When I got started as a conference speaker I would see Jeremy Clark recording his talks and I thought I should record my talks too. It would help me improve as a speaker by seeing how I actually was on stage versus how I think I was. As well, it gives attendees the ability to watch a replay of the talk in case they missed something or weren’t able to see it. This is assuming though that the recordings are posted somewhere and advertised to the attendees, which I used to be really bad about. It was difficult for a long time for me to watch myself giving a talk.
I have done a bunch of conference talks and brown bag sessions this year (~45 in the past 2 years) and here is how I prepare for those talks. Sorry that the reply is a little long but I wanted to make sure you had a process to get started with. Remember that this is my process and you have to find what works best for you.
There is no set time for how long each phase takes. It all depends on the presentation and the length of it. I have had talks where I spent several weeks working on it while other talks were done in less than a day.
One of the first things that you learn when giving presentations is that fonts and font size matters just as much as the content. Below is a listing of the various font settings that I have found to be effective and how to set them in the programs that I use.
If you have other programs that you use, feel free to leave a comment on the font settings that you use.
If you are planning on going to any professional networking events, user groups, or speaking at events, you should have business cards with you. Many times people think, I only need to have business cards if I am looking for a job. This is far from the truth. You should have business cards so that you can connect with the people that you have met. People tend to meet lots of people at events and without a business card, it is difficult for people to remember who you are. It is also a good way for people to be able to follow up with you.