How can you target the audience?
Saturday morning. PHP Quebec Conference 2008 came to an end. This year, I was making a presentation on version control techniques, branching methods and general quality assurance elements. This is not quite the typical subject you can expect at a PHP conference, but I still think bringing more general software development topics to web developers is important. It was not the first time and I guess it won’t be the last.
However, reading the feedback forms, I found out that there was great variety within the audience and I don’t know if there is a way I can address everyone. How can it be to give enough information to teach something to those who actually know quite a bit about software development and at the same time not loose those who are self-thought and basically have no structured foundation? I guess this is something I will have to try and solve for the next time I make a presentation. That and my habit of speaking too fast.
Overall, the session went fine and I am happy with it. Other than the fact that I needed 3 laptops to get the projector working, everything went fine. I noticed that I had forgotten my notes after the presentation, so that’s a good sign I didn’t really need them. The negative comments I had in the feedback forms last year didn’t show up again this time, so that’s also a good thing.
Feedback forms are great. Especially when the organization team has someone as dedicated as Anna FIlina to type back all comments and hand them out to the speakers within hours of the session. Fill those comments, write down what you think should be improved. I think most speakers gladly accept the critics when they receive them.
Anyway, if you attended my presentation and have comments about it you didn’t write on the form, feel free to email me. In the same way, if you have questions you couldn’t ask, I would be glad to help out. Who knows, if I ever give this presentation again, I might be able to incorporate a few more details.