Publishing and Presenting, Part 1: Yes, You Can!

Who Wants to Hear What I Have to Say?

You might think, Who am I to talk about this topic? I’m not an expert or UX guru. Why would people want to listen to me? Most people who have published or presented have experienced similar self-doubts at first. But this is a fear that never comes true. Usually, the opposite is true: people do show up to hear your presentation—and simply because you’re standing up at the front of the room, they tend to view you as an expert on your topic. Afterward, people come up to thank you and ask for your advice. It’s a great ego boost when audience members come up after your talk to thank you and ask for your help. And that’s what motivates you to continue presenting and publishing.

I’ll Never Get Accepted

Sure, there are publications and conferences that are difficult to get into, but you’d be surprised about the many publications and conferences by which it’s relatively easy to get accepted—if you have good content. Publications and conferences depend on UX professionals to provide a steady stream of content, so they actively look for new authors and presenters.

Even if you don’t think you’ll get accepted, it’s worth a try. At least you’ll have the satisfaction of trying, and you can use the feedback that you receive to improve your next submission. Sometimes the thought that you won’t get accepted can even work for you—as it did for me. If you’re afraid of public speaking, the notion that you won’t get accepted anyway gives you the courage to try.

I Don’t Have Time

It’s true that people in user experience are very busy, but most of us have at least occasional moments when things slow down for a while. Maybe it’s between projects, once you’ve finished a deliverable, when you’re on the train, or just when you’re between meetings. It may seem like you need days of uninterrupted time to write or create a presentation, but by breaking your task down into manageable steps, you can get a lot done in even short periods of time.

Of course, it’s a lot easier if you’re able to work on your writing or presentations for longer stretches of time. The ideal situation is for you to work for a company that encourages you to publish and present, so allows you to write during your free time at work, when you’re between projects. Perhaps you can make the case to your company that encouraging their employees to publish and present promotes the company by portraying its employees as thought leaders in their field.

However, if you can’t work on your writing or presentations during work hours, try to set aside time at night and on weekends. Of course, that’s easier said than done, but since you’re writing on the side, you may not be on a publishing schedule. Hopefully, you can take your time and get it done over time.

Writing Is Difficult

Yes, writing can be difficult. But when you focus on getting one step done at a time, it seems less intimidating. It’s also helpful to have an editor—whether that’s an official title or not—to review your writing and give you critical feedback. That lets you focus simply on getting your ideas down. Later, an editor can help you organize them and make them coherent. In Part 2 of this series, I’ll provide more details on how to develop an effective writing process.

Some people just aren’t writers, so they may never become comfortable with writing. If you’re one of those people, that’s okay. Instead, you can focus on speaking at conferences and other events. Creating a presentation can be easier than writing an article because you can simply plan what you want to say and use visual examples to illustrate your points. If you do use text, it’s usually just brief headings and bullet points.

I Don’t Like Public Speaking

If public speaking makes you anxious, you’re not alone. I would guess that most of the people who present at conferences are nervous at first. But, unless you have a true phobia, you can do it. Fear of public speaking isn’t something that you get over; it’s something that you work through. You can learn to accept your fear as part of the experience of speaking. You’ll feel the fear, but get up and speak anyway—and over time, public speaking will become less threatening. Who knows, you might even come to enjoy it!

There are two ways to get started presenting—despite your fear of public speaking—either ease into it or just dive right in.

If you want to ease into presenting, you could start with a format that doesn’t put you on stage—such as creating a poster for a conference. Or you could participate in a panel, for which you’re one of several panelists instead of the center of attention. Because panelists usually sit at a table, it somehow feels less intimidating than standing in front of an audience. When you’re finally ready to begin presenting, it’s easier if you partner up with someone. Not only does it feel better to share the burden, it’s nice to have someone to share the experience with.

You can minimize your fear of diving into presenting if you think about taking just one step at a time. The first step, submitting a proposal for a conference, isn’t scary. You’re not committing to speak yet. You’re just submitting a proposal. Even if your proposal doesn’t get accepted, you’ll feel good that you tried. If you do get accepted, you may feel nervous, but again, think about taking it one step at a time. Sending in your acceptance, creating a presentation, and preparing for a conference aren’t scary activities, so think about them as individual steps.

When you finally do present, you’ll probably be nervous—but it’s likely that you’ll also feel an adrenaline rush of excitement. Despite experiencing some fear, like most people, you’ll find that it feels good to be in front of an appreciative audience—seeing them nodding along, laughing at your jokes, and asking you questions. Once you’ve finished your presentation, you’ll feel good about what you’ve accomplished. And that’s the feeling that will bring you back to present again and again, despite your fear.

Conclusion

I hope I’ve convinced you that the benefits of publishing and presenting far outweigh any excuses for not doing it. However, despite all of the advantages that I’ve described, publishing and presenting are not for everyone. Some people are perfectly happy in the work they do—without ever publishing or presenting at a conference. There’s nothing wrong with that. But for the rest of us, it’s definitely worth giving publishing and presenting a try.

In Part 2 of this series, I’ll provide detailed advice about how to get started writing, how to establish an effective writing process, and how and where to get your writing published. 

Publisher’s note—If Jim has convinced you that writing an article on a user experience topic would be the right thing for you to do, please submit an article proposal to UXmatters by contacting us at: