The Portland Linux/Unix Group: Portland's monthly, three-track tech conference, celebrating its 20th anniversary this spring!

• Who: Brian Rohan and Michael Dexter
• What: Public Speaking is the Greatest Skill You Can Possess
• Where: PSU, 1930 SW 4th Ave. Room FAB 86-01 (Lower Level)
• When: Thursday, February 6th, 2014 at 7pm
• Why: The pursuit of technology freedom
• Stream: http://pdxlinux.org/live/

Brian and Michael are back to teach you everything you ever wanted to know about speaking at an open source from PLUG (hint hint) to OSCON.

Brian has years as an experienced Distinguished Toastmaster (beer available at the Lucky Lab NW after the meeting) and Michael has just submitted his paper for the upcoming AsiaBSDCon conference on a topic he had previously known nothing about.

Why should you give a talk?

• You are guaranteed to have a unique topic, experience and perspective
• Audiences are far kinder than you expect (only pros get boo'd!)
• Visuals are always optional and are flexible in format
• No one was born a public speaker, it's simply a learned skill
• There are great resources out there to help you
• Most things that go wrong have nothing to do with you (Tsunamis!)
• Live demos are... risky, but useful
• The LFNW and other CFP's close shortly (hint hint)

Highlight from our Advanced Topics talk: (paraphrased) "My mom got more value out of learning to community with Toastmasters than two years of a (VERY impressive school) scholarship."

YOU may change careers a dozen times in your life and need a new skill set for each job but will ALWAYS need to express yourself and communicate on behalf of yourself and your team. Let PLUG be that first step in what could be worth more than a (VERY impressive school) scholarship!

Brian says:

In 2007 I made the switch from being a machinist to a real estate agent, shortly thereafter I was invited to investigate a Toastmasters club, in order to become a better communicator. Through 5 years and over 40 speeches in Toastmasters I reached the highest level of Distinguished Toastmaster. Simply stepping out of my comfort zone has given me the opportunity introduce dignitaries, and MC fund-raising events for worthwhile causes (notably a record breaking Clark County Republican Party Lincoln Day Dinner auction). Currently I am a recognized top 2% leader in AdvoCare International, helping others achieve their physical and financial goals.

I enjoy using Linux on a personal level for the freedom that it represents.

"You never get rid of public speaking butterflies, you just get them to fly in formation: ~Marv Serhan

Michael says:

Never in a 1,000 years will I speak in public yet I find myself doing it several times a month in Portland and at conferences around the world. I guarantee I'm no Brian Rohan but I fill rooms and get applause. The secret is finding the right room and just doing it. I will talk about the absolute worst that can happen (rarely what you think it would be), the open source conference community and how to get from submitting a proposal to stepping down from the stage.