Snowed in with Confessions of a Public Speaker

ROSE Blog: Rikki's Open Source Exchange

I love a New Year! I'm all about a holiday that doesn't require any actual effort, but does leave you with a fresh start. One of my personal goals this new year is to help encourage other women to attend and participate in open source events. One great way to participate is to speak at an event, and if you're considering submitting your very first talk proposal, you might want to pick up Scott Berkun's Confessions of a Public Speaker.
I read Confessions of a Public Speaker on Christmas Day, while snowed in at my dad's house out in the middle of the country. (That's a photo of my dad, frantically trying to dig us out because *no one* wants to be stuck in a house with yours truly for two days. Happy Birthday, Dad! Thanks for digging us out!)
Confessions of a Public Speaker is a quick, enjoyable read, packed full of personal stories and practical advice. Feeling too freaked out and nervous about speaking in public? Scott offers tips for helping you get over your nerves. If you already speak at events, you'll still find other practical advice on engaging – instead of boring – your audience. Scott also includes his own "confessions" about public speaking engagements that were less than perfect, in addition to humorous confessions from other well-known speakers. The Appendix is particularly useful, offering tips for handling hecklers, filling the front row, and looking good on stage. At the end of the book, Scott provides an annotated bibliography so you can be more than prepared for your next speaking gig. (I really really really wish I'd read this book before my first stab at public speaking. Really.)
And speaking of speaking gigs: SCALE 8x is still accepting talk proposals for the Women in Open Source day. As if speaking at SCALE 8x isn't reward enough, the WIOS speakers can receive a 1-year free subscription to Ubuntu User magazine*, so submit your talk proposal soon!
I confess that I also considered offering my review copy of Confessions of a Public Speaker as a giveaway, but I don't think I'm ready to give it away yet – I should use it as a reference when I'm working on my next talk.
Happy speaking!
* The magazine must be shipped to an address in North America.
Comments
comments powered by DisqusSubscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.

News
-
System76 Releases COSMIC Alpha 7
With scores of bug fixes and a really cool workspaces feature, COSMIC is looking to soon migrate from alpha to beta.
-
OpenMandriva Lx 6.0 Available for Installation
The latest release of OpenMandriva has arrived with a new kernel, an updated Plasma desktop, and a server edition.
-
TrueNAS 25.04 Arrives with Thousands of Changes
One of the most popular Linux-based NAS solutions has rolled out the latest edition, based on Ubuntu 25.04.
-
Fedora 42 Available with Two New Spins
The latest release from the Fedora Project includes the usual updates, a new kernel, an official KDE Plasma spin, and a new System76 spin.
-
So Long, ArcoLinux
The ArcoLinux distribution is the latest Linux distribution to shut down.
-
What Open Source Pros Look for in a Job Role
Learn what professionals in technical and non-technical roles say is most important when seeking a new position.
-
Asahi Linux Runs into Issues with M4 Support
Due to Apple Silicon changes, the Asahi Linux project is at odds with adding support for the M4 chips.
-
Plasma 6.3.4 Now Available
Although not a major release, Plasma 6.3.4 does fix some bugs and offer a subtle change for the Plasma sidebar.
-
Linux Kernel 6.15 First Release Candidate Now Available
Linux Torvalds has announced that the release candidate for the final release of the Linux 6.15 series is now available.
-
Akamai Will Host kernel.org
The organization dedicated to cloud-based solutions has agreed to host kernel.org to deliver long-term stability for the development team.
Thanks