My Women in Tech Panel Experience at Dreamforce

Now that Dreamforce ’16 is a memory, the swag has been packed away and I’ve done some reflecting back on the activities I was involved in, (I think I’ve repressed my marching ranger memories now) I can look back on my experiences objectively. This year was a bit different for me as I didn’t have the normal theater sessions. This year I spoke less, because three talks in one DF is nutty, but took part in a breakout session and a panel. I am most excited about the panel, not because it was the easiest talk I had to prepare for, but because I am passionate about being a Woman in Tech and I was able to share my experiences in helping others start their public speaking journey. Yes, the person who was allergic to public speaking until about 2 years ago talked about speaking in public.

Our moderator, Sanjeevani, pulled together our brilliant panel to discuss Why You Should Start Your Public Speaking Journey. This topic really resonated with me as Keir Bowden and I had just finished teaching our first round of Speaker Academy. Keir and I joined Cathy Polinsky and Tatyana Mamut from Salesforce on the panel. The questions ranged from why we started speaking in public, our backgrounds, tips on speaking and combating nervousness, etc. As we all came to public speaking at different points in our careers and have different backgrounds, it was interesting to hear how everyone had taken the leap to stand in front of a crowd and share a piece of their story.

I might have mentioned briefly that public speaking was not natural for me. I had taken a few public speaking courses in school as well at work but it was something I never enjoyed doing. I was very much one of those people that used to shake whenever speaking in public. Whenever I share this about me, the next questions I get asked is, how did you overcome that?

Honestly, there wasn’t any one thing in particular that I did to overcome it except to find something that I enjoyed speaking about. So right now you’re probably saying, so hang on. You enjoy speaking about Salesforce? Isn’t that kinda nerdy? Yep, it is and let me direct you back to my Twitter profile for some proof. I also had help for my first talk. Francis Pindar “volunteered” me to present with him on report types at the Brighton user group. I had about 15 minutes of prep beforehand and nervously made my way through the presentation, ad libbing like crazy. It’s a good thing reporting in Salesforce is a comfortable topic for me! But that small audience made me feel comfortable and people had expressed that they learned something new. That feeling is addictive. Also, if you’ve ever presented with Francis, he’s a bit of a Salesforce Magician/Comedian and definitely entertaining. That took some of the pressure off of me since everyone was paying attention to him anyway! But that small taste of presenting made me feel more comfortable and I am a big believer in tackling your fears… so I signed up to speak at World Tour London the following May.

Through more exposure and practice, I’ve continued to speak at events and now it’s a regular occurance for me. Whether it’s a user group, World Tour or Dreamforce, I’ve been able to transform the shaking, nervous person into someone that can present, fairly confidently, in front of audiences now. I wouldn’t say I am an expert, but I’ve definitely learned some different approaches to creating slides, body language, not waving my hands about and slowing down the speed at which I speak at. I am from the Northeast, I can’t help it! I’ve since participated on and moderated panels (once without a voice!) and presented multiple years at Dreamforce. Now that Keir and I are running the Speaker Academy in London, we’re hoping to encourage a new class of future speaker so that you guys don’t get sick Keir and myself!

All in all, the panel experience was very good for me because it gave me a platform to show that this can be done and hopefully interest others in starting their own public speaking journey. If you are interested, the first step is always the hardest! Reach out to local user group leaders to see if you can present at a user group and select a topic that you are incredibly passionate about. Whether it’s Women in Tech or Process Builder, the ability to bring your perspective is valuable to the community. Also, as a community, we’re welcoming and encouraging so there is no better place to start if you’re nervous. Where else can you find a like minded bunch of people that would be built in cheerleaders as well? NOWHERE, that’s where!