How to Give a Great WordCamp Talk

Diane Whiddon, our MC from WordCamp 2018, wrote these lessons based on the talks at last year’s camp.

The wonderful experience of WordCamp begins with exceptional, engaging presentations. Here are a few tips based on what I saw last year to make sure your talk is the best it can be.

1. Introduce yourself.

Make sure that the first thing you do is tell the audience your name, your business, and a brief tidbit about your work. You can tell us about your most popular product, a little bit about why you do what you do, or even a simple tagline is a great way to give us a bit of insight into who you are.

2. Introduce your talk.

People become calm and present when they know what to expect, and giving your audience a quick overview of what your talk is going to be about is a great way to get them engaged with you and willing to pay attention.

In addition to giving us a couple of quick sentences about your talk, make sure to tell the audience why you’re giving this talk. Understanding the importance of your subject right up front is another way to ground your listener and get them to care about your topic.

3. Plan for Q&A.

Make sure you set aside at least a few minutes for Q&A at the end of your talk. You’ll learn what really resonated with your audience, and where there might have been confusion or a desire to learn more. You can learn a lot here, so make sure you plan at least a few minutes to connect with your audience after your talk.

4. Give a closing.

Even if you’re short on time, make sure you take at least a few seconds to give the audience your name and business name one last time. Practice this! A better idea is to also include it on the last slide of your presentation.

5. Check out these additional resources.

To get even more prepared, check out the resources page for Speaking at WordCamp from the Organizers manual, including tips on applying to speak and preparing your talk.

Here are some additional links to become and even better Speaker, and make sure that your presentation follow the guidelines for WordCamp:

6. Ready to Speak?

Fill out our Speaker Application before May 9th to get started!