So you want to speak at software conferences?

Conference Speaking Lifestyle & Travel

• Frequent conference speaking is compared to a job with ~30% travel: sustainable mostly for people with few home attachments, a desire to travel, or reasons to avoid being at home.
• Some semi-retired speakers now choose only a few events per year, in appealing locations and seasons.

What Makes a Good Talk: Uniqueness, Perspective & Story

• Strong agreement with the idea that talks should have a personal angle or “a story nobody else can tell,” often via real-world case studies (e.g., “how we used X to do Y”).
• Some argue this advice is phrased as too high a bar and risks discouraging beginners; they note audiences often learn best from people just one step ahead.
• Clarification from the article’s author: “unique” means rooted in your specific experience, not being the top global expert.
• Many see “here’s what I learned building project X” as an ideal first talk topic.

Selection, Videos & Privacy

• Organizers say having video of prior talks (even simple phone recordings or slide+audio) significantly boosts selection chances and reduces risk for conferences.
• There’s tension between this and privacy concerns; several commenters say if you don’t want your image online, conference speaking—especially at big events—may not be a good fit.
• Suggested on-ramp: local meetups and small/free conferences to gain experience and capture initial recordings.

Crafting Effective Presentations

• Tips: avoid slides crammed with code; use big fonts; don’t read slides; limit bullets; use images; keep backups of your deck; reuse old talks as emergency replacements.
• Debate around animations and live coding: some see them as distracting; others say they can be powerful if carefully paced and rehearsed.
• “STAR moments” (a memorable gimmick or surprise) help talks stand out.
• Storytelling, genuine enthusiasm, and appropriate humor are widely seen as crucial.

Anxiety, Practice & Career Impact

• Many note that stage fright often diminishes sharply after enough repetitions, though nervousness at the start is common and normal.
• Audiences are generally rooting for the speaker to succeed; only occasional hostile questioners are reported.
• Public speaking plus blogging has meaningfully advanced several commenters’ careers via visibility and networking.
• Some lament a shift from dense, raw technical talks toward highly polished, narrative-driven sessions that feel less exploratory.