted and hasn’t rehearsed. Even if I’m giving a talk for the fifth time, I practice relentlessly.
-
Everything is a story. When you’re on stage, you are telling a story, even if you are live-coding. Think about the arc: What is the start? What is the end? How do you get there? Avoid jumping around or trying to tell too many stories at once. Keep the thread clear.
-
Big fonts. Bigger still. This is especially important when live-coding. Make the font as big as you possibly can without losing context, then go one step further. I’ve watched Nuno Maduro during a tech check increase the font to a size he was happy with, and then on the day, he increased it further still. Go big!
On The Stage
-
Take off your lanyard. It sounds minor, but it matters. Lanyards spoil pictures and bounce around distractingly while you are exploring the stage. Ditch it before you walk on.
-
Start with a joke. I don’t feel truly comfortable on stage until the audience cracks a smile, or better yet, a laugh. If it’s at my expense, even better. It breaks the tension, and at that moment, I feel like they are on my side.
-
Own the stage. Even if there is a lectern, don’t hide behind it immediately. Start in the middle of the stage, introduce yourself, pace a little, enjoy the moment, and take it all in. You’ll find you become much more comfortable once you’ve physically explored the space. Also, during a tech check (where you test your screen connects and everything looks good) I like to stand on the stage and take it all in with no eyes on you.
-
It will be different on the day. You won’t nail your script perfectly, and that’s absolutely fine. You will deviate, you will ad-lib, or you might reference a previous speaker who gave you food for thought. Embrace that. Being human makes the talk better.
-
Be yourself, but also be a performer. Giving a talk is ultimately a stage performance. You have to put yourself out there and become a slightly exaggerated version of yourself, speaking louder and with more energy than usual. Enjoy the show.
The Most Important Lesson
- Nobody wants to see you fail. My friend Freek van der Herten shared this advice with me at Laracon India, and it is the single most comforting thing to remember. Nobody wants to see you go on stage and crash out. The audience is rooting for you to succeed.
Bonus Lesson
- Take water with you. The "cotton mouth" is real. Some speakers mark specific slides in their deck as reminders to take a sip. I’ve seen speakers have coughing fits with no water nearby, and it is painful to watch. Beyond hydration, the water bottle is a tactical tool; it forces you to slow down, take a breath, and find your place again. Side note: yes, it feels weird drinking while hundreds of eyes stare at you, but do it anyway.