Talking on stage in front of a crowd of people is one of the scariest things some of us will have to do in our professional lives. The WordPress community strives to ensure WordCamp’s offer a warm, welcoming and encouraging environment where you can present your ideas and share your experience.
If you have so much as an inkling to speak, take a look at our case study below from a previous WordCamp London speaker, Jo Waltham.
Jo Waltham is a WordPress developer at Callia Web. She specialises in building websites with the Genesis Framework for individuals and small businesses. Jo has a passion for helping people to get to grips with their website, giving them the support and confidence to manage it themselves. When not in front of the computer, Jo can typically be found on the school run in Wiltshire.
Jo spoke at WordCamp London 2015 about Going Freelance.
How did you come about applying to speak at wcldn?
Well I got a DM on Twitter from Jenny asking if I had considered submitting a proposal. I still don’t know who gave her my name. We then had a hangout where we brain stormed a few ideas. Once I’d done a bit more work on those ideas, I submitted a couple of proposals and one got accepted.
How did your speaking experience at wcldn help you personally/ professionally?
Personally, it was a confidence boost and after I gave the talk, for the rest of the conference, so many people came up to me to talk to me it was great!
Professionally, well I feel I’ve made a contribution to WordPress in a way, and a few of my clients have been impressed that I’ve presented at a WordCamp.
Would you recommend it to others? Why?
Yes. Put your proposal in! It is quite a bit of work though. Unless you are already a confident speaker don’t underestimate the time you’ll need to practise.
How was your experience with our mentoring system?
I had Siobhan McKeown as my mentor and I sent her a draft of what I was preparing to say. She went through it and gave me some tips on expanding certain sections etc. Then I had a run through the whole talk and slides on a Google hangout and she provided more tips after that.
Because I had to show Siobhan what I was putting together it forced me to start developing the content sooner than I otherwise would have. Just as well because it was more work than I expected!
What would you say to anyone thinking of applying but not sure if they have the relevant experience?
If you fancy giving a talk then do it. First there’s still plenty of time to get some relevant experience, maybe talking at a local networking event first? Secondly you could do a short lighting talk, rather than a full session. Or maybe give a talk at a more smaller WordCamp first?
How would you describe the aftermath of your experience?
Being pretty shy at these events the best thing was the number of people who came to talk to me afterwards. Some just said well done and others wanted to sit and chat, ask further questions or just share their experiences with me. I may be shy but I do love talking to folk so it was a real win for me.
Want to see a real example?
Take a look at Jo’s submission from last year. And join us in congratulating her on a very successful talk!
Don’t hesitate to get in touch with any questions you may have.
What will you submit? We look forward to seeing you on stage!