May 1, 2024
From attending one networking event in Zagreb, a few weeks later I ended up in Pula talking about freelancing in front of a local tech community.
I simply just asked a question during a panel session about transitioning to IT during a GDG (Google Developer Groups) meetup that was organised in March. What I asked was if any of the panellists had ever considered freelancing at some point. From this particular event, my networking power was quite high since I also found a guest for my YouTube podcast Curious Business Talks.
After some time since the event passed, I got a LinkedIn request from the guest panellist who answered my question asking me if I would like to speak during one of the future Tech City Pula meetups since I already have two podcasts and create content so consistently. Without thinking too much about it I said yes! The truth is I have been thinking about public speaking opportunities since January when writing my yearly goals. 🤭
Was this mere manifestation then? Could be. My inner intention and desire to grow and improve may have led me to take action towards these events. So when it comes to mental preparation you could say that I have prepared myself quite early on. And on a practice level, well, I have two podcasts, create tutorials on YouTube, do live streams here and there and love networking whenever I feel extroverted so yes.
In the middle of March, I got the invite for the meetup and immediately started preparing by thinking of a couple of topics I could speak about during the presentation. These are the topics which came to mind, for which I am also developing stories about:
When we picked the most interesting topic “How to Start From 0: Is Freelancing Worth It?” I sat down on the floor, literally, and started creating my first-ever mind map to gather my thoughts on what I know about freelancing since I started.
In the next session of preparation, I started listing out important advice that I would tell myself if I started again and also interesting facts beginners would be curious to know. Three days before the presentation I started drafting the presentation slides, which ended up being 20 and recording myself twice improvising what I would mention during the meetup.
On Thursday 25th after 4 hours of bus drive, I took a shower, did my vocal warmup, went to the meetup location and started getting to know some of the guests. Before my presentation, the other presenter talked about his topic on the Flutter router package and before I knew it it was my turn. I tried to focus on the slides and not improvise too much, but there were so many stories coming to mind that I inevitably forgot to tell some of the stories that were included in the presentation as bullet points. 😅
“You were great! Just maybe next time speak a little louder”
“…It looked like it was your 100th presentation”
“You did really good! I enjoyed your presentation and learned something new. It was the perfect balance between informative and motivational.”
“Thank you for being so transparent and honest about your freelancing journey. It was very interesting and inspiring to hear”
“Your presentation made me think more seriously about freelancing and how I approach it.”
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P.S. If you want to be part of my curious journey, you can find me on also on Instagram @angelova.nikoleta.design and LinkedIn (Nikoleta Angelova). Don’t forget to include a note on LinkedIn. 😉
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