Today we held an internal, yep, an internal only mini Red Hat Summit.This is a chance for talks to be presented select content to an internal worldwide audience at Red Hat, but that does not mean that all the content is confidential. That means I would be remiss if I didn't share my session content.
In 2018 I presented a non-technical soft skill session to Red Hat associates about how to build and tell a story. This was a deviation from my normal technical subject matter, but after being on stages and in front of crowds for almost 10 years, it was time to share some simple tips to engaging audiences.
To say the least, this went over well and word travelled fast. I have since shared this storytelling session over three continents and with 13 (and counting) audiences. It's been recorded four times so far and continues to help others improve their effectiveness with engaging audiences of any size.
See below for this somewhat updated version and to access both the slides and a video recording of my presentation of the slides.
Below you'll find the abstract and slides from my session:
Speaking Bites: 5 Traits Putting Your Audiences to Sleep
Speaking to an audience is as old as time itself…. Since the beginning of humankind, we share our experiences, we teach, we inspire, we relate to stories as told all around us. They are told by elders, they are told by kids at the dinner table, they are written down in books, and they are captured on video or tape. One thing is certain, stories are being told, but what are your stories and how can you become adept at telling them? The problem is you're feeling insecure and unsure on stage or in that big meeting where you have to sway an audience with your story. Do you feel like you're losing them after five or ten minutes? In this session the attendee discovers five simple and easy to apply changes that she can start using immediately to improve their engagement factor. Find out what five traits you've been abusing. Find out that they're right in front of your eyes but you can't see them. Join this session and you'll soon stop putting your audiences to sleep!And a video recording of just the slides presentation:
Comments and or feedback welcome, just drop me a note!