Danny de Vries2020-02-18T00:00:00Zhttps://www.dandevri.esDanny de Vrieshi@dandevri.esWriting Workflow2019-08-08T00:00:00Zhttps://www.dandevri.es/guides/writing-workflow/<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.dandevri.es/guides/writing-workflow/#why-write">Why write?</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.dandevri.es/guides/writing-workflow/#editor">Editor</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.dandevri.es/guides/writing-workflow/#editorial-process">Editorial process</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.dandevri.es/guides/writing-workflow/#becoming-a-better-writer">Becoming a better writer</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.dandevri.es/guides/writing-workflow/#style-guide">Style Guide</a></li>
</ul>
<h2 id="why-write%3F">Why write? <a class="direct-link" href="https://www.dandevri.es/guides/writing-workflow/#why-write%3F">¶</a></h2>
<p>Writing is a general good skill to have and it's the best medium to voice<br />
your opinions. For me it's a way to understand the material I'm personally learning and write things to remember them. This is my entire writing workflow, from initial idea to draft to published article.</p>
<p>Some guiding principles for my workflow:</p>
<ul>
<li>Distraction free, so no bells and whistles. Navigation and most UI elements should be out of my away.</li>
<li>Markdown Preview to see the text with formatting. To get a feel of how big sections are (flow of the article) and if all the links are displayed.</li>
<li>Support syntax highlighting for the metadata (in <code>yaml</code>) format on the top of each file.</li>
<li>Commit markdown files to a repository after I'm done writing.</li>
</ul>
<p><img src="https://www.dandevri.es/static/img/posts/guides/writing-editor.png" alt="Writing Editor screenshot" /></p>
<p>I thoroughly tested 12+ writing apps and explored their features. After all that testing it struck me, VS Code has lots of these features already built-in. Can I just use VS Code as my default writing app? Code editors have a bunch of useful features for editing text. Since I'm spending most of my time looking at my editor anyways it's seemed like the obvious choize.</p>
<h2 id="editor">Editor <a class="direct-link" href="https://www.dandevri.es/guides/writing-workflow/#editor">¶</a></h2>
<p>VS Code has a <a href="https://www.dandevri.es/guides/writing-workflow/zen-mode">zen mode</a> to get rid of most of the UI. That is a quick win to make it feel more like a writing app. With the introduction of <a href="https://www.dandevri.es/guides/writing-workflow/workspaces">workspaces</a> you can configure settings for specific folders. It's easy to change color themes based on the folders you are in. So I have workspace that puts me in my <code>posts</code> folder of the website. It then changes my color theme to <a href="https://www.dandevri.es/guides/writing-workflow/white"><code>White Night</code></a> and sets the writing font to <a href="https://www.dandevri.es/guides/writing-workflow/duospace">Duospace</a>. I'll use <code>cmd + b</code> to toggle the sidebar to navigate files, <code>cmd + shift + p</code> to preview markdown and use <code>ctrl + backtick</code> to open the <a href="https://www.dandevri.es/guides/writing-workflow/terminal">integrated terminal</a> to commit markdown files. Some must use extensions are:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.dandevri.es/guides/writing-workflow/spell-checker"><code>Code Spell Checker</code></a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.dandevri.es/guides/writing-workflow/all-in-one"><code>Markdown All In One</code></a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.dandevri.es/guides/writing-workflow/word"><code>Wordcount</code></a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.dandevri.es/guides/writing-workflow/alex"><code>Alex</code></a></li>
</ul>
<h2 id="editorial-process">Editorial process <a class="direct-link" href="https://www.dandevri.es/guides/writing-workflow/#editorial-process">¶</a></h2>
<p>Every time a new idea of an article pops up in my head. I'll add it to my writing <a href="https://www.dandevri.es/guides/writing-workflow/notion">Notion Board</a> with initial thoughts and the resources where I got the idea from. I don't usually go 'hunting' for idea's they just accumulate over time. People (student in particular) ask me on my opinions, I usually take note of those and if I get that a questions frequently or that topics comes up frequently I write a post about it. Write down ideas when you get them.</p>
<p>Usually I'll also add a status and <code>created by</code> date. Nothing really methodical but I have basically three stages (inspired by this <a href="https://tim.blog/2019/03/15/safi-bahcall-loonshots/">Tim Ferris podcast</a>) <strong>hunting, drafting and editing.</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Hunting:</strong> the goal is to just gather as much resources and research material</li>
<li><strong>Drafting:</strong> Just write, it doesn't matter if its fast and bad. The goals is to put as many thoughts out of my head into notion.</li>
<li><strong>Editing:</strong> things like spell checking, punctutation, the flow of the sentences and any other small revisions.</li>
</ul>
<p><img src="https://www.dandevri.es/static/img/posts/guides/notion-board.png" alt="Notion board with all article drafts" /></p>
<p>After the final draft is finished I run the text trough <a href="https://www.dandevri.es/guides/writing-workflow/grammarly">Grammarly</a> and the <a href="https://www.dandevri.es/guides/writing-workflow/hemmingway">Hemmingway Editor</a>. If the flow of the text still feels off I sometimes let <a href="https://www.a11ywithlindsey.com/blog/blogging-editing-process">VoiceOver read the article</a> to me. These tools are live-savers for me, it would otherwise take me tons of time to edit which I really don't like doing. After writing the post I do some final checks based on this <a href="https://www.dandevri.es/guides/writing-workflow/article-template">smashing article template</a> and create the assets for social sharing in <a href="https://www.figma.com/">Figma</a>. In steps it would look something like this:</p>
<ol>
<li>Initial idea with resources</li>
<li>Gather Resources (material)</li>
<li>Outline of the post (in bullet points)</li>
<li>First draft (day one)</li>
<li>Revisions</li>
<li>Second draft (day two)</li>
<li>Revisions</li>
<li>Final article (day three)</li>
<li>Review (grammarly + hemmingway)</li>
<li>Quality Control (checking links, sources etc.)</li>
<li>Creating assets (banners, quotes etc.)</li>
<li>Publish on personal website</li>
<li>Share on social channels</li>
</ol>
<h2 id="becoming-a-better-writer">Becoming a better writer <a class="direct-link" href="https://www.dandevri.es/guides/writing-workflow/#becoming-a-better-writer">¶</a></h2>
<p>There is still a huge list of writing related books on my <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/82448855?shelf=writing">Goodreads shelf</a> to improve my writing skills but <a href="https://www.dandevri.es/guides/writing-workflow/writing-fordesigners">Writing for designers by Scott Kubie</a> is a great starter. On <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53343.On_Writing_Well">Writing Well by William Zinsser</a> and <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12543.Bird_by_Bird">Bird by Bird</a> by Anne Lamott are good books to a bit more in-depth. For better technical writing the <a href="https://www.dandevri.es/guides/writing-workflow/shoptalk">Shoptalk Show Episode with Rachel Andrew</a> is a good listen. Writing for all types of audiences is not that easy. Make sure to <a href="https://css-tricks.com/words-avoid-educational-writing/">avoid these words</a>. <a href="https://www.selfdefined.app/">We define our words, but they don't define us</a>.</p>
<ul>
<li>It's not because its already written you shouldn't write.</li>
<li>Creating a content calendar forces you to write and stick to deadlines.</li>
<li>Double check your snippets. Try the code before you post.</li>
<li>It's okay to edit after the effect and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wabi-sabi">correct mistakes</a>.</li>
<li>You don't have to be an expert to have your own opinion.</li>
<li>What's obvious to you might not be <a href="https://sivers.org/obvious">obvious to others</a></li>
<li>Be hesitant about writing for free on other publications. <a href="https://twitter.com/cassidoo/status/1207029680315850752?s=20">Exposure is not compensation</a>.</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="style-guide">Style Guide <a class="direct-link" href="https://www.dandevri.es/guides/writing-workflow/#style-guide">¶</a></h2>
<p><em>I'm still working on this part. The idea is to have some general quality guidelines.</em> Currently looking at <a href="https://www.dandevri.es/guides/writing-workflow/smashing">Smashing Magazine Style Guide</a>, <a href="https://www.dandevri.es/guides/writing-workflow/shopify">Shopify Voice and Tone</a>, and <a href="https://www.dandevri.es/guides/writing-workflow/mailchimp">MailChimp Voice and Tone</a>. Before publishing I usually do some quality control and one final review based on the <a href="https://gist.github.com/rachelandrew/8b4c6b0b223260a2eb966e5ab0a7f7ad">Smashing article template</a>.</p>
<ul>
<li>Keep my (short) articles around ~1000 words with a maximum of ~2000 words.</li>
<li>The title shoud be around ~30 characters.</li>
<li>Heading levels are correct and are logically placed (where they need to break text)</li>
<li>Don't explain why I wrote something but explain why they should read it.</li>
<li>Be honest and don't try to be an expert.</li>
<li>Swear only if it's necessary to make the point.</li>
<li>It's better to be clear than funny.</li>
<li>Never ever <a href="https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Tech%20shame">tech shame</a>.</li>
<li>Don't relly on links in text alone, they should only provide context.</li>
</ul>
<hr />
<h3 id="application-testing">Application testing <a class="direct-link" href="https://www.dandevri.es/guides/writing-workflow/#application-testing">¶</a></h3>
<ul>
<li>Love the minimal interface of <a href="https://www.dandevri.es/guides/writing-workflow/left">Left</a>. The shortcuts of Left are subliminal (inserting time stamps for example).</li>
<li>Left and <a href="https://www.dandevri.es/guides/writing-workflow/iawriter">iA Writer</a> both have word and characters counters at the bottom bar those are handy for technical writing. Especially the reading time calculation.</li>
<li>Quick inserts of markdown snippets in iA Writer. Footnotes, tables etc.</li>
<li>iA writer has custom templates to jump start a post. That could be very useful for starter files for each type of post on this website.</li>
<li>BBEdit, Scrivener, Texpad all felt a bit 'clunky' on start-up and overcomplicated for my personal needs.</li>
<li>Standard Notes have plug and play extensions. You can install plugin and components if you need them.</li>
<li>The Type Writer (focus mode) in Typora which let's you focus on specific paragraphs and makes other words transparent.</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="resources">Resources <a class="direct-link" href="https://www.dandevri.es/guides/writing-workflow/#resources">¶</a></h3>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://dev.to/aspittel/my-blog-post-workflow-from-topic-to-publication-4n78">Blogging Workflow by Ali Spittel</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.a11ywithlindsey.com/blog/blogging-editing-process">My Blogging Editing Process by Lindsey Kopacz</a></li>
<li><a href="https://diessi.ca/blog/writing-mode-in-vs-code/">Writing Mode in VS Code by Diéssica Gurskas</a></li>
<li><a href="https://syntax.fm/show/168/blogging">SyntaxFM on Blogging</a></li>
<li><a href="https://robertheaton.com/2018/12/06/a-blogging-style-guide/">A blogging style guide by Robert Heaton</a></li>
</ul>
User Guide2020-02-14T00:00:00Zhttps://www.dandevri.es/guides/user-guide/<p>I'm not sure about putting this out there. It feels like <em>'exposing'</em> a lot of personal information but it's also the best and fastest way to get to know me. <em>This document is a living breathing thing and likely incomplete, I update it frequently.</em></p>
<p><strong>I was criticized for being different.</strong> I stopped trying to fit in and did things my way, even if it's not what the rest is doing. I'm not perfect and make mistakes. We each have our own opinions, perspectives, and approaches to how we solve problems and that <strong>shape us as individuals</strong>.</p>
<p>It was quite uncomfortable to write this but writing this was also relieving. If you understand yourself you will know how to react in future situations.</p>
<h2 id="personality">Personality <a class="direct-link" href="https://www.dandevri.es/guides/user-guide/#personality">¶</a></h2>
<ul>
<li>ENTJ, INTJ, and ISTJ are personality types that fit me well.</li>
<li>I'm perceptive about systems and strategy. I want to understand systems and foresee logical outcomes.</li>
<li>I like to organize information and resources and increase knowledge and understanding. I reduce all complex things into systems and small tasks.</li>
<li>I'm slightly more introverted. I prefer alone (individual) time (to re-charge) but also engage and express my thoughts and feelings if I feel like I can make a difference.</li>
<li>My dominant cognitive style is Intuition. I abstractly process information.</li>
<li>I'm a thinker, I pursue rational and logical reasoning.</li>
<li>I believe that every person has the responsibility to take care of themselves.</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="life">Life <a class="direct-link" href="https://www.dandevri.es/guides/user-guide/#life">¶</a></h2>
<ul>
<li>I would consider myself a Night Owl. I start my days late and do my best work in the evening after most of the day is over.</li>
<li>I need a lot of sleep to work well.</li>
<li>I’m an intense over-achiever and tend to excessively critique myself when I feel my work isn’t up to par.</li>
<li>I praise myself for being relaxed, I'm rarely stressed and think that almost everything will fall into place.</li>
<li>I tend to overthink too much instead of just getting going.</li>
<li>I care about the value and materials of products.</li>
<li>I am an introvert. I like alone (individual) time.</li>
<li>I don’t take anything too seriously. That’s not to say I don’t understand things that carry weight.</li>
<li>I always ask questions and see if things can be done differently.</li>
<li>I am direct, straight forward and honest.</li>
<li>I question everything. I'm interested in new ideas.</li>
<li>I am not very flexible, I like to know things upfront.</li>
<li>I can stay focused on it for quite a long time, as long as it is a task that I can fully engage in.</li>
<li>If I'm focused and get interrupted I can be curtly.</li>
<li>I like being alone, but that doesn't mean I'm lonely.</li>
<li>I'm driven by being intellectually challenged, a feeling of purpose and creativity.</li>
<li>I might come off as combative because I will disagree and agree with you forcefully. I don't take disagreements personally.</li>
<li>I don't feel compelled to do things by the book.</li>
<li>I love to engage in creative tasks, where rules must be broken for advancement to take place.</li>
<li>Celebrating things is not part of my DNA. I'm not to reward good behavior.</li>
<li>Long exposure to people is exhausting for me. Smalls groups are fine but +8 people, I'm strangely quit. Do not confuse my quiet with a lack of engagement.</li>
<li>I really try to get to the place where people feel very comfortable just saying whatever they want to say.</li>
<li>I prefer to work on 1 thing on my own to make real progress. Then discuss with other people to make adjustments.</li>
<li>I need good tools to work and willing to invest in them. I don't want any tool, hardware or software get in the way of something I want to achieve.</li>
</ul>
<p><img src="https://www.dandevri.es/static/img/posts/guides/personality-patterns.png" alt="Personality Patterns" /></p>
<h3 id="people">People <a class="direct-link" href="https://www.dandevri.es/guides/user-guide/#people">¶</a></h3>
<ul>
<li>I have very high expectations of the people around me.</li>
<li>I believe that most humans are trying to do the right thing.</li>
<li>I hate people who shove responsibility to other people and not take ownership.</li>
<li>I will respect your personal space boundaries.</li>
<li>I own up and apologize if something is my fault.</li>
<li>I sometimes leap to conclusions pretty quickly.</li>
<li>I find it difficult to start a conversation with someone, even if they are familiar. Often the other person has to ask me something first.</li>
<li>I have no trouble addressing people when I think they don't have things in order.</li>
<li>I hate it when people ask "simple" questions that they can read themselves or have not researched.</li>
<li>I look a lot of things that can be done better instead of giving compliments about things that are already good.</li>
<li>In bigger groups I need some time to find my place before I speak up about something.</li>
</ul>
<p><img src="https://www.dandevri.es/static/img/posts/guides/ocean-model.png" alt="Ocean Model" /></p>
<h3 id="time">Time <a class="direct-link" href="https://www.dandevri.es/guides/user-guide/#time">¶</a></h3>
<ul>
<li>My yes is valuable, and therefore I’m more comfortable saying no to things outside of the scope of my interests.</li>
<li>I care about my time. I only do things that are worth doing.</li>
<li>I prioritize important things first and let go of things that don't matter.</li>
<li>Preparation is really important to me.</li>
<li>I'm structured and organized so you can depend on me to get something done. That being said, I am also very critical about what to pursue.</li>
<li>I like the flexibility to schedule my own time. I like to work on my terms and be in total control. I don't like 9-5 jobby jobs.</li>
<li>I don't believe in work/life balance. Your work should be your life. That doesn't mean I work all the time I do believe in taking time off and work on hobby projects.</li>
<li>I'm always on time, most often a bit too early.</li>
<li>I have an on/off switch regarding work. I completely disconnect in the evening and on weekends.</li>
<li>I do things that are in my calendar and on my to-do list. If something's not on there I'm probably not doing it.</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="learning">Learning <a class="direct-link" href="https://www.dandevri.es/guides/user-guide/#learning">¶</a></h3>
<ul>
<li>I am very eager to learn.</li>
<li>I learn something by focussing on 'foundations' first.</li>
<li>I like to try out new things to see if they improve my workflow.</li>
<li>I can quickly teach myself a new tool (both physically and digitally) and then use it.</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="communication">Communication <a class="direct-link" href="https://www.dandevri.es/guides/user-guide/#communication">¶</a></h3>
<ul>
<li>I'm pretty hard to reach. I don't always carry my phone and turn off notifications.</li>
<li>If you can't reach me it doesn't necessarily mean that I'm busy. Just that I don't want to be bothered with your priorities at that moment.</li>
<li>Be clear what you need from me. Ask me what you need and then we can chat.</li>
<li>I don't only tell the problem but also the solution.</li>
<li>If I know a topic well I can explain them in a clear matter and answer questions immediately.</li>
<li>I can listen well and know when to keep my mouth shut.</li>
<li>I need time to think about ideas and suggestions.</li>
<li>I avoid discussion and walk away if I feel like it's not going anywhere.</li>
<li>I never leave a message unanswered.</li>
<li>I don't respond to messages immediately and don't expect that from you.</li>
<li>If something does not need a further answer, don't give me one. Messages and mails with 'thanks' or 'ok' are not necessary.</li>
<li>I do not necessarily consider requests from others to be urgent. I think a lot of things can wait.</li>
<li>I’m a good listener and I like to absorb things first before responding.</li>
<li>If you need me, let me know what for. Don't ask 'can I call you?' or 'can I ask you a question?'. Let me know what it's about.</li>
<li>If prefer async communication (messages, mail) over sync communication (video call).</li>
</ul>
<hr />
<p><em>Inspiration from <a href="https://rickpastoor.com/userguide">Rick Pastoor</a>, <a href="https://firstround.com/review/the-indispensable-document-for-the-modern-manager/">Jay Desai</a> & <a href="https://www.notion.so/Alexander-s-personal-user-guide-48283f8de730407f92e9e413501f9e2e">Alexander Klopping</a> user guides. Personality and quirks are based on <a href="https://www.truity.com/test/big-five-personality-test">The Big Five Personality Test</a>, <a href="https://www.truity.com/test/type-finder-personality-test-new">MBTI® Basics</a>, <a href="https://gripboek.nl/">Grip</a> and <a href="https://www.fulltimeyou.co/">Full Time You</a>.</em></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.getrevue.co/profile/werkslim/issues/werk-slim-een-gebruikershandleiding-voor-jezelf-120623">A user manual for yourself</a> by Rick Pastoor</li>
<li><a href="https://www.notion.so/Personal-User-Guide-feb1c55eb7ef41e996d32cf214de6731">Personal User Guide</a> in Blendle Employee's Handbook</li>
<li><a href="https://randsinrepose.com/archives/how-to-rands/">How to Rands</a> by Rands</li>
<li><a href="https://qz.com/1046131/writing-a-user-manual-at-work-makes-teams-less-anxious-and-more-productive/">Writing a user manual</a> at work by Leah Fessler</li>
<li><a href="https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20170318-writing-the-user-manual-for-yourself">A guide for the 'all about me' generation</a> by Eric Barton</li>
<li><a href="https://firstround.com/review/the-indispensable-document-for-the-modern-manager/">The Indispensable Document for the Modern Manager</a></li>
<li><a href="https://basecamp.com/guides/how-we-communicate">Guide to Internal Communication</a> by Basecamp</li>
</ul>
How I Work2020-02-16T00:00:00Zhttps://www.dandevri.es/guides/how-to-work/<ul>
<li>Meetings are the last resort, not the first option.</li>
<li>I only work on 'fun' and personal projects in the evening, on the weekends and during holidays.</li>
<li>I live in my calendar and then my task lists. If it's not on their I'm not doing it.</li>
<li>I prefer to sit when I work, but I try to get up every hour and do not eat my desk etc.</li>
<li>If I often work more hours, I notice that the quality of my work is rapidly deteriorating. I work best in 1 or 2 hour time blocks.</li>
<li>My definition of a meeting includes an agenda and/or intended purpose, the appropriate amount of productive attendees, and a responsible party running the meeting to a schedule. If I am attending a meeting, I’d prefer starting on time</li>
<li>If you send me a presentation deck a reasonable amount of time before a meeting, I will read it before the meeting and will have my questions at the ready.</li>
<li>Hierarchy of communication (most→ least urgent): Call→ Text→ Slack→ Email.</li>
<li>I switch in time blocks between creative and non-creative work. Deep work and shallow work.</li>
<li>If a meeting doesn't have an agenda upfront I'm not coming.</li>
<li>If it's 'formal' or first contact I prefer e-mail. After that it's instant messaging for me. I stopped salutation and closing e-mails.</li>
<li>I don't like phone calls. I need time to think before I respond.</li>
<li>I prefer to discuss things in real life, but only if it's clear that it can't be discussed over messaging.</li>
<li>Always give a time and date when you want to discuss something. No 'let's talk about it sometime'.</li>
<li>I like communicating via email, you have more time to think about your response.</li>
<li>Don't say “let's discuss” without a follow-up of when we’ll discuss.</li>
<li>When you request something from me, that is mostly your time and your agenda. I don't really prepare in advance since I expect you to take the lead.</li>
<li>I wont always make myself available if you need me. I try to create time blocks where you can ask me things.</li>
<li>I always prepare important meetings and take notes wile meeting.</li>
<li>I record end times for my appointments so that I know when the appointment ends. I do most meetings within 30 minutes.</li>
<li>I try to take one day off on the weekends to recharge</li>
<li>I know when to quit and when to say no.</li>
<li>I don't like small interuptions troughout the day.</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="working">Working <a class="direct-link" href="https://www.dandevri.es/guides/how-to-work/#working">¶</a></h3>
<ul>
<li>I'm a hard worker but only things I feel like doing. But I'm also very lazy. I like to do things in the minimal amount of time necessary. I have a low tolerance for chores and repetitive tasks</li>
<li>I don't like to over-communicate. I usually spare up questions and topics and get trough them at one single long meeting.</li>
<li>I don’t begin work or leave a critique without a highly organized list of next steps and expectations laid out for me</li>
<li>I try the question "what should I do now?" as much as possible. I often plan this in advance.</li>
<li>I organize my time myself and let other people do it as little as possible.</li>
<li>If I think in advance what I'm going to work on, I get more done in a day.</li>
<li>I work poorly when I have days that are fragmented, which is good for days with many meetings, etc.</li>
<li>I don't work well under pressure, I need time to finish things. (flow)</li>
<li>I love saving up work and then quickly completing multiple tasks</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="communication">Communication <a class="direct-link" href="https://www.dandevri.es/guides/how-to-work/#communication">¶</a></h3>
<ul>
<li>
<p>I want to start on time, I'm always early to appointments.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>I don't like it when we are in a conversation and you are doing other things (looking at your phone etc.). Be engaged and nu multi-tasking.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>I don't like it when people asks questions about 'easy' things, things you can look up or solve on your own.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>I don't expect people to respond immediately but I do get frustrated when I have to ask about something twice.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>I work best if I don't have people around me.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>I don't like working under pressure.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>I work poorly when I know later that I have an appointment, fragmented days.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>I work better with music, preferably stimulating house music. Podcast listening things with a lot of voices I am very bad at.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Respond incredibly well to ask assertiveness (“Rands, can you help with X?”). I respond poorly to being told what to do (“Rands, do X.”)</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>I get frustrated when I have to ask about something twice.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>When we are meeting I'm fully commited to the meeting. I'm engaged and fully active, I don’t multitask and only have devices if I need to make notes. I hate it when you are distracted.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>I have quite a lot of travel time, and in general I think that's fine. I can do enough dinners on the train and it will give me time to think.</p>
</li>
</ul>
Public Speaking2020-02-18T00:00:00Zhttps://www.dandevri.es/guides/public-speaking/<ul>
<li>Table of contents:</li>
<li><a href="https://www.dandevri.es/guides/public-speaking/#how-to-start-speaking">Start speaking</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.dandevri.es/guides/public-speaking/#preparing-a-talk">Preparing a talk</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.dandevri.es/guides/public-speaking/#presenting">Presenting</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.dandevri.es/guides/public-speaking/#slide-design">Slide Design</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.dandevri.es/guides/public-speaking/#admin-stuff">Admin stuff</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.dandevri.es/guides/public-speaking/#tips">Tips</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.dandevri.es/guides/public-speaking/#books-and-resources">Resources</a></li>
</ul>
<h2 id="how-to-start-speaking">How to start speaking <a class="direct-link" href="https://www.dandevri.es/guides/public-speaking/#how-to-start-speaking">¶</a></h2>
<h3 id="finding-events-to-speak">Finding events to speak <a class="direct-link" href="https://www.dandevri.es/guides/public-speaking/#finding-events-to-speak">¶</a></h3>
<p>Big events aren’t likely to take a chance on an inexperienced speaker.</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://be.noti.st/2018/start-small">Start small</a> and join a local meet-up group, it's a great way to practice.</li>
<li>Submit to <a href="https://www.cfpland.com/">Call for Papers</a>. CFP's are generally accepted but always remain skeptical.</li>
<li>Conferences ask you to speak. This is a reall priviled position to be in. Remember, you are not obligated to say yes.</li>
</ul>
<p>I think everyone can learn to be a good speaker trough practice, but speaking at conferences isn't for everyone and that's totally okay.</p>
<h3 id="reasons-for-speaking">Reasons for speaking <a class="direct-link" href="https://www.dandevri.es/guides/public-speaking/#reasons-for-speaking">¶</a></h3>
<p>You probably have a love of sharing knowledge and speaking is one of the best ways to do that. You believe in something and want others to share that feeling. Try to avoid starting with something you know nothing about.</p>
<p>When I started teaching I did a ton of free speaking at local meet-ups and guest lectures and companies. Creating and giving a talk is a massive commitment and time investment. Not to mention the research, content preparation and traveling time. That's why I have become quite picky on which events I speak at.</p>
<ul>
<li>You want to explain a technical topic in an easier manner to a wide audience. Take something complicated and try to make it as simple as possible. The best way to learn is to teach it to other people.</li>
<li>Pitch new ideas to your audience. They audience will take the idea and adopt it and share it with other people that have similar interests.</li>
<li>Tell a story, probably a personal story with a case study. Talk about how you struggled with something and figured it out. It will help people learning the same topic.</li>
<li>You'll learn a ton of new skills while watching other talks, traveling to places, build your network, meet people in the industry that you respect and meet friends you only know trough the internet.</li>
</ul>
<p>The flip side of the coin:</p>
<p>Creating and giving a talk is a massive commitment and time investment. Not to mention the research, content preparation and traveling time. If speaking isn't your profession be careful about what commitments you make.</p>
<h2 id="preparing-a-talk">Preparing a talk <a class="direct-link" href="https://www.dandevri.es/guides/public-speaking/#preparing-a-talk">¶</a></h2>
<p>There are two aspects to preparing a talk: the content and the presentation. First think about what you want to say not how to present the material.</p>
<p>Hot topics are usually not that good subjects. Hop topics will mean many people will talk about them.<br />
Convert a popular blog posts you've written to a talk. You can also test out ideas in blog posts.</p>
<p>Keep a list and note down al of your ideas with resources.</p>
<p>How you prepare is very personal, this is just what works for me.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>What is something only you can talk about?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Creating and giving a talk is a massive commitment and time investment. Not to mention the research, content preparation and traveling time.</p>
<p>Rehearse out loud. Just by hearing your words you get to know the flow of the talk. Start a timer and deliver your presentation to no one. If you don't have the time at least rehearse the first couple of slides. This will be awkward at first but record yourself giving the talk, either with a smartphone or just pop open quicktime and record the screen and audio.</p>
<p>Then rehearse with a couple of friends or co-workers.</p>
<p>People will forget most things you've said. Make the talk around one central idea. Focus on the 'what' you want to talk about and then explain why you want to talk about it and how (the best format).</p>
<p>Find something you are intrinsically motivated in. Recognition or getting a raise are not good motivators. It's easier to pick a topic for something you are already inspired by. It's convincing to talk about something you are passionate about.</p>
<p>You can pick a topic you know well, or pick a new topic you've been wanting to learn. Pick something that you are passionate about and that you feel comfortable with. You don't need to be an expert on it.</p>
<p>Talks don't have to be technical, I like workshops more for code-heavy and technical things.</p>
<p>You should definitely rehearse your talk. Rehearsing will take out the 'kinks', see how things differ from written form versus speaking and see if you can fit everything in the allocated time frame.</p>
<p>That's why I have become quite picky on which events I speak at.</p>
<p>Don't worry too much about having a <a href="https://twitter.com/andybudd/status/1177173606327115776">different unique concept</a>. It's okay to take an existing concept and talk abour your own perspectives.</p>
<ul>
<li>Get everything out of your head. Use something like a mind-map or A3 paper or mindnotes. Just make sure it's not a blank file where you put things from top to bottom. You don't wany any order.</li>
<li>Group similar ideas together like 'chunks'. Those are topics or sections that will form your presentation.</li>
<li>Write a rough outline with everything you want to include. It's ok to remove things along the way and filter.</li>
<li>Structure the talk and move around the chunks and section so they will feel like a coherent story.</li>
<li>Create the slides. Nice slides are a good thing but make sure you have a template and don't start from scratch each time. Don't let this be the main source of time when preparing a talk. Slides are not the talk. Don't use the slides as a defence mechanism.</li>
</ul>
<p>The making of the outline also helps you find 'gaps' in your talk.</p>
<p>Ask the organisers if you will be introduced, otherwise put the introduction in your slides. No lengthy introduction but talk a bit yourself.</p>
<h2 id="presenting">Presenting <a class="direct-link" href="https://www.dandevri.es/guides/public-speaking/#presenting">¶</a></h2>
<p>Ever wondered why Ted Talks are only 20 minutes? Because, people have limited attention. Run too long and their attention moves.</p>
<p>Your talk is a performance. Use gestures, use intentions. Be a bit more theatrical than usual.</p>
<p>A performance doesn’t necessarily mean being loud and waving hands. Being calm is even better, people will feel the emotional conviction behind the talk.</p>
<ul>
<li>Pacing a presentation is one of the hardest things to do. The golden rule is that you can't go 'to slow'. Never ever rush. You don't want to rush your conclusion.</li>
<li>Move but try to <a href="https://be.noti.st/2018/stand-still">stand still</a>. Never ever move in front of the screen. Make it natural movement. Lots of moving your feet makes you look nervous.</li>
<li>Confidence monitors are great since you won't have to turn around to see what's on your slides. Or look at the speaker lectern to see the slide that's next up.</li>
<li>Look at the audience and make eye contact. Don't look at your notes and slides all the time. The more eyes you see the better. Look around the room, talk to all sections of the audience. If it's a very large audience just look at the wall just above the audience.</li>
<li>Make sure you have a <a href="https://be.noti.st/2018/create-a-talk-toolkit">Talk Toolkit</a> with a presenter remote and every dongle you can imagine. Also double check the tech and equipment they have at the event. Even ask the organisers for technical specifications.</li>
<li>Check if the audio and video works, if you're wi-fi is enabled if you want to show a webpage.</li>
<li>Ask or research what the stage will look like. Do they have confidence monitors? How wide and large is the stage? Can you look at the notes?</li>
<li>Ask what microphones are available and what type, do they have clip-ons or do you have to hold one? The most common mics are lapel mics and countryman mics. Remember that they usually have a transmitter pack that needs to clip on your trousers.</li>
<li><a href="https://be.noti.st/2018/what-not-to-wear">What to wear?</a> Clothing is very personal, wear what you are comfortable with. If youre not sure, try to dress one level smarter.</li>
<li>Use your voice and body as a tool to keep things interesting.</li>
<li>Minimize 'euhm' and be aware of your speaking patterns. This can only be improved trough practice.</li>
<li>After you are done clear the stage, pack your stuff and make room for the next speaker. At the university there</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="improve-your-presentations">Improve your presentations <a class="direct-link" href="https://www.dandevri.es/guides/public-speaking/#improve-your-presentations">¶</a></h3>
<p>If you give a talk again learn from the questions you get afterwards (in-person or tweets for example) and see if you can improve. Maybe some explanations need to be clearer or pick different examples to illustrate your point. Praise for a presentation might be a good thing but even better are questions. Recording your talk will catch your speaking patterns, it will change your perspective.</p>
<h2 id="slide-design">Slide Design <a class="direct-link" href="https://www.dandevri.es/guides/public-speaking/#slide-design">¶</a></h2>
<p>Many people are visual oriented, so I usually have a ton of images and diagrams to make concepts more clear. You want your slides to accompany your talk, not be the focal point.</p>
<ul>
<li>Create <a href="https://be.noti.st/2018/create-landmark-timing-slides">'landmark slides'</a> that act as timing milestones. Don't use real time-of-day timings.</li>
<li><a href="https://be.noti.st/2018/write-quotable-slides">Write quotable slidest</a> that people can take pictures of to share on social media.</li>
<li>Typograpohy is the biggest thing people get wrong. You can’t go too big, use contrast and don't use many words.</li>
<li>Use different colors for different sections.</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="admin-stuff">Admin stuff <a class="direct-link" href="https://www.dandevri.es/guides/public-speaking/#admin-stuff">¶</a></h2>
<h3 id="speaker-fees">Speaker Fees <a class="direct-link" href="https://www.dandevri.es/guides/public-speaking/#speaker-fees">¶</a></h3>
<p>Never ever pay to speak.</p>
<h3 id="cancelling-conferences">Cancelling conferences <a class="direct-link" href="https://www.dandevri.es/guides/public-speaking/#cancelling-conferences">¶</a></h3>
<p>Life can be messy and it's okay to pull out. I always try to do it well in advance. I try to find a replacement speaker.</p>
<h2 id="tips">Tips <a class="direct-link" href="https://www.dandevri.es/guides/public-speaking/#tips">¶</a></h2>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://be.noti.st/2018/visit-the-room">Visit the room</a> and watch someone else present on the same stage.</li>
<li><a href="https://be.noti.st/2018/learn-from-the-questions">Learn from questions</a> of the audience to tweak your presentation.</li>
<li>Talks get better with practice. Instead of making a whole new talk try to give the same talk a couple of times.</li>
<li>I personally don't like 'here are 7 or 12 things' talks and then go trough each bullet.</li>
<li>Don't try to start with a whole background story and biography. I like to 'pack it' while I'm giving my talk.</li>
<li>Case studies work really well to explain topics or do a deep dive.</li>
<li>Nerves are natural, all you can do is manage them.</li>
<li>I personally choose to have many slides with a small amounts on each. I like the fast-paced flow.</li>
<li>Don't try to be the expert but be a storyteller. A good talk is about failure and your process, not the expertise.</li>
<li>When you give a tech talk, nobody cares about the technical stuff. Technical stuff only matters in the context of a story.</li>
<li>Add your personal story but don't make the talk about you but about the story.</li>
<li>I write my speaker notes in bullet points, not full sentences. This gives enough room for improvisation but enough structure to keep coming back to.</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="books-and-resources">Books and Resources <a class="direct-link" href="https://www.dandevri.es/guides/public-speaking/#books-and-resources">¶</a></h2>
<p><em>Click on the in-line links in this guide to go to relevant articles. Here is a list of books and other resources that helped me set-up this guide.</em></p>
<hr />
<ul>
<li><a href="https://be.noti.st/blog/category/advent-speaker-tips">Notist Advent speaker tips</a></li>
<li><a href="https://adactio.com/journal/14363">Peparing a conference talk by Jeremy Keith</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2018/12/state-of-commercial-web-conferences-events/">Don’t Pay To Speak At Commercial Events</a></li>
<li><a href="https://twitter.com/andybudd/status/1177173606327115776">Andy Budd Twitter Thread</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.ladybug.dev/speaking-at-conferences">Ladybug Podcast about speaking at conferences</a></li>
<li><a href="https://remysharp.com/2014/03/07/youre-paying-to-speak">You're paying to speak by Remy Sharp</a></li>
<li><a href="https://dev.to/emmabostian/speaking-at-technical-conferences-1kkk">Speaking At Technical Conferences by Emma Bostion</a></li>
<li><a href="https://dev.to/aspittel/public-speaking-as-a-developer-2ihj">Public Speaking as a Developer by Ali Spittel</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzVr_nsKoZs&feature=youtu.be">Your Perfect Tech Talk with Saron Yitbarek</a></li>
<li><a href="https://overreacted.io/preparing-for-tech-talk-part-1-motivation/">Preparing for a Tech Talk by Dan Abramov</a></li>
<li><a href="https://speaking.io/">Speaking.io by Zach Holman</a></li>
<li><a href="https://christianheilmann.com/2013/06/20/a-few-tricks-about-public-speaking-and-stage-technology/">A few tricks about public speaking and stage technology</a></li>
</ul>