Edit 2022 -
Find your User Groups here Azure Data Community
The timing was good enough that I could offer to do a talk based on my previous post on Windows Azure for my SQL User Group SQL SouthWest when Jonathan and Annette.( @FatherJack and @MrsFatherJack) put out a call for volunteers (Edit Sept 2020 - Brave enough to say now that Jonathan just told me I was doing it !! In the nicest possible way).
I did my best with the 7 P’s. I ran through it at lunchtime, I made sure I had power and a HDMI lead after checking with Jonathan, I got a glass of water. I knew the first line I was going to say
However, I neglected to check that I would have HDMI in at the location so everything that was on my laptop was useless! My laptop did very odd things to the USB stick when I tried to transfer to Jonathans laptop and he didn’t have Powershell V3 installed so whilst Neil Hambly @Neil_Hambly from Confio was speaking I was busy ignoring a very interesting talk on Waits to install and configure Powershell Azure on my Azure VM. Sorry Neil.
But in the end it more or less worked and we are lucky to have such a patient and supportive user group who helped me along the way as well. Thank you folks
Things I took away from the evening
- Double check you have all the connections
- Practice and Practice some more
- Think about the times when something is running and what you will say when there is nothing to see
- Presenting completely inside a RDP session adds unnecessary complication
- The Demo Gods WILL hit you and the curse of the red text will fall upon you during the presentation. Accept it and move on.
- Have an opening line
- Remember to breath (especially when the demo falls over)
- Enjoy it!
It didn’t go perfectly but people gave me some good feedback and I am pleased to say that I have pointed people towards something new that will help them and passed over my knowledge and that to me is what the SQL Community is all about. I have a load of other ideas for things I can talk about and blog about so it is going to be a very busy time for me as I work my way through them and do all the other exciting things coming my way in the SQL world.
Visit your own User Group – You can find them here Azure Data Community
If you are in the South West UK then come and join our group. Free training and conversation with like minded people once a month and pizza too what could be better!!