I have observed that companies use industry conferences for different purposes. Sending engineers and architects to (often far-flung) events to attend as a reward, sending them there to learn and report back, or sending them there to speak. Big conference trips are showcases for projects, talent and networking. We learn from other companies about how they do things there and we share what we’re doing as a company.
Conferences are important. They provide brand awareness for your company and also shows involvement both in the community and the technology.
But conferences aren’t for everyone. Introverts might find it an exhausting struggle to attend. The extra stress of having to present at these large multi-day events could become quite a strain on the body and the mind.
I loathe giving talks. I far prefer a trip to the dentist to have fillings done
Martin Fowler
After having presented myself a few times, I’ve come to appreciate how much stress this places one under, and in fact, I found a post from the great Martin Fowler about how he has also struggled with enjoying this during his career.
So, must you be a public speaker to be a great engineer?
Additionally, should you send your engineers to these events as a company? Does it send the right message to reward engineers with paid vacations in the desert?
Saying More By Saying Less
There is an excellent paper by Edward Tufte called “The Cognitive Style of Powerpoint” which is very worthwhile. Near the beginning, it says:
PowerPoint is entirely presenter-oriented, and not content-oriented, not audience-oriented. The claims of PP marketing are addressed to speakers: “A cure for the presentation jitters.” “Get yourself organized.” “Use the AutoContent Wizard to figure out what you want to say.”
Although presentations have come a long way from purely PowerPoint (use Canva, use Tldraw, use whatever you like), we still end up in a position where the presenter is doing just that: presenting a point of view. There is often no conversation.
Tufte goes on to say:
People can quickly look over tables with hundreds of numbers in, say, financial or sports pages in newspapers. People read 300 to 1,000 printed words a minute, and find their way around a printed map or a 35mm slide displaying 5 to 40 MB in the visual field. Often the visual channel is an intensely high-resolution channel.
65% of us are Visual Thinkers
Despite the visual impact of pictures and that they are a high-capacity channel for conveying information, often, as presenters, we only have one or two points we want to make. The rest is supporting evidence.
In “PowerPoint Does Rocket Science and Better Techniques for Technical Reports“, Tufte argues that the most effective way of presenting information in a technical setting is by distributing a brief written report that can be read by all participants in the first 5 to 10 minutes of the meeting. The rest of the meeting is devoted to discussion and debate.
So should we even be doing presentations at all?
Some conferences take a more liberating structures type of approach to how we meet and organise. I’m a big fan of the open space during DevOpsDays events. The rules for these being:
- Whoever comes is the right people
- Whatever happens is the only thing that could have
- Whenever it starts is the right time
- When it’s over, it’s over
More flexible approaches to discussion and community allow us to find a way of sharing our experiences which often, as attendees of conferences, is denied to us if we’re not already a part of the community. Open spaces are a great way to discover people who share our passions and for us to discover together.
Learning and Community before Voice
What should engineers do when they feel like they have something to say? What should they do to address their need to be heard?
- Find your passion. The best way to do this is to start learning. Read, listen, watch. Find out what you truly enjoy about your job.
- Writing and publishing: start experimenting with ideas. Write blogs or contribute on LinkedIn or other social media.
- Podcasts – creating or participating.
- Conferences – attending ones that represent your values.
- Engaging in meetups and more local, informal events to build network and community
When you have something to say, you don’t need to think of yourself as a speaker. You don’t need to follow what you think is the expected industry norm.
Do your own thing, find your passion, find your audience.