Presentation Goals, Half-Year Update

We’ve reached the midpoint of 2016, and I figure this is as good a time as any to see how my presentation goals are looking.

Here are my four goals:

1. Present four new talks.
2. Present to two brand new audiences.
3. Speak at 12 SQL Saturdays and eight user groups.
4. Get paid to speak at a conference.

I’m doing pretty well for the most part.

Present Four New Talks

So far this year, I have given seven new talks:

1. Introducing Azure ML
2. Peanut Butter & Chocolate:  Integrating Hadoop and SQL Server
3. Machine Learning with R
4. Data Migration with Biml
5. Big Data, Small Data, and Everything In Between
6. Introducing Azure SQL Database
7. Jupyter on the Microsoft Stack

The four bolded talks are ones for which I have finalized slides and could easily present again.  The other three are more demo-driven, although I’m going to turn Jupyter on the Microsoft Stack into a talk entitled R for the SQL Server Developer, which I’m giving in July.  I also have a new talk on SQL Server security features that I haven’t yet unleashed but will do so relatively soon.

In other words, I’ve already blown this goal away.

Present to Two Brand New Audiences

I really have not done this yet.  If I were getting graded, I’d try to sell the .NET User Group’s Polyglot SIG as a “brand new” audience, but it’s not.  I have to get cracking on this; I think I will have my Hadoop audience, but need to find a second audience.

Speak At 12 SQL Saturdays and 8 User Groups

So far this year, I’ve spoken at 9 SQL Saturdays and am on the hook for 3 more:

1. Cleveland (2016-02-06)
2. Tampa (2016-02-27)
3. Chicago (2016-03-05)
4. Richmond (2016-03-19)
5. Madison (2016-04-09)
6. Baltimore (2016-04-30)
7. Jacksonville (2016-05-07)
8. Rochester (2016-05-14)
9. Atlanta (2016-05-21)
10. Maine (2016-06-04)
11. Chattanooga (2016-06-25)
12. Columbus (2016-07-16)

I have a few more irons in the fire, so that certainly won’t be the end of the list.

As far as user group talks go:

1. TriNUG main meeting (2016-01-13)
2. TriPASS (2016-02-16)
3. Polyglot .NET (2016-02-23)
4. TriNUG Data SIG (2016-03-16)
5. Roanoke Valley .NET User Group (2016-05-05)
6. TriPASS (2016-05-17)
7. Polyglot .NET (2016-05-24)
8. Triad PASS BI (2016-06-28)
9. Triad PASS (2016-09-27)

So it looks like I’ve hit that goal already.  Again, I expect to keep up a good user group pace through the rest of the year.

Get Paid to Speak at a Conference

I am speaking at DevTeach in Montreal, this July 5th through the 8th.  I’m going to give two sessions there.

Conclusion

I guess I should set tougher goals next year…  Right now, I’m very happy with my pace of speaking.  In total, I’ve given 20 talks and am on the books for another 8.  I’d like to give 40 sessions by the end of the year, and continue that into next year.  I think one area I’m way behind on is online sessions—I’ve only done one virtual chapter meeting, so there’s a wide world available there.

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