Ok, well maybe a 15 minute Cybertour isn’t such a big deal for seasoned speakers like Michael Stephens or Alane Wilson, but this is going to be my very first time speaking at a conference. Ever. And for someone who avoided taking classes in college with fewer than 20 people because she was afraid of talking in class, this is HUGE!
So all because of the 45 minutes I spent creating a wiki for CIL2006 (while watching Celebrity Fit Club — mock me if you dare!), I was asked to give a Cybertour at Computers in Libraries. I’m going to be speaking about wikis (surprise, surprise) in the exhibit hall on Thursday March 23 at 2:00 pm. I know it conflicts with other programs, but hey, if you’re bored, stop by and say hello. 🙂 I’ll be the one shaking like a leaf.
It’ll be very good practice for my talk at the Vermont Library Association Annual Conference in May. There I’ll be talking for over an hour. EEEEKKK!
Hey! Good luck with the Cybertour and know this: I still get nervous each time I talk to crowds but the more you do it, the easier it gets. Rock On! M.
I am sure you will do just fine. A little nervousness is good; it keeps you on your toes. Best of luck.
Heh, I like how CIL will be “good practice for VLA” — indeed!
Your scheduled time falls right into my “think I’ll take a break” slot, so I just might have to provide some support.
I know it’s not a conference, but that OPAL presentation should have prepared you well. The real problem with the cybertour scenario is lack of time. It’s challenging to give a meaningful presentation in 15 minutes, when the topic is something you can expound on for hours.
Well, you *are* the Wiki Goddess, so you’ll do great! I won’t be at CiL this year, but in the past I’ve found some Cybertours to be more useful to me than some of the big meeting-room programs.
Ross, those Vermont librarians will eat me alive! They’re a tough bunch! 😉
You’d spend fifteen minutes talking to me about wikis, right?
So all you’re doing is spending fifteen minutes talking about wikis to people like me. Not so scary.
I’ll be there. Unless I forget. I start forgetting things about midway through the second day of a three-day conference. If I forget — it’s not you, it’s me.
Michael’s right that the more you do it the more relaxed you get. Preparation and knowing your topic also help. Have something to fall back on — notes, PowerPoint, whatever your crutch might be, have it. I’ve seen few people who can simply stand up and deliver a talk from nothing or next to nothing (Clifford Lynch with his few notes scribbled on a cocktail napkin comes to mind). The rest of us need help.
In the end, the point is to not let your fears get the best of you, as it’s clear you won’t. Keep at it, and before you know it you’ll be a pro. But even now I can get nervous when speaking in front of people I know.
You’ll be great Meredith. See you there!
Congratulations! It is always surprising to be picked to speak, but here’s the deal – your writing about stuff that is a little bleeding edge for your audience and conference organizers are always looking for the bleeding edge to attract attendees.
Make sure you define what a wiki is and make doubly sure you explain why it is important to have one to the people in the audience. What it will do for them. Or what part they would play as part of a tech package or tech approach to helping your patrons.
It’s not about the technology. It’s about what the technology will do for them to make their life easier better for their clients.
Nice going.
Sadly, I shall not be there to witness your brilliance, but I am sure you will demonstrate it. I started to get over my anxiety about speaking when I started speaking to people who wanted to hear what I had to say–which, as Dorothea noted, is going to be the kind of people you’ll get.
Best wishes!
Meredith, truly it is more challenging to give a 15 minute talk than a one hour one. I can easily go on (and on and on) for 90 minutes with almost no notes but always find the shorter talks demand seriously sticking to a script otherwise my tendency to wander off on tangents is uncontrolled. And I too still get butterflies before any talk–it’s good to because that adrenaline comes across as energy and engagement. Good speakers not only know their topics; they can project their enthusiasm as well. Remember, you were asked to talk because you know your topic, and know it better than most people listening. And having met you, I can say that if you talk to your audience the same way you talked to me, you’ll be fabu 😉
Congrats Meredith! I agree with Greg, you did great for the OPAL presentation, I’ll mark my schedule to come see you.
How long will you be talking? (Need to know if I’ll have to duck out of a session.) There is a Coffee Break at 2:30, so hopefully you’ll still be attracting a crowd then!
BTW we’re in the final countdown to the conference. It’ll be here quickly than we think. And are we ready?!
It’s just a 15 minute talk, but I’m sure I’ll end up answering questions as well, so I may be there longer.
Thanks everyone for your encouragement. With such a nice bunch of people at CIL, I’m sure it’ll go well (or that you’ll be forgiving if it doesn’t!). Not like those mean old Vermont librarians. They bring rotten tomatoes to conferences, ya know. 😉
Don’t worry, most Vermont librarians are somewhat younger and a lot less mean than I am, and rotten tomatoes aren’t in season. Anyway, you know stuff we want to know, so I’m pretty sure we’ll be civil.