SeanKilleen
commented
7 years ago This is a slightly general question, so for the purposes of this answer I'm going to assume you don't mean a paid speaking gig (I haven't done any of those, so I couldn't answer that one anyway 😄 )
In terms of finding an outlet, Meetup groups are a great way to get started. I recommend finding a local user group on some topic you enjoy and seeing what their past or upcoming meetings look like. Do those topics seem of interest to you? Check out previous talks. Attend the meetup. From there, you can get in touch with the organizers and mention that you have something you'd like to present on.
One thing I've found that's helpful is to change it from the idea of "Getting a speaking gig" to "seeking a speaking gig". Talks are usually something you have to prepare for and submit ahead of time (meetup groups are a bit of a lower bar on that usually which is why they're a great place to experiment). Research some conferences with topics you care about and see when their "request for speakers / papers" opens. These sites usually have nice detailed instructions about what they're looking for. These can be local conferences (I just presented at NoVA Code Camp for example), or they can be national conferences. PaperCall.io has a nice list of conferences. There are also Slack/Twitter channels such as Speak.NET for the .NET community. Google around for call for speakers [topic I care about] and you'll likely see something relevant.
The last thing to figure out: do you have something to add for these groups & people? This is a fun trick question, because the answer is always
YES. YOU TOTALLY DO.
One thing that I've found is helpful to keep in mind is that there are people everywhere -- at least in my experience -- who are looking to "level up" on something. The key, is to match the stuff you like and/or want to talk about to the stuff other people seem like they might want to hear.
All that's left after that is to experiment, iterate, and build up those speaking muscles. And don't hesitate to reach out to your online community for help to improve.
Feel free to write back here if you have more questions or follow-ups (don't worry about the closed label). And shoot me a link when you do your first speaking gig!
via @willkirkby on Twitter :