Speaker Camp Atlanta Workshop - June 28, 2014

1. Samantha Starmer - @samanthastarmer Russ Unger - @russu | Ralph Lauren | GE Capital Americas

2. Big Thanks!

3. Our Sponsors

4. Excellent Mentors Jessica Cherok J CorneliusJenn Downs Amy Ellis Loren Norman Rose Robinson Brad Weaver

5. ? Special Guest

6. • Brainstorming Ideas • Writing Bios • Break • Writing Abstracts • Lunch • Critiquing Proposals • Presentation Tips & Techniques • YOUR Presentations & Critique • Surprise Guest The Morning The Afternoon Today’s Agenda

7. So... Conference Presentations

8. Brainstorming Your Big Idea

9. • Provides the foundational grounding for your presentation • Establishes the framework for later winnowing of examples or sub-points • Ensures you focus on the key learning or value you want the audience to get out of your talk • Helps position your presentation within the larger eventcontext Why you need a Big Idea™

10. • Inspirational • Practical • Controversial Types of Big Ideas

11. • Ideas sound different on paper or shared with someone else than in the quiet of your own head • Helps determine which ideas have the most traction • Spark new ways of thinking that can drive even better ideas Brainstorming Your Big Idea

12. Think About... “Jeffrey Zeldman, An Event Apart A genuine idea. A fresh take on a serious problem, especially if that problem is currently vexing some of the best minds in the business.

13. Your Turn! Quantity vs. Quality • 3 minutes: Things you want to talk about • 3 minutes: Things you are an expert at • 3 minutes: Things you want someone else to talk about

14. Your Turn! Group Share • Put your “Things You Want Someone Else to Talk About” on the wall • Take one (or more) idea that you didn’t write and that you are passionate about/interested in • Cover it with your hands • Utter “Preciousssssss”

15. Break!

16. How to Write Your Bio

17. Your Bio NO ONE Likes Writing Them. Or Reviewing Yours for You. • The 3 Types of Bios You Need • For Your Website / LinkedIn (Long) • For Your Conference Submission (Medium) • For the Person Introducing You (Short)

18. The Bio The Long Bio - Your Website, LinkedIn

19. The Bio The Medium Bio - Conference Submissions Pro Tip: Get a Professional (or Just Nice) Headshot

20. The Bio The Short Bio - Conference Introductions Russ Unger is an Experience Design Director for GE Capital Americas and has co-authored books on UX Design and facilitation. Today he’ll be presenting on Lessons Learned from Managing UX Designers. Please help me welcome Russ Unger!

21. Your Bio What Makes a Good Bio? • Brief & Succinct: Keep It to 1-2 Brief Paragraphs; 3-4 Sentences • 3rd Person: Howard Jones is from High Wycombe, UK. • Where You Work: Howard Jones is a singer/songwriter for Elektra Records. • Big Achievements First: Howard Jones had 5 Number 1 Hits in the US. • Something Witty (If You Desire & It Works): Howard is one of 5 people who still own a keytar, and can still rock it.

22. Your Bio How to Write Your Bios • Review Your Resume / LinkedIn Profile • Find Your Biggest Achievements in Your Career • Find Your Biggest Achievements in Your Life • Prioritize Your Achievements • Biggest / Best First • Only Relevant Achievements (Unless They’re Witty & They Work)

23. Your Bio Bio Tips • Grammar is Your Friend • Spelling & Punctuation Count • Keep It Brief • Short 1-2 Paragraphs; 3-4 Sentences • Only Relevant Achievements (Unless They’re Witty & They Work) • Use Common Language • Easy to Read Bio = Easy to Listen To Presenter

24. The Bio “Jeffrey Zeldman, An Event Apart Shorter is better. A good bio can be anywhere from 50 to 200 words, depending on the format of the conference website and the level and number of your accomplishments.

25. The Bio “Bruno Figueiredo, UX Lisbon The best ones not only state a bit of the presenter experience, but offer also a glimpse into them as persons. I love the ones that end with something like: “has an unhealthy obession with robots and loves to eat blueberry pancakes at midnight.”

26. The Bio “Brad Smith, WebVisions A bio is NOT a CV. You want people to want to get to know you, to see that you’re “real” and that you’re not selling something.

27. Composition of a Bio Sample Write-up Russ Unger Russ Unger is an Experience Design Director for GE Capital Americas where he leads teams and projects in design and research . He is co-author of the book A Project Guide to UX Design, Designing the Conversation, and Speaker Camp for Peachpit Press (Voices That Matter). Russ is also working on a book on guerrilla design and research methods that is due out well, sometime. Russ is co-founder of ChicagoCamps, which hosts low- cost, high-value technology events in the Chicago area, and he is also on the Advisory Board for the Department of Web Design and Development at Harrington College of Design. Russ has two daughters who both draw better than he does and are currently beginning to surpass his limited abilities in coding. Speciﬁc job title and employer. Big achievements, a little bit of wit. Secondary achievements. A little personal, with a light touch of wit.

28. The Bio YOUR TURN

29. Composition of a Bio Sample Write-up Russ Unger Russ Unger is an Experience Design Director for GE Capital Americas where he leads teams and projects in design and research . He is co-author of the book A Project Guide to UX Design, Designing the Conversation, and Speaker Camp for Peachpit Press (Voices That Matter). Russ is also working on a book on guerrilla design and research methods that is due out well, sometime. Russ is co-founder of ChicagoCamps, which hosts low- cost, high-value technology events in the Chicago area, and he is also on the Advisory Board for the Department of Web Design and Development at Harrington College of Design. Russ has two daughters who both draw better than he does and are currently beginning to surpass his limited abilities in coding. Speciﬁc job title and employer. Big achievements, a little bit of wit. Secondary achievements. A little personal, with a light touch of wit.

30. How to Write Your Proposal

31. The Composition of a Proposal The Parts That Make it Whole Are: • The Title • Get ‘em Engaged and Interested • The Write-Up • Tell ‘em What You’re Going to Tell ‘em • Support It with Your Story • Your Bio • Tell ‘em Why You’re the One to Tell ‘em

32. The Title Evolution of the Title of Your Presentation • First: What Do You Think Your Talk Will Be About? What’s the Idea? • Last: When You Have a Write-Up, Revisit the Title • Final: Review It with Friends, Peers, Conference Organizers • FinalFinal_v2: You May Change It Again (and Again), After You’ve Presented It

33. The Title What Makes a Good Title? • Interesting: Is Your Title Good Enough to Make Someone Want to Read the Entire Abstract? • Targeted: Does Your Title Let People Know Who the Content is For? • Clear: Does Your Title Clearly Articulate the Content of Your Talk?

34. My Title I'm a Good Designer and Suddenly I'm Leading People. Now What? • Evokes Interest; Frightening Position, Possibly Not Uncommon? • Audience is Targeted; Designers Who Are Now Managers/ Leaders with Little Direction? • Not Very Clear; Could Cover a Wide Variety of Topics?

35. “ The Title Hugh Forrest, SXSW A good title will spark my interest as a reviewer and make me want to read the entire abstract.

36. The Title “Jeffrey Zeldman, An Event Apart A clear title tells you that you actually have a well-structured presentation in mind--a presentation that makes a real and important point (or two).

37. “ The Title Andy Budd, UX London, dConstruct I really hate titles that are clever but leave you having no idea what the session is actually going to be about.

38. My (Updated) Title Things I’ve Learned (and Am Still Learning!) from Managing UX Designers • Evokes Interest; What Has He Learned? • Audience is Targeted; Presentation Should Help Someone Managing UX Designers • Very Clear; Tells You What the Presentation is About and What You Can Expect to Learn

39. My (Updated) Title Things I’ve Learned (and Am Still Learning!) from Leading (UX Designers) I will probably change this at least one more time. At least. See what I did there?

40. The Write-up Evolution of the Write-up • First: Write Hard & Fast; Get Ideas Out • Put It Down: Walk Away; Come Back Later • Revise: Review It with Friends, Peers, Conference Organizers • FinalFinal_v2: You May Change It Again (and Again), After You’ve Presented It; Some Conferences Require More or Less Than You’ve Written

41. The Write-up: Structure The Three “Tell ‘em”s • Tell ‘em What You’re Going to Tell Them • Tell ‘em • Tell ‘em What You Told Them

42. The Write-up: Structure Simple Structure • Tell Them What You’re Going to Tell Them • Be clear, concise, brief, and provide details • Do this in a small-to-medium-sized paragraph • Tell Them Why You’re Telling Them • What’s your take on this? What is the story that got you to this point? Your rationale? • Do this in a small-to-medium-sized paragraph

43. “ The Write-up Russ Unger, Hi-I’m Right Here! I think a lot of people get shot down because they write in the [conference submission] form.

45. The Write-up My First Draft Finding top talent in the UX field has been a challenge for quite some time now. It doesn't help matters when we hear that there are several times more jobs than there are UXers to fill the roles, which ultimately puts the power into the hands of people looking for jobs, and they can now afford to be choosy about who and where the work. This means that there is less tolerance for hiring a UXer to be the UX bandaid and then have them report into marketing or some other. Sooner or later, someone is going to need to lead and manage the UX talent pool, and that someone will need to be someone who has been in the trenches themselves. Through the course of my career, I've had the opportunity to lead and manage teams, and I've not always been the best at it. I'm still learning, and I'll be the first to admit that. In many cases, my experience has been like most of my career: trial by fire. The good news is that I've been doing what I think you're supposed to do: get better through iteration, research, and adjustment. Much of what I've learned applies to managing UX Designers, but also applies to managing just about anyone, and I'll be sharing those with you. F+

47. The Write-up My Second Draft I've had the opportunity to lead and manage teams multiple times in my career, and while I may not have always been the best a it, I have picked up and learned a few things along way that I try to put into practice today. Many of these lessons haven't been easy to learn, and sometimes they weren't that easy to endure, however, they've all helped me become much better at what I do, and they allow me to have empathy for those people who either report to me or manage me in one way or another. If you're interested in learning from some of the hard lessons I've learned, or in just laughing along at my folly, I'll have plenty of material to provide you with that opportunity. Most of my career has been an exercise in trial-by-fire. This process may work well when you're a designer and you're trying to master the art of the task flow, site map, wireframe, prototype, personas, and so on, but with leadership, the option to go back to the drawing board isn't quite as readily available--nor as painless to your pride, and potentially your pocketbook. I'm going to share some of things I've learned in my efforts to become a better manager of designers, and in the world of business in general.C+

49. The Write-up I Have Some Pretty Great, Honest Friends

50. Seriously Great Friends

51. The Write-up My Third, Mostly-Final Draft Most of my career has been an exercise in “trial by fire.” This process worked well when I was a designer and was trying to master the art of the task flow, site map, wireframe, prototype, personas, and so on. In leadership positions, the option to go back to the drawing board or to iterate hasn't always been readily available--nor as painless to my pride and potentially my pocketbook. Many of these lessons haven’t been easy for me to learn. It’s been tough to simultaneously remove obstacles without becoming one, or learning how to say “no” (and the flavors of yes and no!) when I've also wanted people to be satisfied with me and the work I'm doing. However, these lessons have all helped me become better at managing to some degree, while instilling a strong sense of empathy for those people who either report to me, or bless their souls, manage me in one way or another. If you’re interested in learning from some of the hard lessons I’ve learned, or in just laughing at my folly, I’ll have plenty of material to provide you with either opportunity. B+

53. The Write-up Things I’ve Learned (and Am Still Learning!) from Managing (UX Designers) Most of my career has been an exercise in “trial by fire.” This process worked well when I was a designer and was trying to master the art of the task flow, site map, wireframe, prototype, personas, and so on. In leadership positions, the option to go back to the drawing board or to iterate hasn't always been readily available--nor as painless to my pride and potentially my pocketbook. Many of these lessons haven’t been easy for me to learn. It’s been tough to simultaneously remove obstacles without becoming one, or learning how to say “no” (and the flavors of yes and no!) when I've also wanted people to be satisfied with me and the work I'm doing. However, these lessons have all helped me become better at managing to some degree, while instilling a strong sense of empathy for those people who either report to me, or bless their souls, manage me in one way or another. If you’re interested in learning from some of the hard lessons I’ve learned, or in just laughing at my folly, there will be plenty of material to provide you with either opportunity. This is where I’m telling them what I’m going to tell them about, and who should come to the presentation. This is where I’m supporting the presentation with the reasons why this talk makes sense, coming from me. This is a little bit of wit.

54. “ The Write-up Hugh Forrest, SXSW As detailed a plan as possible on what the presentation will be. Don’t assume that the person reviewing the proposal understands what you are talking about if you only explain it in one sentence.

55. “ The Write-up Brad Smith, WebVisions Great ones have a catchy / intriguing title, convey 1-3 big ideas, and communicate what an attendee will take away. About 2 short paragraphs and maybe some bullet points.

56. “ The Write-up Barak Danin, UX Israel The value that someone would get from attending the talk. Quite directly: In what way would someone be more knowledgeable and / or what new tools or skills would a person have after this presentation?

57. “ The Write-up Clark Sell, That Conference A couple of well-thought concise paragraphs. I don’t want a book, but rather something that will draw the attendee to come and interact with you.

58. “ The Write-up Andy Budd, UX London, dConstruct You need to paint a picture in the mind of the audience, allowing them to imagine what the talk is going to be about, why they should care, and what they’re going to get out of the experience. “ There are no hard and fast rules.

59. The Write-up YOUR TURN

60. The Write-up Things I’ve Learned (and Am Still Learning!) from Leading (UX Designers) I've worked for a lot of idiot managers in my career. And then, one day, after I had become a manager, it dawned on me: Now I'm the idiot! Most of my career has been an exercise in “trial by fire” and this process worked well when I was a designer and was trying to master the art of the site map, wireframe, personas, and so on. In leadership, the option to start over or iterate hasn't always been readily available--nor as painless to my pride and my pocketbook. Many of these lessons haven’t been easy for me to learn. It’s been tough to simultaneously remove obstacles without becoming one, or learning how to say “no” (and the flavors of yes and no!) when I've also wanted people to be satisfied with me and the work I'm doing. However, these lessons have all helped me become better at managing to some degree, while instilling a strong sense of empathy for those people who either report to me, or bless their souls, manage me in one way or another. This is where I’m telling them what I’m going to tell them about, and who should come to the presentation. This is where I’m supporting the presentation with the reasons why this talk makes sense, coming from me. This is a little bit of wit. Got feedback; made another change

61. Lunch!

62. Abstract Critiques

63. Reviewing Proposals What We Are Critiquing • The Title • Does it Pique Your Interest? • Is It Targeted? To Whom? • Does It Describe the Talk? • The Write-Up • Is It Interesting? • Is It Clear What Will Be Included? • Does It Sync to the Title?

64. Reviewing Proposals What We Are Critiquing • The Bio • Brief, Yet Complete? • Employer & Job Title Listed? • Highlights Relevant to the Topic? • General • Uses Common Language? • Typos / Grammar Issues? • Too Much / Too Lengthy?

65. Reviewing Proposals Focus On: + ∆Positives Deltas • This was great use of... • This showed me you know... • You met the goal by... • This was strong because... • This could be improved by better connecting to... • This could benefit from... • The abstract could use more...

66. Reviewing Proposals Remember: • Review the Content Only • This is NOT About the Person Who Submitted it! • Avoid Using “You did <this>” Sentences • Use a Filter • Think Before You Write • Review as You’d Like to Be Reviewed • Be Constructive • Provide Direction Wherever You Can

67. Presentation Tips & Techniques

68. IIntroduction

69. Russ Unger Who Am I? GE Capital Americas Where Do I Work? Experience Design Director What Do I Do? Uh...

70. Who Really Cares? Hint: Rhymes with “no one”

71. IIWhat I’m Going to Tell You

72. • Preparation • Structure • Timing • Pre-Gaming • On Stage • Q & A • General Niceties Presentation Tips & Techniques

73. IIIPreparation

74. • Tell ‘em • Tell ‘em • Tell ‘em Well, Maybe. But It’s a Good Place to Start. Structure

75. ImageSource©TimeInc. • Creation Hours • Slides Per Minute? • Minutes Per Slide? • Average adult attention span: 15-30 seconds Timing

76. Research Notes / Outline Cards Slides Practice

77. “Whitney Hess I walk through each section, writing in any voice-over that I want to be sure to hit into the Notes area for each slide.

78. • Buy a Good One! • Logitech RS800 is Jared Spool’s Current Favorite The Clicker http://t.co/dX8aG2D The Jared Spool 9000™

79. IVPre-Game

80. “Chris Fahey You aren’t going to sleep the night before, so get plenty of sleep during the week leading up to the night before.

81. • Easy on the caffeine • Light meals / snacks • Find your happy place Light & Easy

82. “Jesse James Garrett Have something small to eat, not a full [meal] or anything heavy. If you’re going to have coffee, do it well before you have to be on stage.

83. Case the Joint

84. “Alex Dittmer I always go pee when they call “five minutes to places”. I’m not sure how I started that habit, but it seems to relax me.

85. “C.E. Lane It seems like there’s some sort of inverse formula stating the harder you are about to rock, the more silent you will become beforehand. Before the biggest solo show I ever played, I fell asleep under a card table.

86. VOn Stage

87. ImageSource©TimeInc. • Prepare! • Prepare! • Prepare! • Remember: You’re the Pro and Authority on the Topic! Stage Fright!

88. “Eytan Mirsky I try to do some [content] I am most comfortable with in the beginning because I know that if/when those go well, I will become more relaxed.

89. “David Armano Try to focus your presentations on something you feel passionate about. That’s one of the reasons my stage fright is pretty minimal.

90. Break the Ice

91. ImageSource©NathanaelBoehm http://www.scottberkun.com/blog/2010/speak-to-bored-audience/ “Scott Berkun If you prepared correctly (meaning you practiced, have clear points, are enthusiastic about them, and understand why the audience showed up) you’ll look like a rock star. (On talking to a bored audience)

92. ImageSource©TimeInc. • Posture • Podium use / reliance • Mics - handhelds, lavalieres, and how to use them • Know your clicker • Don’t T-Rex Stage Presence

93. “ 1. Stand Tall 2. Keep your head and eyes UP 3. Smile 4. Never retreat 5. Move with purpose, energy & enthusiasm 5 Tips for a Good Stage Presence

94. • Love it • Or Leave it • A story: How I Sucked. Enthusiasm! YEAH!

96. ImageSource©TimeInc. • S l o w d o w n • Let people absorb your information • Don’t read your slides • Look at / face the audience • Kill the sarcasm Presenting

97. ImageSource:http://en.academic.ru/dic.nsf/enwiki/143626 “Lee Iacocca You can have brilliant ideas, but if you can’t get those ideas across, they don’t do anybody any good.

98. Perception of Spoken Message in Regards to Communicating F 0 15 30 45 60 Words (7%) Voice (38%) Non-verbals (55%) 5% 95% Who uses the “Disabled” toilet Source: Monarth & Kase, “ﬔe Conﬁdent Speaker” Source: ﬔe Internet People Like Stats

100. • Diplomacy wins • YOU have the microphone • Be nice • Until you can’t Hostiles & Haters

101. • Don’t make a scene • Find your bearings • If all else fails: be honest and forge onward Losing Your Flow ImageSource©TimeInc.

102. “Erik Soens A simple retort such as “Whew... that got away from me, let me reiterate” works just fine.

103. “Eytan Mirsky Most times people are not as aware of any mistakes as you might think. They are not focusing on things the way you, as the performer, are.

104. VIQ&A

105. • Repeat the question • IDK is OK (just follow-up) • Being wrong: also OK • Manage the questioneer • Get out of the way! Basics of Q&A ImageSource©TimeInc.

106. VIIGeneral Niceties

107. ImageSource©TimeInc. • Organizing is hard work • Mistakes happen • Audience is there for you • Be classy Appreciation

108. VIIITake Aways (What I Told You)

109. • Preparation and Rehearsal are your best friends • Pre-Gaming rituals help you find your “A” game • Be aware of your stage presence • Find ways to engage your audience • S L O W D O W N • Don’t forget to think about Q & A • Be nice, be appreciative, stay classy Presentation Tips & Techniques

110. IXResources

111. Additional Resources

112. ImageSource©NathanaelBoehm Quotes / Interview Experts Alex Dittmer David Armano Scott Berkun Jesse James Garrett C.E. Lane Erik Soens Whitney Hess Chris Fahey Eytan Mirsky

113. XClosing Slide

114. Thank You! Thank the Audience Title of the Presentation Your Name / Twitter / Etc. Name of the Event Hashtag Promotional Stuff About You (Employer, Affiliations, etc.)

115. Trial by Fire: Presentations & Critique

116. Trial By Fire We Have Two Rooms and Seven Mentors • 5 Minute Presentations • Given by You! • 5 Minute Critiques (or so) • Led by Mentors • Recordings Will Be Shared in a Few Days • Email Link Sent Directly to You

117. Jared Spool

118. Additional Materials

119. Additional Materials

120. Big Thanks!

121. Our Sponsors

122. Awesome Mentors Jessica Cherok J CorneliusJenn Downs Amy Ellis Loren Norman Rose Robinson Brad Weaver

123. Jared Spool Special Guest

124. Thank YOU! Samantha Starmer - @samanthastarmer Russ Unger - @russu | Ralph Lauren | GE Capital Americas