Crafting a Conference Talk

Topics Covered:

• Why more people should consider public speaking—and how to get started

• How Petra approaches talk creation: mind maps, card decks, and structured rehearsal

• Teresa’s top-down talk-building method focused on audience transformation

• What makes a good “first talk” (hint: show your work!)

• Why meetup organizers want to hear from new speakers—especially women and underrepresented voices

• Tips for managing stage fright, finding your voice, and choosing your topic

• How big-stage talks (like Product at Heart and Y Oslo) come together over months

• The surprising power of impromptu lines—and how to leave room for them

• Matching your prep process to your stage and experience level

• How public speaking sharpens your thinking and deepens your learning

Resources & Links:

• Follow Teresa Torres: ProductTalk.org

• Follow Petra Wille: Petra-Wille.com

Mentioned in the episode:

• How I Go About Creating a Talk: My Step-by-Step Process (petra-wille.com/blog/how-i-go-about-creating-a…) by Petra Wille

• Nancy Duarte's books (duarte.com/resources/books)

• Myers–Briggs Type Indicator (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myers%E2%80%93Briggs_Typ…)

• Opportunity Solution Trees: Visualize Your Discovery to Stay Aligned and Drive Outcomes (producttalk.org/2023/12/opportunity-solution-t…)

• The Creative Act: A Way of Being (amazon.com/Creative-Act-Way-Being/dp/0593652886) by Rick Rubin

• Cicero Public Speaking Deck (sefirot.it/cicero-deck) – Petra’s go-to tool for structuring talks

• Melissa Suzuno (melissasuzuno.com) - our mutual blog editor

Places to give your first talks:

• Meetup (meetup.com)

• ProductTank (mindtheproduct.com/producttank)

• ProductCamp (productcamp.org)

• Toastmasters International (toastmasters.org)

Conferences mentioned:

• TED (ted.com)

• Product at Heart (productatheart.com)

• Product Management Festival (productmanagementfestival.com)

• Mind the Product Conference (mindtheproduct.com/conferences)

Some of our talks:

• Continuous Discovery Habits (producttalk.org/2024/12/y-oslo-2024/?srsltid=A…) with Teresa for Y Oslo

• Managing Up with Petra (youtube.com/watch?v=qFxHb9waopE) for Y Oslo

• Justify Your Product Decisions and get Stakeholder Buy in (youtube.com/watch?v=t7MWiLvMXXQ) – Teresa Torres, Mind the Product SF 2019

• Even You Can Do Continuous Discovery - Bringing the - Discovery Habits to Every Organization (vimeo.com/843615637) – Teresa Torres, - Product at Heart 2023