How I prepared for my first panel discussion at the Fivetran Modern Data Stack Roadshow

A month ahead of time, Alfonso Franklin asked me: “Would you like to speak on a panel on October 5th in Philly with Fivetran and a customer?”

In a flash, I thought about who I could delegate this to, but alas…I was the right person to step up to the plate. I got some more details, and it was on. I thought - “plenty of time to prepare.”

Now, I’m a very extroverted person — I love talking with people. And I’ve successfully delivered talks in front of small and medium sized crowds in the past. There’s a reason I work in sales, and in Solution Engineering in particular. It’s the best job there is as far as I’m concerned, and a perfect fit for my personality.

The difference with this talk was the format, and the topic: “Future State Planning with your Modern Data Stack”. All of the talks I’ve delivered in the past were on topics where almost without question, I was THE expert in the room. No one knew my product better than me (unless of course, if someone like our CTO Rob Woollen was in the room, which is not typically the case at most regional field marketing events). That always gave me the confidence to stand and deliver, and do it well, with my own unique style (shit gets weird sometimes!).

This was a bit different. This topic area was beyond the scope of just the product I’m an expert on, and it was a panel format, where I would be one of three people speaking on the topic in a Q&A type of format. Rather than being the expert in the room, I was just a guy with an opinion on some things.

Now, to the great credit of the marketing team at Fivetran (I’m looking at you Amy Peterson , Krista Schulte , and Lena Stahlschmidt ), they couldn’t have helped us prepare any better. They hosted a prep call for Nana Yaw E. , Niraj Vora , and myself with a set of questions ready to go for our session. We talked about who felt most comfortable answering which questions, and had a solid “run of show” for the panel session.

But with a week and half to go, I was still uneasy. I had some good ideas for one of the three questions I was slated to address, but not much else. I found myself thinking about just that one question and answer for the next week.

The day before the event, I sat down and did a little bit of research around the industry, perusing the latest news and blog posts from Snowflake , Fivetran , and Sigma , and read some posts from their LinkedIn feeds as well. Then I called my buddy Tim O'Neil , who had just done a Q&A about his company at the NY stock exchange. “Hey TV star - how did you prepare for that exactly?” “Are you for real?” “Yeah man…you did a great job. How did you prepare for it?”

I also knew I had a 1:1 meeting with Alfonso that day, and Jonathan Avrach as well, both of whom have given many “bigger” talks in the past. These three gentlemen are real professionals at this kind of thing. I asked them what they thought, and I heard different ideas from each. I finally found my voice amidst my third conversation about it, with Jon, as my research converged with what he and I were discussing.

Somewhere along the way, it occurred to me that I have a perspective that many don’t: I’ve been exposed to many more customers and use cases than most, both via direct work with customer data and via the team of Solution Engineers I have had the honor to support over the years. That realization gave me the boost of confidence I had been missing.

I ended up with a good blend of ideas, and I wrote out some bullet points for my answers, which helped me organize what I was going to say. As I drove into Philly for the event, I put on my “Code mode” playlist (a blend of 80s and 90s rock, heavy metal, and rap), and said my answers out loud 2-3 times. I have found this to be the single most effective way to prepare - saying it loud (amidst a backdrop of angry music for some reason).

Then, as I sat in on the sessions that preceded mine, I was deliberate about listening to the dialog at hand. When I found myself in the chair on stage, I took a deep breath and was actually quite relaxed. The questions came as expected, and the answers flowed. It was interesting to hear my panel mates’ take on the topics as well. All three of us brought our unique, very different perspectives to the table, which I think made for an interesting discussion.

At the end of the event, I found myself outside the hotel waiting for my car, when I saw Adam Fokken , CTO of our partner phData . I introduced myself, and he immediately validated one of my key answers from the panel session. Here’s another guy who has seen many use cases for many customers who felt the same way I did about the topic. I have to confess, I was very relieved. I thought it had gone well, and Adam’s words proved it to me and put me at ease. Thank you Adam!

So that’s how it all went down. Thank you to Alfonso for pushing me out of my comfort zone, and to Tim and Jon for your support in preparation, as well as the outstanding team at Fivetran and my co-panelists. What a great experience! Now I’m looking forward to the next one!