🎤 Submit that CFP right now!
What if it gets rejected? Oh, but my dear, what if it doesn't?
In life, you have to ask for things. Nobody is going to know your potential unless you put in effort to showcase it.
A good way to start building an online presence is to give talks. If you're on the fence about whether to submit a CFP or not, read on to get a push to the other side.
Too many folks are overly self-critical and reject themselves before they submit. I'm guilty of this myself. This is bad. Bad because you failed to try. And that traps you in a vicious circle. Tell me this, how are you ever going to improve without getting feedback?
So the next time you have this thought, put that aside and let the reviewers be the judge. There's no harm in trying. Worst case, you get a no (which was the default case anyway!).
Personal rejection is the worst!
I repeat, don't reject yourself. Snap out of that zone and apply, apply, apply. Apply for a travel grant for that conference. Apply for that dream job you've always wanted. Apply for that.. oh well, I digress.
To anyone who's reading this, you're good enough to give a talk right now! Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. My biggest takeaway from this process is that the rejection is not personal. Nobody has a vendetta against you! There are a million reasons why your talk wasn't accepted that has nothing to do with you:
- Too similar to another already accepted
- Too different to the other talks accepted
- Technical, and they needed more non-technical content
- Too advanced
- Too geared towards beginners
- All over the place
- Too specific
- Not the right fit for attendees
- Your talk isn’t unique (gave at other conferences)
- Your talk is too immature (haven’t given at any other conferences)
Let. That. Sink. In.
Submitting a CFP is free. Now go ahead and do it. What have you got to lose? It's a matter of time before you find a right place that fits the content you want to deliver.
Another topic worth addressing is the anxiety you get just before presenting your talk. Every single time, I have the same question pop up in my mind: There is no rocket-science in this talk. What if someone interrupts me in between and says, this material is too obvious. The struggle is real! The only thing that helped me in this regard is to trust the process. Trust the CFP reviewers. If they have accepted your talk, hold your head up high and deliver the content with confidence.
Sending in a CFP takes guts so if you're applying, you are already a winner in my eyes. Start with a meetup and move your way up to a conference. I'll see you around!
Here's a highly recommended video for speakers:
Until We Meet Again...
🖖 swap