Interview of Josepha Haden discussing her experience speaking at WordCamp NYC 2015 with Winstina Hughes.
Q: Do you see a value to presenting at conferences?
A: I encourage everyone to try public speaking. Those with serious phobias, of course, shouldn’t be expected to, but if you’re nervous or a little unsure, it’s a good experience and is a great skill to have. Not every presentation needs to be world-changing, or raising awareness. Even if you’re presenting to a client, it’s still a chance to hone that skill.
Q: What advice would you give someone who is thinking about submitting a proposal?
A: Be brave and submit it. If you’ve got all the information and you’re passionate about it, then you have most of what you need to give a talk.
Q: What might make a proposal stand out?
A: I always make sure that my proposal is more than a single sentence. Most talks I give had a lot of research that went into the subject before I even started pulling together a presentation. If the conference organizer can tell that I am excited, the subject of my talk is clear, and that I’m ready to share that interesting information, I think that can really make your submissions stand out.
Q: Is there anything about WordCamps that are different from other conferences you’ve been to?
A: People at WordCamps are really welcoming. There is a lot of communication with organizers ahead of time and people strike up conversations with you during the day. You don’t feel out of place when you’re there.
Q: What about WordCamp NYC inspired you to submit a proposal with us?
A: Each year, when I was looking at their schedule, it was always a really well-chosen and thoughtful schedule of speakers. It was really an honor to be chosen!
Josepha Haden
Josepha comes from a long line of writers and was raised to be a life-long learner. She has a passion for language and storycrafting, a skill she practices on starsandthemoon.com. Josepha has over a decade of experience using SEO, data analysis, and content marketing to bring success and visibility to clients all over the world. Since 2010 she’s been working in her hometown of Kansas City to increase digital literacy and get more women in technology. Josepha works at Automattic as a community organizer for the WordPress open source project .
Speaker profile: chanthaboune
Twitter: josephahaden