Last June, I had the pleasure of meeting Maryia Tuleika for the first time in person at EuroSTAR Conference Edinburgh ! She delivered an inspiring talk titled “Surviving and Thriving with AI in QA.”
Recently, Maryia asked me a powerful question: “Why do you want to speak in public, and how do you deliver a great talk?”
That question made me pause and reflect. Public speaking is more than just standing on a stage it’s about sharing ideas, inspiring others, and growing as a professional.
In this post, I want to share my answer with you:
- Why speaking at conferences matters
- How to create a great talk
- How to deliver it with confidence
1) Why speaking at conferences matters ?
Speaking at a conference gives many benefits:
- You get a new challenge in your job
- You meet people who work in same field and learn from them
- You attend the event for free (and maybe travel too)
- You become known as expert when you speak and share new ideas
2) How to create a great talk ?
To make a good talk, you need story and knowledge:
- Best talks come from real work, not theory
- Use examples, small stories, or funny moments to make it interesting
- Know your topic well, share online, and learn from others
3) How to deliver a good talk?
Giving a talk is more than just showing slides:
- Try your talk in a local meetup or at work, get feedback, and improve
- Know your audience and make it simple for beginners
- Add funny examples and ask questions
- Use clean and visual slides (not too much text)
- Prepare yourself: sleep well, eat well, maybe a snack before talk
- After the talk, ask for feedback and share your slides online
4) Next Steps Ready to Take the Stage?
If this post sparked your interest, why not take the next step? Speaking at a conference is an incredible way to grow, share, and connect.
✅ Start small: Try a local meetup or an internal talk.
✅ Submit your idea: Many conferences are looking for fresh voices like yours.
To help you get started, I highly recommend checking out Software Testing Conferences a great resource to find open Calls for Papers worldwide.
Want more insights from experienced speakers? Explore this GitHub discussion where industry experts share their tips and experiences:
Emna Ayadi 