Some years ago, after my public speaking for geeks workshop @ Codemotion Rome, I was discussing with some friends about having a mandatory dry run for unknown speakers, at least in the keynotes and in the main track.
In 2016, with my colleague Erica Barone, we did the dry run with most of the speakers of the main track of Future Decoded/Community Days. That track was just after the keynotes, and it was entirely streamed online. It was essential for us to guarantee the highest possible quality. Doing the dry run doesn’t mean that there won’t be problems, but at least you’ve done everything to prevent them. Another significant side effect is that you know that content speakers are delivering is in line with the expectations of the organizers (and of the public, I hope).
I don’t find it acceptable for a conference to waste my time on bad or off-topic sessions, at least in the main track. And no, “we didn’t have time” is not an excuse… and now “we didn’t think about that” isn’t an excuse, too.
(This post is a new version of the post published on LinkedIn in 2017)
[…] Dry run, that means a rehearsal, can be used to test the session, to test the timing, to test the flow, to test the degree of sarcasm in the presentation, to test the expectations of the audience, or to test the compliance to the Code of Conduct. As you probably already know, I’m a big fan of dry runs. […]
[…] a big fan of dry runs, as you already know, and this is no exception. I studied the text the days before, and I prepared […]