Share your story at Galaxy!
ICYMI — Galaxy is back, and it’s in person this year! Do you have a great story of how you’ve used feature flags and software development, and want to share it?? Have you had a late night or a weekend outage saved by flipping a flag “off”? Have you navigated the trials and tribulations of leading high-performing technical teams and businesses? If so, we want to hear from you!
Galaxy is a two-day technical conference that brings developers, engineering teams, and product teams together to discuss various aspects of software delivery - from building and shipping software to reducing risk in releases, collaborating across teams, product experimentation, platform engineering, and release management. The conference is open to experienced and novice speakers to share their stories and best practices.
Why speak at a technical conference?
Conferences are great opportunities not only to meet people across your industry but can also help with further professional development. Adding speaking engagements to your resume demonstrates your expertise and commitment to the field. These speaking engagements can also increase the visibility of the work that you’re doing — possibly creating new opportunities for you as well.
Whether it's your first conference or your five-hundredth, speaking at conferences hones your public speaking and presentation skills, which are essential for those in or aspiring to be in leadership roles. Additionally, the extra networking opportunities often come with being a speaker — exclusive perks, content, and coaching are always an added benefit.
Overcoming impostor syndrome
If you’re reading this and feeling the pangs of impostor syndrome, know that you’re not alone. It can feel paralyzing to share what you know with others. Remember, your talk doesn’t have to share groundbreaking revelations but instead help to contribute to the ongoing conversation. Think of your talk as a bridge to connect with others through ideas and insights that spark shared feelings and a sense of community.
Still feeling alone? We’re here to help! The LaunchDarkly Events team is happy to collaborate with you to help make your talk successful. Have a great idea but struggling to get it to paper? Reach out! We’re happy to give feedback and provide assistance with your talk proposal.
Additionally, all speakers will receive coaching and further guidance to make their talk an across-the-board success
Preparation tips
If you're interested in presenting a talk or a workshop at the Galaxy Conference, starting with a clear understanding of your main message is crucial. Here are some questions to help you reflect on what you want to convey:
- What is the main point of your talk?
- Why should the audience care about your talk?
- Why are you qualified to give this talk?
- How does your talk fit into the larger context of what’s next for continuous delivery and product development?
- What unique perspective can you add to the conversation?
Crafting your abstract
Once you've clarified your message, the next step is to formalize it in an abstract. Remember that a good abstract is typically no longer than 500 words. Including any suggestions, references, or resources supporting your message is always helpful. Don't worry if you haven't spoken at a conference before; we welcome first-time speakers!
When structuring your abstract, be sure to use a strong thesis statement and back up your thesis statement with supporting details. Tell us what folks will walk away learning from your talk.
A good thesis statement has a topic (what), then a claim (the point that you’re making), followed by evidence (why the point you’re making is correct).
Example thesis statements:
- DJ Toggle is the best DJ because of their good looks, AI-powered tracklist, and great beats.
- LaunchDarkly’s Galaxy Conference is going to be a great conference because of amazing speakers (like you!), future-forward discussions on feature management, and the community of folks coming together.
Once you’ve crafted your abstract with a strong thesis statement, submit it via this portal by February 15, 2024. Want an extra hand or set of eyes? Email Erin Mikail Staples, at emikail@launchdarkly.com, or our events team at events@launchdarkly.com and we’ll set up a time for feedback and coaching.
