2025-09-17
3 Tips for First-Time Conference Speakers
In just 3 weeks, Agile Tour Brussels is taking place.
Last week, XP Days Benelux published their schedule.
And at Elia Group Group we're actively preparing the next edition of the Agile Days.
Some sessions of these events will be delivered by first-time speakers, which is very refreshing. 🤩
If you're one of them, you're probably very excited... but also quite nervous. These 3 tips are the ones I followed when I did my first steps not so long ago, so I'm happy if it can help other people too! 😊
✔️ Promote it. Share on LinkedIn, invite people—having an engaged room gives you great energy.
✔️ Relax. Nobody knows what you “meant” to say, so if you forget a line, they won’t notice.
✔️ Do a freaking dry run! Rehearse in real conditions. Stand up, move around, click through slides—practice like it’s the real thing.
Feel free to add more tips to the list, as I'm sure there are maaaaaaaaaaaany more that can make people's early speaking life easier! 😊
You've got this! 🔥
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TOP COMMENTS
It’s great to demystify the art of public speaking at conferences.
One more tip: I constantly struggle with timing. I want to put too much things into the presentation. Keep it simple. Keep space for people to contribute. You are not the only person in the room who has interesting things to share.
One side tip: if you don’t dare speak out in front of a friend and colleague, record a video of yourself. You will see a lot of things to improve and you will get enough confidence to reach out to other people for the second round of reviews.
Jord
Diana Klose I wanted to tag you in this one but I see you were quicker 😄
Erik