Daniel Afonso: How to Speak at Tech Conferences, Passion, Pain, Evangelism

Links

- CodeCrafters (Sponsor): https://tej.as/codecrafters

- Daniel on X: https://x.com/danieljcafonso

- Daniel's comic book talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBxipPwGvHY&list=PL6EW34-Kvy8UfigafIhb5l4thKqOvMgIF

Summary

Daniel Afonso shares his journey as a developer advocate, emphasizing his passion for educating developers through conference talks and comic books. He discusses using storytelling and entertainment to explain complex technical topics, including fine-grained reactivity with Marvel's Watchers as an analogy. He addresses overcoming imposter syndrome by learning and presenting topics he initially struggles with and offers tips for creating effective Call for Proposals (CFPs). This episode educates listeners on how tech conferences work and how to secure speaking spots, highlighting the importance of passion, authenticity, and personal experiences in talks, the role of storytelling, and the need for diversity and empathy in developer relations. We also discuss the significance of growth and change in professional environments.

Takeaways

- Embrace opportunities for growth and learning to overcome imposter syndrome.

- Use storytelling and entertainment in presentations to make them engaging and memorable.

- Passion and authenticity are key in delivering engaging talks.

- Diversity in conference talks is important to bring different perspectives and ideas to the audience.

- Empathy is crucial in developer relations and understanding the needs and struggles of others.

Chapters

00:00 Daniel Afonso

03:18 Introduction

06:22 Imposter Syndrome and Conference Speaking

12:14 Using Comic Books to Teach Technical Topics

25:17 Explaining Fine-Grained Reactivity with Watchers

33:12 The Process of Eliminating Imposter Syndrome

35:26 Creating Effective CFPs

01:00:43 The Importance of Diversity in Conference Talks

01:07:18 Passion and Authenticity in Speaking

01:26:23 The Importance of Empathy in Developer Relations

01:37:21 The Importance of Recognizing Personal Value

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