Just a Click Away

Last month, I had the honor of keynoting the Phi Theta Kappa Regional Conference. The topic of the conference was designed around the Honor’s Topic, “The Democratization of Information: Power, Peril, and Promise”. The title of my 75-minute presentation was: Just a Click* Away.

A huge thanks to Daixin Neill-Quan who was able to capture some of the talk on video. She did a great job of weaving in the highlights, adding some screenshots, as well as some commentary. Check out the 15-minute video below.

Note: I realize that some of the slides are hard to read. Feel free to grab them from my Slideshare page and/or view at the bottom of this post.

Can’t see the video above? Try viewing on YouTube.

This was the first time I’ve ever keynoted an event. What a blast – such a good time. I think that the audience walked away with some new thoughts and perspective on the power, peril and promise of information. This was one of the first times that I’ve actually been nervous before going on stage. Why? Well, my mom, sister, and brother-in-law were watching my talk live. Not often that your family can watch you in person, right? I am so glad they were able to attend. If you fast-forward the video to 14:29, you’ll see my mom (right hand on chin) and brother-in-law (working his phone) on the right side of the screen.

Again, if you’d like to see the entire deck, I’ve uploaded it to Slideshare. You can view it below:

View more presentations from DJ Waldow.

One More Thought

I love speaking in public. Love. I’ve been fortunate over the past several years to hone my speaking skills. I learn something new every time I get on stage. Every topic is a bit different. Every audience reacts in a unique way. There are so many variables.

Most people hate public speaking. Many people would fear public speaking more than death. Remember: You will get better the more you practice. I promise. Take the time to reflect on each and every talk you give. What went right? What went wrong? What would you do the same next time? What would you change? Bring a video camera with you and film your session. As painful as it can be to watch yourself on camera, force yourself to do it.

DJ Waldow
@djwaldow

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