INTRODUCING #FEEDFORWARD…

1. INTRODUCING #FEEDFORWARD… with Mike Laverick (VMware) VMware “Senior” Cloud Infrastructure “Evangelist” Blog: www.mikelaverick.com Email: mike@mikelaverick.com Twitter: @mike_laverick

2. Why am I here today? • Tell you about my personal vision of the Global VMUG… • To encourage you to present at your next VMUG session • To tell you about #FeedForward – a new mentoring program designed to help you!

3. My Community; My vmUG; My Story….

4. What others contribute… • vmUG Leaders • Time!!! • Concalls – Build the Agenda • Sponsor Relations – Gold? Silver, Platinum, Moderating Vendor content  • Speaker Liaison… • VMware Liaison… • Venue Liaison – Teas, Coffee, Food, Internet Access, Projectors • Promotion – Twitter, Blog, Linkedin, Facebook • Attendee Admin – Registration, Signing, Timings • Gathering & Analyzing Feedback, Actions? • Sponsors send people • Yes, they hope to make contacts to make sales… • BUT, how often does that actually happen…?

5. That moment at the end of the vmUG…

6. Excuses, Excuses, Excuses • My Manager wouldn’t approve it • Don’t mention your company • Don’t disclose IP/Hostname/ • It’s political • Talk about how you overcome challenges • Because you work for such a great company • I’m just a small environment • >50% of VMUG audiences are SMBs • The myth of Enterprize • People would find me boring… • No we won’t • We WANT you to succeed • We WANT you to present

7. The Real Reasons… • Confidence…? • Nerves…? • People will judge me…? • Difficult questions…? • You need support!

8. Introducing… #FeedForward http://vmugvoice.vmug.com/2014/February14.htm WE WILL HELP YOU!

9. Some Early Wins – Frank Brix Pedersen - @FrankBrix “I want to help new community speakers to step up and share their story. It is all about bringing the ‘U’ back in VMUG”

10. Some Early Wins – RasmusHaslund - @haslund “Frank and I set up a Skype video chat and went over what I had already prepared. Basically, I presented like I would have done at the VMUG event. The kind assistance and advice Frank gave me was invaluable! I truly believe my session was many times better than it would have been otherwise. Obviously, I was still very nervous, this being my first VMUG presentation, but I felt at ease knowing someone else had helped me with the “sharp edges,” which I would normally not have heard about until after the presentation.”

11. Some Early Wins – @NickFurnell “The approach really clarified my own thinking, and the fact that we wandered in and around the subject matter prepared me for the typical “audience heckler.” My confidence grew, and although the method appeared to be an elaborate three-hour chat, Mike concluded the session by simply saying that we were done and that I was ready to deliver my subject matter!”

12. Some Early Wins - @AlexGalbraith “The benefits to me were two-fold. Having that second pair of eyes on my slides and presentation from someone who does this day in, day out gave me confidence that the content was up to par. Then having a practice run in a zero-pressure environment where the audience understands the subject matter and gives you constructive feedback is absolutely invaluable! I would have asked my wife, but having her fall asleep mid-presentation through boredom would not have done my confidence any good.”

13. Some Early Wins - @m80arm MichaelArmstrong “I’m currently an SE at VMware and have always wanted to improve on my public speaking and presentation skills so the VMUG’s and FeedForward was a great opportunity to present and also for a seasoned presenter to give me FeedForward before hand. We ended up spending around 2 hrs going over my presentation. The FeedForward was very valuable and also helped with my confidence to deliver the presentation and know that the content was informative. I would definitely recommend FeedForward to anyone looking to present at VMUG’s and will be looking to use this great community lead initiative for future presentations”

14. Some Early Wins – @HansDeLeenheer “Sometimes just having a check on your slide deck by someone experienced with presenting is very helpful. Getting that personal touch of someone covering your back is worth a lot more than a blog post with tips and tricks. Tips and tricks won’t help making it a good story. Tips and tricks won’t help you with that stress relief. I have seen inexperienced speakers thrive when doing a duo session with a ‘senior,’ for example. So whether you just want to show us your deck, do a mock presentation on Skype/Google+ or even have your back on stage, I promise we will do everything in our power to help you thrive.”

15. How to get #FeedForward • Contact you local VMUG leaders – ask for the name of their #FeedForward Mentor… • General Enquiries - Twitter • #Feedward • @Feed4ward • SIGN UP NOW: vmug.com/feedforward

16. And Finally for prospective presenters…. • BE YOURSELF • SELF-DEPRECIATION GOES A LONG WAY • MAKE A JOKE • SACRIFICE A SMALL GOAT TO THE GODS OF DEMOS…. • …above enjoy the experience • …you might get to like it… 

17. And Finally - Thank you to my #FeedForward Mentor @HansDeLeenheer

18. Any Volunteers? Blog: www.mikelaverick.com Email: mike@mikelaverick.com Twitter: @mike_laverick