Developing For .NET

I can’t believe that September has come and gone so quickly.  After my most recent post, I expected my season to be winding down about now.  Little did I know that the most exciting things were yet to come.

What’s Past

Raleigh Code Camp

I’ve had the pleasure to participate in a couple great events since my last post.  In September I presented at Raleigh Code Camp, also known as RDU Code Camp.  Not that geography has much to do with it, but this was my first time speaking out of state.  I was really impressed by what a great community Raleigh has, and a special kudos to Dug Wilson who headed up the event.  I also had the chance to catch up with an old friend, Michael Marshall.  If you ever need SEO training or consulting, Mike is the genuine article and I highly recommend him.

Richmond Code Camp

Two weeks later we converged on the J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College campus for Richmond Code Camp 2009.2.  Richmond also has a great community, chock full of .NET heavyweights like Kevin Hazzard, Kevin Israel, Andy Leonard, and Justin Etheredge.  And let me tell you, they know how to throw an event!  Great facilities, fellowship, and first-class organization. Kudos to the entire staff. One of the speakers had to cancel last minute, so I got to fill in and give a second presentation.  This was my first time giving two, and I loved it!  For the first time I *almost* felt like I had enough time to speak. <grin>

As always, I cannot stress how wonderful it is to be part of such an active and awesome community.  The community presenters, organizers, and attendees all volunteer their time and knowledge – not a lot of other communities can say that.  If you have never been to a Code Camp or User Group, what are you waiting for?!?

What’s Ahead

Philly Code Camp

Oct. 17th I will be journeying out of state again, this time to present at my first Philly Code Camp.  I’ve heard nothing but great things about this event, and it will be different heading north for a change.  I will be presenting on one of my favorite topics, “Data Binding in Blend”.

CapArea Silverlight SIG – Expression Blend 3 Launch

Oct. 28th I will be presenting at the Expression Blend 3 Launch in Vienna, VA.  Thanks to Frank La Vigne for inviting me, I’m really looking forward to it!

Roanoke Valley Silverlight 3/Expression 3 Launch

Nov. 5th I will be back at my home group, RVNUG, to present at the Silverlight 3 and Expression 3 Launch.

CMAP Code Camp

Nov. 7th is Central Maryland Association of .NET Professionals (CMAP).  I have submitted two presentations, naturally on Blend, so I may be presenting there.  I will update when I know for sure.

PDC09

I’ve heard it said that everyone developing on the Microsoft stack needs to attend PDC at least once in their careers.  Well, fortune has smiled upon me and I will be attending PDC09 this year in Los Angeles, Nov 17-19. The session lineup looks incredible and I am very excited to be attending.  The only thing I already regret is that I will not be able to attend the FREE Win7 Workshop on the 16th.  I plan on blogging a lot while I’m there and sharing a lot when I get back.  I’m sure I won’t want this to be my only trip to PDC!

*WHEW*

I never intended this year to be so jam packed, but what a great year it has been for community events.  I also never intended this blog to have so many posts about myself, but don’t worry: I’ve got some exciting stuff in the pipeline, so I plan to return to more technical content once the event season calms down a bit.  Thanks for reading, hope to see you out in the Community!

Howdy folks,

I recently posted my fall community schedule.  Since then there have been a couple of confirmations and additions.

RDU Code Camp

This will be my first year going to Raleigh for RDU Code Camp.  RDU Code Camp is September 19th at ECPI in Raleigh, NC. I’ve heard nothing but great things, so I am really looking forward to it.

I will be presenting on “Templating and Data Binding in Expression Blend.”  I really enjoy speaking on this topic.  I find Templating and Data Binding to be the crown jewels of WPF, and as always Blend is there to smooth the way.

Richmond Code Camp

Richmond Code Camp, aka RCC2009.2, will be held October 3rd at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College.  This is a great venue and one of my favorite events of the year.

I will be giving my presentation “Using Visual Studio and Blend to Develop WPF Applications.”  If you are new to WPF/Silverlight and or Blend, this is the presentation for you!  I will cover the basics of setting up an application, using Blend to develop the user interface, and how to use the two products simultaneously.

I will be retiring this presentation after RCC, so if you haven’t seen it yet this is your last chance!  If you have seen it, I promise it is a little different every time I give it, and of course it has been updated for Blend 3.

CapArea Silverlight Special Interest Group

I am slated to speak at the CapArea Silverlight Special Interest Group (SIG) at their October 28th meeting. We have not decided on a topic yet, but rest assured it will be Blend and Silverlight oriented!

Get out there!

As always, I really want to encourage you to get out into the community.  I promise that somewhere not so far away from you is a User Group, Code Camp, or other great event that you can take attend. 

You can always find more events all over the country at Community Megaphone, so do yourself a favor and get yourself to an event! I hope to see you around the community.

Justin Etheredge at CodeThinked has asked for people to post some tips and tricks for giving Technical Presentations. His idea is great: provide a repository of Best Practices for technical presenters written by the presenters themselves. The following is my contribution to the cause.

Confidence is King

One thing that keeps never-before presenters from becoming first-time presenters is the misconception that we (the presenters) are all experts on our given topic.  The term expert is pretty specious these days, and as such has lost some of its value. [Digression: If you aren’t sure what I mean, check out The 4-Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferris.  It includes a simple checklist on how to become an ‘Expert’.]  Yes, most of us select topics we feel pretty comfortable about, but I know some presenters who intentionally select topics they aren’t familiar with just so they have some motivation to dig in and learn the topic.

Unless you are watching a presentation from a known authority, like ScottGu, take the presenter and the material with a grain of salt.  Yes, you should rightfully expect that they know what they are talking about, but understand that this is largely because they spent the time preparing the material.  They have invested the time necessary to research, learn, test, and try the particular techniques involved.  They have developed a presentation with an eye towards organization, clarity, and delivery.  And they have practiced giving the presentation, probably more than once.  They appear to know what they are talking about because, well, after all that they probably do!

My point is, if you did this kind of leg work on a particular topic, you would be just as qualified to present.  It’s not that presenters have some special power or ability, or that they have been anointed by Microsoft, it’s just that they have put in the time and learned the material.  And a funny thing happens when you know the material: you have confidence, and in public speaking Confidence is King.

Be Humble: No B.S.

If you’ve ever seen a presenter try to B.S. his way out of something, then you know exactly what I mean.  An audience can tell right away if you don’t know something, and it can get ugly if not handled properly.  Fortunately, yours truly is here to share with you the magic phrase that will get you out of this jam.  Ready?  OK, repeat after me: “I… don’t… know.”  You might want to practice it a few times to make sure it rolls off the tongue naturally.

All kidding aside, don’t be afraid to admit you don’t know an answer.  It is OK to make an educated guess, but if you are guessing or are not completely sure of the answer, say so!  I promise that everyone in the room will understand and appreciate your honesty, which will only serve to increase your credibility.

How you handle it is up to you.  A lot of presenters will promise to find the answer and post it or email it.  You could give suggestions for where the questioner can look, or what other person to ask.  You can even volunteer to meet with the questioner after the presentation.  However you choose to handle it is fine, just be prepared because it will happen.  Don’t let it derail your presentation, just handle it and get back to your material.

Assuming you know your material, there is another thing that will boost your confidence: you must realize that they are there listening to you for a reason.  Hopefully, the reason is that you know something they want to learn.  Coming to grips with this can itself generate confidence and improve the presentation.  But, don’t get cocky!  Stay humble and remember the presentation is not about you, it is about the exchange of information.  You are simply a conduit for that exchange.

Conclusion

To sum it up, have confidence in your knowledge and your presentation.  If you have done your preparation properly, then you’ll do fine.  But don’t let it go to your head: remain humble and don’t be afraid to admit you don’t know something.  Now, say it with me…