Advice on speaking at BarCamp

Photos by Tantek, Roland, chesh2000 and Ian

BarCampBrighton is an unconference where every attendee is a participant. The schedule for the two days is empty until you arrive and the grid starts to get filled with the talks and sessions that you’ll be giving.

If this is your first time, this can all sound a bit daunting! Perhaps you didn’t realise that we expect you to a give a talk? Perhaps you’re now worried that everyone else is going to have a polished 30 minute talk with hundreds of fantastic slides?

Don’t worry! We’ve all been there. The real beauty of BarCamp is that it is what you make it and some of the best talks are given by people who have never presented before.

Here are a few tips to help you out

• You have a 30 minute slot, it’s best to talk for 15-20 minutes and leave the rest as Q&A time
• Talk about something you know well or are passionate about. It’s easier to talk with a flow when you know a subject well
• Keep it loose. If you stand and read an exact script, you’ll probably end up being a bit dull. That said, do have some notes to keep you on track, just don’t make it too exact
• If you’re using slides, try to bring them on a USB key as well, in case your laptop has a funny turn and you need to borrow someone else’s. VGA adaptors for your particular flavour of laptop are also a good idea
• Don’t worry if you think no one is interested, there are lots of people coming, someone will be interested and come along. We have a variety of room sizes; the smallest capacity is 10 and the largest will take everyone.
• Try to have fun! It may seem like a nightmare, but it can be really satisfying to kick off a good discussion after you’ve talked

If you’re petrified of speaking, you can run a workshop, or why not create a game for everyone to play. One of the liveliest sessions last year was Natalie Downe’s “Show and Tell” where she showed a few tips and tricks for apps she used and then gave the floor to someone else to do the same.

Have a look at last time’s schedule to get a feel for the broad range of topics that were covered. Don’t worry if you’re planning to talk about something that was on last year’s schedule; it’s pretty much an entirely different crowd, and people rarely get to see all the talks they want to anyway, so you may actually help someone out with your particular topic!