Speaker Camp Atlanta Workshop - June 28, 2014

Samantha Starmer - @samanthastarmer
Russ Unger - @russu
| Ralph Lauren
| GE Capital Americas

Excellent Mentors
Jessica Cherok
J CorneliusJenn Downs Amy Ellis
Loren Norman Rose Robinson Brad Weaver

• Brainstorming Ideas
• Writing Bios
• Break
• Writing Abstracts
• Lunch
• Critiquing Proposals
• Presentation Tips &
Techniques
• YOUR Presentations & Critique
• Surprise Guest
The Morning The Afternoon
Today’s Agenda

So... Conference Presentations

• Provides the foundational grounding for your presentation
• Establishes the framework for later winnowing of examples or
sub-points
• Ensures you focus on the key learning or value you want the
audience to get out of your talk
• Helps position your presentation within the larger eventcontext
Why you need a Big Idea™

• Inspirational
• Practical
• Controversial
Types of Big Ideas

• Ideas sound different on paper or
shared with someone else than in
the quiet of your own head
• Helps determine which ideas have
the most traction
• Spark new ways of thinking that can
drive even better ideas
Brainstorming Your Big Idea

Think About...
“Jeffrey Zeldman, An Event Apart
A genuine idea. A fresh take on a serious problem,
especially if that problem is currently vexing some of the
best minds in the business.

Your Turn!
Quantity vs. Quality
• 3 minutes: Things you want to talk about
• 3 minutes: Things you are an expert at
• 3 minutes: Things you want someone else to talk about

Your Turn!
Group Share
• Put your “Things You Want Someone Else to Talk About” on the
wall
• Take one (or more) idea that you didn’t write and that you are
passionate about/interested in
• Cover it with your hands
• Utter “Preciousssssss”

Your Bio
NO ONE Likes Writing Them. Or Reviewing Yours for You.
• The 3 Types of Bios You Need
• For Your Website / LinkedIn (Long)
• For Your Conference Submission (Medium)
• For the Person Introducing You (Short)

The Bio
The Long Bio - Your Website, LinkedIn

The Bio
The Medium Bio - Conference Submissions
Pro Tip:
Get a Professional (or Just Nice)
Headshot

The Bio
The Short Bio - Conference Introductions
Russ Unger is an Experience Design Director for GE Capital
Americas and has co-authored books on UX Design and
facilitation. Today he’ll be presenting on Lessons Learned from
Managing UX Designers. Please help me welcome Russ Unger!

Your Bio
What Makes a Good Bio?
• Brief & Succinct: Keep It to 1-2 Brief Paragraphs; 3-4 Sentences
• 3rd Person: Howard Jones is from High Wycombe, UK.
• Where You Work: Howard Jones is a singer/songwriter for
Elektra Records.
• Big Achievements First: Howard Jones had 5 Number 1 Hits in
the US.
• Something Witty (If You Desire & It Works): Howard is one of
5 people who still own a keytar, and can still rock it.

Your Bio
How to Write Your Bios
• Review Your Resume / LinkedIn Profile
• Find Your Biggest Achievements in Your Career
• Find Your Biggest Achievements in Your Life
• Prioritize Your Achievements
• Biggest / Best First
• Only Relevant Achievements (Unless They’re Witty & They Work)

Your Bio
Bio Tips
• Grammar is Your Friend
• Spelling & Punctuation Count
• Keep It Brief
• Short 1-2 Paragraphs; 3-4 Sentences
• Only Relevant Achievements (Unless They’re Witty & They Work)
• Use Common Language
• Easy to Read Bio = Easy to Listen To Presenter

The Bio
Shorter is better. A good bio can be anywhere from 50 to 200
words, depending on the format of the conference website and
the level and number of your accomplishments.

The Bio
“Bruno Figueiredo, UX Lisbon
The best ones not only state a bit of the presenter experience, but
offer also a glimpse into them as persons. I love the ones that end
with something like: “has an unhealthy obession with robots and
loves to eat blueberry pancakes at midnight.”

The Bio
“Brad Smith, WebVisions
A bio is NOT a CV. You want people to want to get to know you, to
see that you’re “real” and that you’re not selling something.

Composition of a Bio
Sample Write-up
Russ Unger
Russ Unger is an Experience Design Director for GE
Capital Americas where he leads teams and projects in
design and research . He is co-author of the book A
Project Guide to UX Design, Designing the Conversation,
and Speaker Camp for Peachpit Press (Voices That
Matter). Russ is also working on a book on guerrilla
design and research methods that is due out well,
sometime.
Russ is co-founder of ChicagoCamps, which hosts low-
cost, high-value technology events in the Chicago area,
and he is also on the Advisory Board for the
Department of Web Design and Development at
Harrington College of Design. Russ has two daughters
who both draw better than he does and are currently
beginning to surpass his limited abilities in coding.
Speciﬁc job title and employer.
Big achievements, a little bit of
wit.
Secondary achievements.
A little personal, with a light
touch of wit.

The Composition of a Proposal
The Parts That Make it Whole Are:
• The Title
• Get ‘em Engaged and Interested
• The Write-Up
• Tell ‘em What You’re Going to Tell ‘em
• Support It with Your Story
• Your Bio
• Tell ‘em Why You’re the One to Tell ‘em

The Title
Evolution of the Title of Your Presentation
• First: What Do You Think Your Talk Will Be About? What’s the
Idea?
• Last: When You Have a Write-Up, Revisit the Title
• Final: Review It with Friends, Peers, Conference Organizers
• FinalFinal_v2: You May Change It Again (and Again), After You’ve
Presented It

The Title
What Makes a Good Title?
• Interesting: Is Your Title Good Enough to Make Someone Want
to Read the Entire Abstract?
• Targeted: Does Your Title Let People Know Who the Content is
For?
• Clear: Does Your Title Clearly Articulate the Content of Your Talk?

My Title
I'm a Good Designer and Suddenly I'm Leading People.
Now What?
• Evokes Interest; Frightening Position, Possibly Not Uncommon?
• Audience is Targeted; Designers Who Are Now Managers/
Leaders with Little Direction?
• Not Very Clear; Could Cover a Wide Variety of Topics?

“
The Title
Hugh Forrest, SXSW
A good title will spark my interest as a reviewer and make me want
to read the entire abstract.

The Title
A clear title tells you that you actually have a well-structured
presentation in mind--a presentation that makes a real and
important point (or two).

“
The Title
Andy Budd, UX London, dConstruct
I really hate titles that are clever but leave you having no idea what
the session is actually going to be about.

My (Updated) Title
Things I’ve Learned (and Am Still Learning!)
from Managing UX Designers
• Evokes Interest; What Has He Learned?
• Audience is Targeted; Presentation Should Help Someone
Managing UX Designers
• Very Clear; Tells You What the Presentation is About and What
You Can Expect to Learn

My (Updated) Title
from Leading (UX Designers)
I will probably change this at least
one more time.
At least.
See what I
did there?

The Write-up
Evolution of the Write-up
• First: Write Hard & Fast; Get Ideas Out
• Put It Down: Walk Away; Come Back Later
• Revise: Review It with Friends, Peers, Conference Organizers
• FinalFinal_v2: You May Change It Again (and Again), After You’ve
Presented It; Some Conferences Require More or Less Than
You’ve Written

The Write-up: Structure
The Three “Tell ‘em”s
• Tell ‘em What You’re Going to
Tell Them
• Tell ‘em
• Tell ‘em What You Told Them

The Write-up: Structure
Simple Structure
• Tell Them What You’re Going to Tell Them
• Be clear, concise, brief, and provide details
• Do this in a small-to-medium-sized paragraph
• Tell Them Why You’re Telling Them
• What’s your take on this? What is the story that got you to this
point? Your rationale?
• Do this in a small-to-medium-sized paragraph

“
The Write-up
Russ Unger, Hi-I’m Right Here!
I think a lot of people get shot down because they write in the
[conference submission] form.

The Write-up
My First Draft
Finding top talent in the UX field has been a challenge for quite some time now. It doesn't help
matters when we hear that there are several times more jobs than there are UXers to fill the roles,
which ultimately puts the power into the hands of people looking for jobs, and they can now afford to
be choosy about who and where the work. This means that there is less tolerance for hiring a UXer
to be the UX bandaid and then have them report into marketing or some other. Sooner or later,
someone is going to need to lead and manage the UX talent pool, and that someone will need to be
someone who has been in the trenches themselves.
Through the course of my career, I've had the opportunity to lead and manage teams, and I've not
always been the best at it. I'm still learning, and I'll be the first to admit that. In many cases, my
experience has been like most of my career: trial by fire. The good news is that I've been doing what I
think you're supposed to do: get better through iteration, research, and adjustment. Much of what
I've learned applies to managing UX Designers, but also applies to managing just about anyone, and
I'll be sharing those with you. F+

The Write-up
My Second Draft
I've had the opportunity to lead and manage teams multiple times in my career, and while I may not
have always been the best a it, I have picked up and learned a few things along way that I try to put
into practice today. Many of these lessons haven't been easy to learn, and sometimes they weren't
that easy to endure, however, they've all helped me become much better at what I do, and they allow
me to have empathy for those people who either report to me or manage me in one way or another.
If you're interested in learning from some of the hard lessons I've learned, or in just laughing along at
my folly, I'll have plenty of material to provide you with that opportunity.
Most of my career has been an exercise in trial-by-fire. This process may work well when you're a
designer and you're trying to master the art of the task flow, site map, wireframe, prototype,
personas, and so on, but with leadership, the option to go back to the drawing board isn't quite as
readily available--nor as painless to your pride, and potentially your pocketbook. I'm going to share
some of things I've learned in my efforts to become a better manager of designers, and in the world
of business in general.C+

The Write-up
I Have Some Pretty Great, Honest Friends

The Write-up
My Third, Mostly-Final Draft
Most of my career has been an exercise in “trial by fire.” This process worked well when I was a
designer and was trying to master the art of the task flow, site map, wireframe, prototype, personas,
and so on. In leadership positions, the option to go back to the drawing board or to iterate hasn't
always been readily available--nor as painless to my pride and potentially my pocketbook.
Many of these lessons haven’t been easy for me to learn. It’s been tough to simultaneously remove
obstacles without becoming one, or learning how to say “no” (and the flavors of yes and no!) when
I've also wanted people to be satisfied with me and the work I'm doing. However, these lessons have
all helped me become better at managing to some degree, while instilling a strong sense of empathy
for those people who either report to me, or bless their souls, manage me in one way or another.
If you’re interested in learning from some of the hard lessons I’ve learned, or in just laughing at my
folly, I’ll have plenty of material to provide you with either opportunity.
B+

The Write-up
from Managing (UX Designers)
Most of my career has been an exercise in “trial by fire.” This process worked
well when I was a designer and was trying to master the art of the task flow,
site map, wireframe, prototype, personas, and so on. In leadership positions,
the option to go back to the drawing board or to iterate hasn't always been
readily available--nor as painless to my pride and potentially my pocketbook.
Many of these lessons haven’t been easy for me to learn. It’s been tough to
simultaneously remove obstacles without becoming one, or learning how to
say “no” (and the flavors of yes and no!) when I've also wanted people to be
satisfied with me and the work I'm doing. However, these lessons have all
helped me become better at managing to some degree, while instilling a
strong sense of empathy for those people who either report to me, or bless
their souls, manage me in one way or another.
If you’re interested in learning from some of the hard lessons I’ve learned, or
in just laughing at my folly, there will be plenty of material to provide you with
either opportunity.
This is where I’m telling them
what I’m going to tell them
about, and who should come to
the presentation.
This is where I’m supporting the
presentation with the reasons
why this talk makes sense,
coming from me.
This is a little bit of wit.

“
The Write-up
Hugh Forrest, SXSW
As detailed a plan as possible on what the presentation will be.
Don’t assume that the person reviewing the proposal understands
what you are talking about if you only explain it in one sentence.

“
The Write-up
Brad Smith, WebVisions
Great ones have a catchy / intriguing title, convey 1-3 big ideas, and
communicate what an attendee will take away. About 2 short
paragraphs and maybe some bullet points.

“
The Write-up
Barak Danin, UX Israel
The value that someone would get from attending the talk. Quite
directly: In what way would someone be more knowledgeable
and / or what new tools or skills would a person have after this
presentation?

“
The Write-up
Clark Sell, That Conference
A couple of well-thought concise paragraphs. I don’t want a book,
but rather something that will draw the attendee to come and
interact with you.

“
The Write-up
Andy Budd, UX London, dConstruct
You need to paint a picture in the mind of the audience, allowing
them to imagine what the talk is going to be about, why they
should care, and what they’re going to get out of the experience.
“
There are no hard and fast rules.

The Write-up
from Leading (UX Designers)
I've worked for a lot of idiot managers in my career. And then, one day, after I
had become a manager, it dawned on me: Now I'm the idiot! Most of my
career has been an exercise in “trial by fire” and this process worked well
when I was a designer and was trying to master the art of the site map,
wireframe, personas, and so on. In leadership, the option to start over or
iterate hasn't always been readily available--nor as painless to my pride and
my pocketbook.
Many of these lessons haven’t been easy for me to learn. It’s been tough to
simultaneously remove obstacles without becoming one, or learning how to
say “no” (and the flavors of yes and no!) when I've also wanted people to be
satisfied with me and the work I'm doing. However, these lessons have all
helped me become better at managing to some degree, while instilling a
strong sense of empathy for those people who either report to me, or bless
their souls, manage me in one way or another.
This is where I’m telling them
what I’m going to tell them
about, and who should come to
the presentation.
This is where I’m supporting the
presentation with the reasons
why this talk makes sense,
coming from me.
This is a little bit of wit.
Got feedback; made
another change

Reviewing Proposals
What We Are Critiquing
• The Title
• Does it Pique Your Interest?
• Is It Targeted? To Whom?
• Does It Describe the Talk?
• The Write-Up
• Is It Interesting?
• Is It Clear What Will Be Included?
• Does It Sync to the Title?

Reviewing Proposals
What We Are Critiquing
• The Bio
• Brief, Yet Complete?
• Employer & Job Title Listed?
• Highlights Relevant to the Topic?
• General
• Uses Common Language?
• Typos / Grammar Issues?
• Too Much / Too Lengthy?

Reviewing Proposals
Focus On:
+ ∆Positives Deltas
• This was great use of...
• This showed me you know...
• You met the goal by...
• This was strong because...
• This could be improved by
better connecting to...
• This could benefit from...
• The abstract could use
more...

Reviewing Proposals
Remember:
• Review the Content Only
• This is NOT About the Person Who Submitted it!
• Avoid Using “You did <this>” Sentences
• Use a Filter
• Think Before You Write
• Review as You’d Like to Be Reviewed
• Be Constructive
• Provide Direction Wherever You Can

Presentation
Tips & Techniques

Russ Unger
Who Am I?
GE Capital Americas
Where Do I Work?
Experience Design Director
What Do I Do?
Uh...

Who Really
Cares?
Hint: Rhymes with “no one”

IIWhat I’m Going
to Tell You

• Preparation
• Structure
• Timing
• Pre-Gaming
• On Stage
• Q & A
• General Niceties
Presentation Tips & Techniques

• Tell ‘em
• Tell ‘em
• Tell ‘em
Well, Maybe.
But It’s a Good Place to Start.
Structure

ImageSource©TimeInc.
• Creation Hours
• Slides Per Minute?
• Minutes Per Slide?
• Average adult attention
span: 15-30 seconds
Timing

Research Notes / Outline Cards
Slides Practice

“Whitney Hess
I walk through each section, writing in any voice-over that I want to
be sure to hit into the Notes area for each slide.

• Buy a Good One!
• Logitech RS800 is Jared Spool’s Current Favorite
The Clicker
http://t.co/dX8aG2D
The Jared Spool 9000™

“Chris Fahey
You aren’t going to sleep the night before, so get plenty of sleep
during the week leading up to the night before.

• Easy on the caffeine
• Light meals / snacks
• Find your happy place
Light & Easy

“Jesse James Garrett
Have something small to eat, not a full [meal] or anything heavy. If
you’re going to have coffee, do it well before you have to be on
stage.

“Alex Dittmer
I always go pee when they call “five minutes to places”. I’m not sure
how I started that habit, but it seems to relax me.

“C.E. Lane
It seems like there’s some sort of inverse formula stating the harder
you are about to rock, the more silent you will become beforehand.
Before the biggest solo show I ever played, I fell asleep under a
card table.

• Prepare!
• Prepare!
• Prepare!
• Remember: You’re the Pro
and Authority on the Topic!
Stage Fright!

“Eytan Mirsky
I try to do some [content] I am most comfortable with in the
beginning because I know that if/when those go well, I will become
more relaxed.

“David Armano
Try to focus your presentations on something you feel passionate
about. That’s one of the reasons my stage fright is pretty minimal.

ImageSource©NathanaelBoehm
http://www.scottberkun.com/blog/2010/speak-to-bored-audience/
“Scott Berkun
If you prepared correctly (meaning you practiced, have clear points,
are enthusiastic about them, and understand why the audience
showed up) you’ll look like a rock star.
(On talking to a bored audience)

• Posture
• Podium use / reliance
• Mics - handhelds, lavalieres,
and how to use them
• Know your clicker
• Don’t T-Rex
Stage Presence

“
1. Stand Tall
2. Keep your head and eyes UP
3. Smile
4. Never retreat
5. Move with purpose, energy & enthusiasm
5 Tips for a Good Stage Presence

• Love it
• Or Leave it
• A story: How I Sucked.
Enthusiasm! YEAH!

• S l o w d o w n
• Let people absorb your information
• Don’t read your slides
• Look at / face the audience
• Kill the sarcasm
Presenting

ImageSource:http://en.academic.ru/dic.nsf/enwiki/143626
“Lee Iacocca
You can have brilliant ideas, but if you can’t get those ideas across,
they don’t do anybody any good.

Perception of Spoken Message in Regards to Communicating F
0
15
30
45
60
Words (7%) Voice (38%) Non-verbals (55%)
5%
95%
Who uses the
“Disabled” toilet
Source: Monarth & Kase, “ﬔe Conﬁdent Speaker”
Source: ﬔe Internet
People Like Stats

• Quiet != Bad
• Note takers (& Sketchers!)
• The Twitters
Reading the Crowd

• Diplomacy wins
• YOU have the microphone
• Be nice
• Until you can’t
Hostiles & Haters

• Don’t make a scene
• Find your bearings
• If all else fails: be honest and forge onward
Losing Your Flow

“Erik Soens
A simple retort such as “Whew... that got away from me, let me
reiterate” works just fine.

“Eytan Mirsky
Most times people are not as aware of any mistakes as you might
think. They are not focusing on things the way you, as the
performer, are.

• Repeat the question
• IDK is OK (just follow-up)
• Being wrong: also OK
• Manage the questioneer
• Get out of the way!
Basics of Q&A

• Organizing is hard work
• Mistakes happen
• Audience is there for you
• Be classy
Appreciation

VIIITake Aways
(What I Told You)

• Preparation and Rehearsal are your best friends
• Pre-Gaming rituals help you find your “A” game
• Be aware of your stage presence
• Find ways to engage your audience
• S L O W D O W N
• Don’t forget to think about Q & A
• Be nice, be appreciative, stay classy
Presentation Tips & Techniques

ImageSource©NathanaelBoehm
Quotes / Interview Experts
Alex Dittmer David Armano Scott Berkun Jesse James Garrett
C.E. Lane Erik Soens Whitney Hess Chris Fahey Eytan Mirsky

Thank You!
Thank the Audience
Title of the Presentation
Your Name / Twitter / Etc.
Name of the Event
Hashtag
Promotional Stuff About You (Employer, Affiliations, etc.)

Trial by Fire:
Presentations & Critique

Trial By Fire
We Have Two Rooms and Seven Mentors
• 5 Minute Presentations
• Given by You!
• 5 Minute Critiques (or so)
• Led by Mentors
• Recordings Will Be Shared in a Few Days
• Email Link Sent Directly to You

Awesome Mentors
Jessica Cherok
J CorneliusJenn Downs Amy Ellis
Loren Norman Rose Robinson Brad Weaver

Thank YOU! Samantha Starmer - @samanthastarmer
Russ Unger - @russu
| Ralph Lauren
| GE Capital Americas

Speaker Camp Atlanta Workshop - June 28, 2014

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