Yes, public speaking can be incredibly intimidating. Yes, it takes a tremendous amount of work to prepare a great talk. But most importantly: it is absolutely worth it.

Public speaking can have incredible benefits for both learning and career opportunities. It is also a fantastic way to give back to the community.

While public speaking offers unique challenges for each speaker, many speakers encounter the same difficulties in the beginning.

I'll cover tips on how to get started, how to submit a talk to a conference, how to prepare a talk, and how to encourage others to speak!

As a speaker, organizer, attendee, and mentor, I can offer my experience with this topic from a variety of perspectives. I can provide insight on the speaker selection process and advice on how to impress the selection committee.

I've helped and encouraged a variety of developers, both new and experienced, to begin their journey into public speaking. I've mentored them through the creation of topics, abstracts, and presentations.