Public speaking at community gatherings or Microsoft events is not something I engage in frequently, but just last week I had the opportunity to participate for the first time at Experts Live held in Utrecht, Netherlands. Additionally, writing blogs like this one is a relatively new experience for me, as my usual focus has been on creating highly technical posts that concentrate on specific, detailed topics.
So you can imagine where this blog is about right? 😁
Today, no heavy technical content (at least not too much), but more about my personal experience at Experts Live this year, how I became the ‘Golden Ticket Winner’ and organized my first public speaking session!
Public speaking master class
This year, I attended two days of Experts Live. On the first day, you could sign up for sessions as you liked, and that’s exactly what I did. However, while signing up, I found myself questioning which masterclass to choose. Should I go for something technical, or should I opt for one to improve my soft skills?
And I must be honest, the option to choose a technical session and go for a deep dive was tempting! But after some long thinking, it became clear to me that if I want to motivate others and give sessions to others I might need something else this time than coding, cloud or security skills.
So at this point it was clear! I will sign-up for the public speaking master class provided by Bert Wolters:
And Erwin Derksen:
Day 1
So the day started off quite well, to be completely honest. There wasn’t much traffic on the road at all, which made the drive much more enjoyable. I had some really nice music playing through the car stereo speakers, creating a great atmosphere inside the car. So there I was, comfortably on my way to Utrecht, feeling relaxed and looking forward to what the day would bring!
Once I arrived at Experts Live, the first thing I did was sign up and collect my badge. After that, I made my way straight to the coffee machine because, honestly, who can start their day without a good cup of coffee after driving for over an hour and taking a quick bathroom break? At least for me, coffee is an absolute must to kick things off! 😆
After enjoying a few sips of my steaming coffee, I slowly made my way upstairs to the conference room. Inside, Bert and Erwin were already fully prepared, standing by the entrance and warmly greeting everyone who walked in with friendly smiles and welcoming words.
So enough with the chit-chat and welcoming words, it was finally time to get down to business and take action without any further delay!
So Erwin kicked off the day with an engaging and energetic session, which was then followed by Bert who covered a wide range of important aspects related to public speaking. They discussed everything from how to design your slides effectively, such as avoiding overcrowding your slides with too much content, choosing the right color schemes, and the advantages of using dark mode versus light mode, to the techniques of speaking confidently and clearly. Additionally, they shared valuable advice on how to captivate your audience’s attention and maintain their interest throughout your presentation. There were many great tips and practical suggestions provided, making it an excellent starting point for anyone eager to embark on the exciting journey of becoming a skilled and confident public speaker!
The interaction was great throughout the day! Not only from Bert and Erwin but also a lot of engagement from the people in the master class. It was clear that it wouldn’t be a day of just listening! It was a day to get our hands dirty as well.
Bert and Erwin mentioned earlier that during the course of the day we would take some time to create a few slides to deliver a brief 10-minute training session at the end of the day. This session would serve as a way for us to share and review what we have learned throughout the day. I want to be completely honest here, I wasn’t planning on giving a session myself. I wasn’t really in the right mindset or flow to prepare for it, especially since I received some significant and impactful news earlier, which greatly affected my mood and focus throughout the day.
So there I stood, holding a few slides that were only half prepared, drawn from a topic I had presented before in my earlier training sessions. I decided to simply ‘be myself,’ which those who know me well might recognize as my usual approach. The story just flowed naturally, as it always does when I speak about something I’m familiar with. I delivered my session on scripting architecture, walking through the presentation and explaining the key points as I went along.
I truly felt the vibrant energy radiating from the audience and noticed their genuine reactions, which showed they were completely immersed in the story just as much as I was. After a few minutes, my presentation came to an end, and the very first thing I heard was, “What the @%!@%, if you can deliver a presentation like this even when you’re not in the ‘flow,’ I really want to see what you’re like when you are fully in the flow.” This remarkable comment filled me with immense pride because it came from respected professionals in the industry who recognized and appreciated my efforts with such a significant compliment.
So, since I was the very last person to provide a session for the day, it was finally time for Bert and Erwin to have a discussion about who would be awarded the coveted golden ticket. After a few minutes of deliberation, they returned and announced, “The ticket goes to the person who wasn’t quite in the flow.” Wait a minute, that’s me?! To my surprise, they congratulated me on receiving it and then asked the ultimate question: “Would you be willing to deliver a technical session tomorrow on a topic of your choice?” Well… sure, why not? It’s already around 5 PM, and I still have a one-hour drive ahead of me. On top of that, I need to prepare some slides, get myself mentally into the right flow, oh, and don’t forget to eat, shower, and get some sleep before the second day starts. Ah well, let’s just dive into it! 😆
So I will save you the boring details about how I created the slides, developed the story, and everything involved in putting it all together, but I just want to say that I am genuinely very grateful to be living in the AI era. This incredible technological advancement has drastically helped me in creating the visuals in a way that would have been much more time-consuming and challenging otherwise!
Day 2
So here we are, already at day 2 of Experts Live Utrecht, a fantastic opportunity to truly shine and showcase our skills. The day kicked off with an absolutely incredible keynote, setting a powerful tone for everything that followed. Huge compliments and heartfelt thanks go to:
Who truly created an absolutely awesome session that left a lasting impression on everyone involved.
So finally, the time had come for me to visit Bert and make my presentation. Although it was mentioned to everyone that you need to gather all sorts of materials before your presentation, I simply didn’t have the time to prepare properly. I didn’t manage to get a pointer, a clicker, or any of the other tools you would normally bring along when presenting a topic in front of an audience.
Thankfully, Bert was incredibly kind and generous to lend me his pointer, so I wouldn’t have to stand glued to my laptop the entire time, awkwardly clicking through the slides manually. This made the whole experience much smoother and more comfortable.
So, I made my way towards the conference room where, this time, I was the one on stage instead of sitting in the audience as I usually do. I set up my laptop, opened my presentation, and patiently waited for everyone to arrive. Initially, I was expecting around 10, maybe 15 people, but to my surprise, more and more people kept walking in! Suddenly, the room was no longer filled with just 15 attendees; instead, there were nearly 40 to 50 people packed inside! (Try to keep your nerves steady in a situation like that! 😆)
So here I go! The slides I had created freshly just the night before, the story I had thought up only the night before… everything was still incredibly fresh in my mind. Would I still remember all the slides perfectly? Would I be able to deliver a smooth and fluent story without stumbling? All sorts of questions were racing through my mind as I stood there, ready to begin. But then, all those worries and doubts simply vanished the moment the first words came out of my mouth! I found myself standing there naturally, fully in my comfort zone. I had prepared some great starter slides with a little bit of fun included, so the audience was well-prepared and excited for an interactive and engaging session ahead.
So I was feeling really good, confident that I had everything under control and ready to succeed! I kept on going through the slides smoothly, actively involving the audience and making sure it wasn’t just me delivering the information but also encouraging the people to learn from each other and share their insights! There was such an amazing, positive vibe in the room, and I could clearly see the interaction happening as well as people being truly focused and engaged throughout the entire session.
As time flew by quickly, one of the organizers, a team of dedicated experts, came live with a sign that clearly mentioned, “5 minutes left!” Holy @#% I thought to myself, I really need to wrap up my story already?! So I made sure to quickly deliver the most important and essential information to the audience, making sure it was fully received and understood. I also took the time to answer some great questions from the attendees, which helped clarify key points. The session ended with a warm and enthusiastic round of applause. And boy, that felt incredibly good, knowing that people had learned something valuable, truly understood my story, and even took the time to compliment me on the hard work I had put into preparing and presenting.
After the session, I received some wonderful compliments, and on my way back to Bert (who, of course, wanted his pointer back with a big smile 😆), I shared exactly how everything had gone. I told him that I was genuinely very happy with both the results and how smoothly the session had unfolded. Bert then complimented me in return and encouraged me to go and speak with Kenneth and Erik, the organizers of Experts Live NL. So, off I went to the next adventure. I found both gentlemen, had the opportunity to get an exclusive behind-the-scenes look, and was pleasantly surprised to receive some really nice goodies (because, honestly, who doesn’t love getting goodies?). The last thing I did before moving on was to get on the photo with the two gentlemen, and then I headed over to my own sessions, as I wanted to experience being part of the audience as well. Though I was quite tired by then, I was also filled with a wealth of information. The only thing left after that was attending the final session of the day, known as ‘the closing note.’ Following the closing note, the director of Experts Live took to the stage and called my name once again, saying, ‘Big applause to our latest expert; Bart Pasmans.’ Wow! Just wow. Even here, my name was being announced in front of everyone. While I’m not usually one to seek public attention, in that moment, I truly felt the appreciation, and that was, without a doubt, the most important thing for me.
That being said, what an absolutely amazing day filled with incredible people. Next year, I’m definitely coming back to reconnect and meet up once again with all those wonderful individuals. And who knows? Maybe I’ll even have the opportunity to run a session for myself once more! Below, you’ll find the slides along with some pictures capturing the highlights of this truly unforgettable and amazing day!
