Speaking at a conference

How to Survive
Your First Ten Minutes!

Willie Favero
IBM Silicon Valley Lab
System z Data Warehousing Swat Team

Copyright © 2011 IBM Corporation.
All rights reserved.

Agenda
Creating a Presentation
Introduction
Previous day
The Day has arrived
Brainstorming activities
Summarize
Next steps
Wrap up

Page 2 of 40

Creating a Presentation

Page 3 of 40

Make the Decision Now!
Start thinking right now about what you
can present next year
What are you good at?
Is there an area you’re constantly asked questions
about?
Do you give in-house presentations
What topics do you enjoy?
Have you written any articles?
An article can make a great basis for a
presentation
Page 4 of 40

Call for Papers
Do the paper work as soon as possible
Get abstract in before the deadline
Do exactly as they ask
There are reasons for the restrictions on lengths, for
example
Pick a good title, not a cute one
The title may be what gets someone to notice
your presentation over all the others
Spend some time on the abstract
This is all the attendees and conference
planners get to see
Page 5 of 40

Writing a Presentation
Draw a storyboard
It’s true, Pictures do speak louder than
words
Don’t forget the notes
Explain terms and acronyms used on the slides
Add additional information that may be of interest
DO NOT simply add your script to the page. You
do not want to sound like you are reading your own
notes

Page 6 of 40

Writing Your Presentation
Plan on 3-4 minutes per slide
Size does Count! You are probably better off
having too few slides than too many
Try to minimize “how much” is on one slide
Remember to use a good font size
24-32 point size for slides - smaller is hard to read
Do not make everything the same font type
Bold and italics can help emphasize a concept
12 point for notes

Build your presentation style into your
presentation
Page 7 of 40

When Writing the Presentation
Remember your…
Key issues
Key points
Flow - does it make any sense
Are you planning to tell any stories
Plan ahead where you will be using them
Careful with jokes!
You never know what is going to offend someone.
Try humorous stories about situations you have been
involved

Page 8 of 40

Color makes a great looking foil
However,
Use color to accomplish a purpose
Do NOT use color simply to use color.
Choose your colors carefully…
Accents/Highlights
Important facts
Additional information that will not be covered
Draw ideas together
Always keep in mind… “What will your great
color pictures look like when printed in black &
white?”
Page 9 of 40

Submitting Your Presentation
Remember you will have a deadline
Does your presentation have to be
reviewed by someone
You may have to make changes
You may have to add additional information
Final draft has to published….
Give conference planners enough time to do
their job also

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You’ve been accepted.
Now you have to give the
presentation

Page 11 of 40

Before We Start
Please keep in mind…
Most of this is my opinion base on personal
experience
Most of the mistakes you can make, I have
Contact me if you have any questions or
comments
Enjoy

Page 12 of 40

And Remember…
Smile! This is all Pretty Cool
You were asked to be here
There are plenty of speakers willing and able to
speak at a conference or user group
You have been preparing for years for this
You have the experience
You are the expert
They came to see you by choice
You know your stuff so you’re ready for them
-

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Keep in Mind...
Think of being on TV
And your audience has the remote
Try and satisfy a need
In them
In you
-

Page 14 of 40

The Day Before…
If you’re speaking at a conference…
Locate the room were you are speaking
From the room you’re speaking in, where
is:
The restroom
Speaker’s ready room
Break areas
Water fountains
Light switches
-
Page 15 of 40

The Day Before...
If you can get into the room, check it out
The room size
How the seating is set up
Where will you be standing
Where is the overhead screen set up
Where are the light switches
How far is it to your presentation room?
-

Page 16 of 40

The Night Before
Rehearse
You should already know your materials
Rehearse how are you going to present it
Review your presentation
Are your slides in order you want?
What about notes?
Do you have them
Can you read them
Do you really need them?
-

Page 17 of 40

The Night Before
Get some sleep
Try to get to bed at a decent hour
Are you using a computer?
Where are the files?
Do you know how to hook it up to projector?
Do you have your power supply?
Do you know where power is located?
Wireless mouse/pointer?
Are batteries good
-
Page 18 of 40

How Are You Dressed?
It’s an old expression, however
“First Impressions” do really count
Are you using a microphone?
Do you have somewhere to clip the mic?
Polo shirts, sweaters, T-shirts do not work well
Where will you put the cord (if not remote)
Where will you put the remote pack
Jewelry and mics do not play well together
-

Page 19 of 40

Fifteen Minutes to Start Time
Get there early
There’s nothing worse than starting a
presentation late. You only have so much
time.
Check out the equipment
Is there a microphone (discussed later)
-
Does the overhead projector work

Page 20 of 40

Fifteen Minutes to Start Time
Figure out where to stand
Make sure you’re not blocking the view of to
many people
If you move around, make sure there is
nothing to trip over
Find your friends
It’s always nice to have a friendly face to look
at occasionally
No one you know in the room, make a friend -

Page 21 of 40

Know Your Equipment Before...
Is there an overhead projector?
Do you know how to turn it on?
Does it work?
Check out both bulbs
Are there extra bulbs?
Get contact name and number for A/V
support person problems
Where is the closest phone should a
-
problem occur?

Page 22 of 40

Your Microphone is A Friend
Test mic BEFORE people start to come
into the room
Treat it like a new born baby
Do not tap it on the table or with your hand to
see if it works
Talk into it with a normal speaking voice and ask
someone in the back of the room if they can hear
you
Do not blow into a microphone
-

Page 23 of 40

More on Your Microphone
Wear something appropriate for a mic
Clip it on where you will always be
speaking into it
IE. Not your shirt collar
Always assume your microphone is on
If you are supplied with a microphone,
USE IT!!!
Even when you speak loudly, when talking to
the projection screen, no one will hear you
Page 24 of 40

How Do You Start
Introduce Yourself (if necessary)
Thank your audience for coming
They did have choices
Chit-Chat
Sometimes it’s good
and sometimes it isn’t
It can be calming, just don’t over do it
Any time spent “just talking” reduces the time
for your presentation materials
-

Page 25 of 40

And Your Off…..
Talk with your audience , not at them
Use “we”
Try to avoid “I”, “Me”, and “You”
Be sincere, let them know you really want
to be there
Be up - Your attitude will be contagious,
good or bad
If you’re having they will have fun
-
Be you, not me (or anyone else)

Page 26 of 40

Just Stuff to Remember
Do not memorize what you are going to
say
Rather, remember:
Key issues
Key points
Flow
Any stories you plan to use and where to they
fit into the presentation
Do not memorize
-

Page 27 of 40

Pointing Devices
Your finger
Remember it’s attached to a larger object!!!
A Pen
Most people have one readily available
Laser Pointers
Work well
Light/Darker rooms
Red is good, green are better
Green will show on rear projection screens
Don’t forget new batteries
-

Page 28 of 40

Thirsty?
Water
Avoid ice water
Avoid anything that makes your throat cold. It
can put unnecessary strain on your voice.
Room temperature with lemon works well
Avoid soda
Doesn’t matter if it is in a can, bottle, or
glass
Remember, soda has bubbles

Page 29 of 40

Thirsty?
Coffee, Tea, Etc…
Hot liquids are usually better for your voice
If caffeine makes you hyper, drink something
else
My favorite
Warm water with a slice of lemon
Coffee
Alcohol
Alcohol is NEVER a good idea. Not before,
not during. Save it for after.
Page 30 of 40

What About Questions?
Decide before you start how to handle and
let your audience know
Will there be a Q&A time at the end
Will you accept questions while you’re
presenting
Will you be participating at the “Speaker’s
Corner” later
Can they get hold of you if they have
-
additional questions

Page 31 of 40

And Questions Start to Come!
Repeat all questions
Only you have a microphone (in most cases)
Try to paraphrase the questions when you repeat it
Allows you to double check that you understand what was
really asked
It lets the person asking the question know that you
understood
How do you react to a question?
Don’t look shocked. They won’t trust the answer.
NEVER EVER try to con them! If you don’t know the
answer, tell them you don’t and that you will get them
an answer.
-

Page 32 of 40

More on Questions
Do not talk with the person asking the
question, There are others in the room.
When the hand goes up
Acknowledge you see the person with the
question
Finish your thought, then address the
question
As long as they know you know they have a
question, you don’t have to rush to let them
speak
-
Page 33 of 40

How Should You Finish?
Be aware of the time
Try not to go over. They’re ready for a break.
Everyone has some place else to go
Have an ending, let them know you are
finished
“and in conclusion” or “in summary” used at the
wrong time can mess up your audience

Thank them for coming
-
Sincerely

Page 34 of 40

How Should You Finish?
Stop!!!
If your presentation is over, STOP talking
Turn off your microphone
We’re not here to make bloopers
You are not finished until you leave the
room
-

Page 35 of 40

And Finally...
Rule #1
Enjoy Yourself - This should be fun for
everyone, including you
Rule #2
It’s your show, you are the expert, you were
asked to be here
Rule #3
Enjoy Yourself, you’ll be great
-

Page 36 of 40

Bibliography
“The How-To of Great Speaking “
Hal Persons
Black and Taylor Publishing
“I Can See You Naked”
Ron Hoff
Andrews and McMeel Publishing
“The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Speaking in
Public with Confidence”
Laurie E. Robakis, Ph.D.
Alpha Books

Page 37 of 40

Shameless Self promotion

My DB2 for z/OS blog…
http://blogs.ittoolbox.com/database/db2zos

Page 38 of 40

Thai
Traditional Chinese

Russian
Gracias Spanish

Thank You English

Merci
French
Obrigado
Brazilian Portuguese
Arabic

Bedankt Danke
German
Nederlands
Simplified Chinese

Japanese

Page 39 of 40

Willie Favero
Senior Certified Consulting IT Software
Specialist
Dynamic Warehousing on System z Swat Team
IBM Silicon Valley Laboratory
IBM Academic Initiative Ambassador for System z
IBM Certified Database Administrator - DB2 Universal Database V8.1 for z/OS
IBM Certified Database Administrator – DB2 9 for z/OS
IBM Certified System Administrator – DB2 9 for z/OS
IBM zChampion

wfavero@attglobal.net

Page 40 of 40

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