Log in or create a free Rosenverse account to watch this video.
Log in Create free account100s of community videos are available to free members. Conference talks are generally available to Gold members.
Summary
Some of us are naturals when we take the stage, whether virtual or in person. But most presenters struggle--with time limits, clear storytelling, impostor syndrome, slide creation paralysis, and good old fashioned stage fright. So we've convened some of the UX pros who curate Rosenfeld Media's conference programs and help prepare their speakers--they'll answer your questions and offer some tips on what makes a good UX conference presentation.
Key Insights
-
•
Inclusivity in speaker selection and presentation development enriches conference content and broadens audience relevance.
-
•
Collaboration during talk preparation, including peer cohorts and speaker coaches, significantly elevates presentation quality.
-
•
Iteration over time is essential; rushed last-minute talks rarely succeed or engage effectively.
-
•
Passion and intrinsic motivation in a topic strongly differentiate compelling talks from routine ones.
-
•
New speakers with fresh perspectives often bring valuable insights that resonate well with audiences still exploring the topic.
-
•
Panel discussions work best with pre-event planning to tease out varied, possibly conflicting viewpoints, avoiding bland consensus.
-
•
Starting small with informal talks or meetups helps speakers refine material and build confidence before pitching to large conferences.
-
•
Conference curators focus on thematic narrative arcs in programs, so narrowly focused talks are easier to integrate and develop.
-
•
Rejecting a talk does not imply poor quality but often results from program constraints or lack of fit with other sessions.
-
•
Speakers should build a portfolio of modular talk content that can evolve, mix, and be repurposed for varied venues and audiences.
Notable Quotes
"Inclusion means not just who’s on the program but who you’re researching and collaborating with as you create your presentation."
"Collaboration with peers and speaker coaches creates better content and stronger relationships beyond the conference."
"Iteration means don’t prepare your talk the night before. Start early, practice, and evolve your message over time."
"Give a s**t about your topic. If you’re not trying to change something, why are you on stage?"
"Don’t be afraid to poke the bear; controversy can help make your talk stand out and provoke meaningful discussion."
"Newness isn’t necessarily a new methodology—it can be a new way of looking at something familiar."
"Starting small with local meetups or internal talks helps you test and improve your material before bigger stages."
"Most bad panels feel like a bunch of people showing up at the last minute without shared goals or preparation."
"If your talk isn’t accepted, it doesn’t mean it’s bad—it might just not fit the program’s narrative arc or available slots."
"Building a portfolio of talks, refreshed over time, lets you keep evolving and sharing your ideas in different formats."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"A lot of times those data streams are acting somewhat independently."
Brad Peters Anne MamaghaniShort Take #1: UX/Product Lessons from Your Industry Peers
December 6, 2022
"We constantly collect feedback to improve our community and design practice because iteration is key to impact."
Lona MooreScaling Design Beyond Designers
June 11, 2021
"AI is a design material, not just a tool or function you add to an experience."
Josh Clark Veronika KindredSentient Design, AI, and the Radically Adaptive Experience (1st of 3 seminars)
January 15, 2025
"If we can’t provide research as a service at scale, we need to make sure the teams are equipped to do it on their own."
Erin May Roberta Dombrowski Laura Oxenfeld Brooke HintonDistributed, Democratized, Decentralized: Finding a Research Model to Support Your Org
March 10, 2022
"There were moments like long kind of awkward pauses where the model was processing, and sometimes it actually spoke over participants."
Tara TresselInvestigating qualitative depth of AI-moderated interviews
March 10, 2026
"We kept feeling the same consistent pain around some truths for our design system."
Charles Lee Jennie YipBuilding a New Home for the Atlassian Design System
October 22, 2020
"Every student has unique strengths that should be recognized and nurtured."
Kristin SkinnerFive Years of DesignOps
September 29, 2021
"Hoard and reuse your jewels. Those proven frameworks can amplify every hour of your work."
Megan BlockerGetting to the “So What?”: How Management Consulting Practices Can Transform Your Approach to Research
March 26, 2024
"We developed family-facing intake tools to make the service experience more transparent and equitable."
Shanti Mathew Natalie Sims Natalia RadywylCivic Design at Scale: Introducing the Public Policy Layer Cake
December 9, 2021