It has been a while since I have done a proper 50+ minute talk. Aside from the TEDx (18 minutes) gig up in the beautiful Canadian Rockies last month, I have been conference-free for what seems like ages. The second half of this year has me speaking at two conferences. First up is FITC being held August 17th-19th at the UCSF Mission Bay Conference Center.
My talk is entitled “Practice makes perfect, so what are you practicing” and you can read the description here. I have a pretty good idea of how the talk will unfold but I will continue to work on it up until the day of the event. I will talk about my creative process a bit but on the whole, the focus will be more on showing how beneficial it can be to take an aesthetic approach to learning topics that are more traditionally left-brained.
I am looking forward to seeing my speaker friends again. I haven’t seen many of them in years. Strange to have friends you only see during times when you (and they) are distracted about an upcoming public speaking engagement.
When I was younger, elementary school through high school, I was petrified by public speaking. Even just answering a question out loud when called on by the teacher caused distress. Worse was when I had to stand in the front of the class to recite something or answer some math equations on the chalkboard. Hated being the focus and it was paralyzing.
It still gives me butterflies and more traditional stress responses like shakiness and dry mouth, but like with everything, the more I do it the more it feels natural. Also helps to have a pre-talk ritual. A cellist friend told me that she eats a banana before a public performance and that helps with the nerves. Of course, now I am known as the ‘banana guy’ to some people I met at TEDx because I carried an absurdly healthy banana in my front chest pocket on my hoodie in anticipation of my talk.
Anyhow, if you find yourself in San Francisco in August to attend FITC, I look forward to meeting you. And if you are speaking at FITC, lets get coffee/wine/lunch/dinner.
