Konstantin Komelin - permanent speaker of Drupal conferences in Moscow and Saint-Petersburg, one of organizer of the conference Drupal White Nights, co-founder of the Drupal community in Saint-Petersburg and web-developer by vocation.
Fear of public speaking is probably one of the most common fears, along with the fear of dental treatment and fly. Why do we need to feel this fear, why should go out with a report in front of the large audience of unknown people? Of course, everyone has it’s own reasons, and I will try to tell about mine.
So, let’s start...
Share experience
Some time ago it was popular to develop your own libraries, modules and even CMS, sitting in your own small group of close friends, and constantly keep everything that you do in a secret, because someone can steal...your knowledges, your ideas, code. Time has changed, everything, that we try to hide today, others has already laid out in the open source yesterday.
I have an opportunity to make friends with everybody and develop together, sharing my knowledges and my skills. And I take this opportunity constantly, performing presentations at conferences in Russia and beyond.
Get knowledges
Yes, yes, don’t wonder, I get new knowledges, performing at conferences.
First of all, during the preparation to the report, I browse a ton of information on the expanses of the Internet, I even communicate with people, who are work closely with technology, to get latest news about the theme. Secondly, section of questions is very valuable for me, in case of getting new knowledges. When questions are thought-provoking and solve with the audience practical cases, before you don’t have any idea about them.
Learn how to speak
Like everybody, I have to start from somewhere, and I also had epic failures. You know that the first step is the hardest. One thing became clear to me - to learn how to speak, you need to speak actually. The more I speak, the easier it is to me to speak next time. But I don’t stop on what I have achieved and go further. For example, I participate at more scaled conferences or change language of the report to english.
Promote yourself and your company
Companies waste huge amount of money on advertising, buy PR texts, banners and other things. But traditional methods of advertising lose their own efficiency year by year. People feel surfeit from advertising.
We need other approaches to which I attribute speeches at conferences.
I promote myself and my company when I take speech at conference. Imagine, that rumors about you will spread after conference on the network: how Nikolaj from company “X” had fun on the last camp, and everyone will dream to work with such a professional and in such perspective company, as “X”.
Find work
You are sitting at home somewhere in distant Yoshkar-Ola, don’t go anywhere, don’t attend any event, but wait that you will be invited to work in Yandex or Microsoft, and when you don’t get this invitation it disappoint you, that nobody needs such a cool specialist, as you. Whence such companies will know about you?
Shortage of skilled IT staff increases with the development of the Internet and technology, and someone try to find you, but could not.
Several times my friends and I received an invitation to work after amazing presentations at conferences. It is not fiction, it works.
Educate character
To do something out of the ordinary, you need an effort, it is necessary to overcome yourself and to get a grip on your fears. Public speeches develop my character, give me confidence in myself.
Don’t be afraid of the trials of life, instead go to meet them and speak on conferences as often as possible. Believe me, this will open new opportunities for you.
You still have time to choose the theme and submit a report to the DrupalCamp Siberia 2015. Don’t lose your chance!
"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take." Wayne Gretzky