Asked myself: why do I public speak?
- Do you get extra money for it?
- Hmm, no.
- Isn’t it stressful and extra work?
- You could say that it is extra work.
- Then, why do you do it?
My 16 year old brother who is now in high school and lives in a small town with my family in Turkey asked me this a few weeks ago.
I was telling him that I was heading to Spain to give a talk at a conference. I shared my excitement and explained that my busy days were the reason we could not talk for a while.
To answer his last question of why I public speak, I quickly explained on the phone the first things that came to my mind about why I do it. Afterwards, I was still thinking of my reasons, so I wanted to write a blog post about it.
Here are the mains reasons why I love doing it:
- I like telling stories as they are all the things that I have learned and experienced
- I learn more and more on the way while preparing for my talk on that specific topic
- It is good for my career to be seen with my work
- I like meeting with people who might give different insights and perspectives on the topic
- It motivates me in both life and career
Do you think any of those reasons can be measured by money? — I don’t think so.
Is it hard, stressful and extra work? — Yes.
Is it worth doing though? — Absolutely!
My very first conference talk started when I was in the 3rd year of my bachelor’s degree. My professor and I gave a speech about MVC framework on ASP.NET where I actually wrote some code on the stage live! When I think back on it now, I have no idea how I was able to handle that excitement! Most probably, having my mentor next to me talking helped me do so.
Since then, I have had 3 more talks at the international conferences on different tech topics, and all of them were things I have built, learned, and experienced. I don’t have a set goal of giving talks, it usually appears to me naturally when I notice that I have something useful or exciting to talk about.
I find this very crucial; not having giving talks as a goal. It comes from the need of telling others about something that excites you, rather than finding something to talk about just for the sake of being on stage.
Having that reason makes a couple of things easier:
- You know what you are talking about. Usually while preparing, you learn more and more about the topic, as well as the philosophy behind it which is a fantastic practice and helps you to boost your confidence.
- It is your decision to go and show yourself, this is not a to-do or a must for your performance. You can decide however you want that to look like. No pressure.
Things are getting even more helpful when your company supports you on this journey. This has not always been the case for me; but when it happens, I have noticed how it makes things a lot easier.
The hardest issue I struggle with are these questions in my head:
- What if everyone already knows what I am talking about?
- Is this really anything interesting or special?
- Will people even care what I am talking about?
Being on stage in front of a group of people -no matter how many- is hard, nervous/exciting and more importantly a vulnerable experience. It is understandable to have these questions and give some space for them to come through. I found this diagram in this article and I always think of it when I struggle with these questions.
You won’t reach everybody, you can’t be interesting for everyone, but keep in mind that not everyone knows everything!
This diagram shifted my perspective, and whenever I struggle with these questions in my head, I have this answer for them.
It is essential to note that you will be talking about your experiences, and that will definitely put different spices into that topic and inevitably brings a different angle to it. So that might have some common and different areas compared to what other people already know.
The things I love the most about public speaking are the ideas we exchange with other people we meet during conferences. I love getting feedback from the audience for my talk, I love listening to their stories, I love seeing a couple of eyes that are smiling at me while I am on the stage. This indicates to me that I am reaching some of the people who are listening to me. I love it all. Yes, it is definitely hard, extra, and stressful work but it comes with excitement, joy, the feeling of accomplishment, and lots of learning.
It is good to mention that this might not be for everybody. You don’t have to have a couple of public talks to be successful on your career, it is not the only way to be seen, and it is totally okay if this is not fun or doable for you.
It is just great if it adds something to you and your motivation. It is supposed to be a fun experience for both sides -for you and for your audience.
That is all I have to say. Hope, there were at least a few takeaways for you.
Love,
Busra
