Last year, here on the STC’s Notebook blog, I wrote a series of blog posts on my anticipation about going to my first STC Summit and my experiences from it. If you missed them, just click on my name (Danielle Villegas) on the tag cloud in the right-hand column, and you’ll see them from last year. Going to the Summit was a big event for me, and I was full of anxiety and excitement leading into those days in Atlanta. Suffice it to say, I had a great time, made fantastic connections (including making some new friends), and learned an incredible amount of information.
I decided that I liked going to the Summit so much that I wanted to go again this year. Hooray! So, you’d think that since I wasn’t a Summit newbie anymore, that this time I’d be less anxious because I know what to expect from the Summit. And in that respect, you would be correct. Since I’ve made several STC friends through last year’s Summit, my local chapter, and through some other tech comm conferences this past year, I’m sure to not feel alone while I’m there, which puts me more at ease. But I’m still anxious.
Why?
The answer is simple. For some crazy reason, I decided to go from Summit newbie and dive off the deep end this year to become a presenter. I’m trying to spread my wings beyond merely being a blogger reporting on the scene to sharing some my knowledge with my fellow technical communicators. I don’t know what possessed me to do it. I had nothing to lose other than my time in completing a proposal. But the Program Committee accepted it! Insanity! Now I actually have to deliver!
Fortunately for me, I gave this presentation the first time about a year ago at the STC-PMC Mid-Atlantic Conference in Philadelphia. I presented my topic as a webinar this past fall for a joint session hosted by the STC South Florida chapter that was also attended by the STC Pittsburgh chapter. So, I’m fairly comfortable with my topic, and I’ve gotten good feedback from those sessions on my presentation. I have nothing to worry about, then, right? Wrong! While I’m aware that my audiences were broad before, this time there is potential for a much bigger audience from a wider spectrum of interests, backgrounds, and experiences, so the pressure is on. I’m the person who’s always afraid of the heckler in the crowd who is waiting for the right moment to metaphorically shoot me down from my authoritative position as the presenter. This is why I try to make my presentations feel more like me sharing information and making the session more conversational with the audience, simply because I’m sure there are others out there that can contribute information that would easily supplement mine.
The other reason I decided to become a presenter is that it’s another opportunity for people to get to know me and get a feel for what knowledge I can share with them. It’s an extension beyond my resume, my LinkedIn profile, my e-portfolio, or even my beloved TechCommGeekMom blog. This is the most open and bare exposure I can offer of myself short of a job interview. If you don’t try to push your limits sometimes, how can you grow and learn? I’m sure things will go fine. I won’t know unless I try.
Have you thought about presenting at the STC Summit, or for any chapter or conference event, but were too shy? If you go to the Summit this year, listen and learn from the other presenters, and think about what you can contribute for next year’s 2015 Summit. Have you ever thought, “I know more than (or as much as) that person,” or “I could do that”? Maybe it’s time you should start gathering your thoughts and notes, and start putting something together. Who knows? Perhaps you are the next great expert to teach others at the STC Summit.