Here are all the public presentations I have delivered to-date:
Creating Your First Career Progression Framework
Date: September 2021
Event: WPMRR Virtual Summit
Description: Virtual presentation walking through the fundamentals of what Career Progression Frameworks are, why they are necessary, and how to create one. Features a cameo from Brian Richards who plays my boss in a short skit and an absurd original song performed by me.
Brutally honest WordPress career advice
Date: May 2021
Event: WordCamp NEO 2021
Description: Virtual presentation featuring a collection of tips and strategies for finding and furthering one’s career within the WordPress ecosystem. Career development is one of my favorite topics so it was fun to combine that along with my knowledge of the WordPress job scene to create something helpful for job seekers.
Getting to Know the People You Know
Date: May 2020
Event: Energizers Toastmasters
Description: This virtual session delivered from my home office was a deeply personal speech all about a podcast project I started in hopes of learning more about my own family.
What I Learned From Interviewing 200+ People in WordPress
Date: March 2019
Event: WordCamp Dayton 2019
Description: Another iteration of my session about key lessons and takeaways from the many, many guest interviews I’d conducted while hosting a weekly WordPress show.
Get Options Live QandA
Date: March 2019
Event: WordCamp Dayton 2019
Description: My friend Adam Silver and I co-hosted a live episode of our podcast, Get Options, which included some audience participation and a few special onstage guests.
Ease of Use Inflation and WordPress
Date: December 2018
Event: WordCamp US 2018
Description: Lightning talk presented at the annual national WordPress conference. I presented a reflection I’ve had on the importance of continuously emphasizing ease-of-use when developing software products.
I was reminded during this talk that it’s very important to double check that the event technicians are using the latest version of your slidedeck 😫
What I Learned From Interviewing 200+ People in WordPress
Date: November 2018
Event: WordCamp Seattle 2018
Description: Over the course of about five years I hosted a weekly interview show featuring people from the WordPress community. I learned a lot from their stories. In this presentation I shared a collection of my observations and takeaways after looking back on all of those conversations.
Burn Your Creations
Date: August 2018
Event: Energizers Toastmasters
Description: Another very personal speech, this time about learning to let go of our creations and embrace the process of creating as the real source of joy and value.
Bye Felicia – Web Stuff That’s Going or Gone and Won’t Be Missed
Date: August 2018
Event: WordCamp Jackson 2018
Description: This somewhat satirical, yet still educational talk covered a long list of dead and declining trends and technologies on the web.
A Few of My Favorite WordPress Life Hacks
Date: June 2018
Event: WordCamp Grand Rapids 2018
Description: The last time I presented this topic I included a lot of different tips and ideas and had a great audience.
All my favorite WordPress Life Hacks
Date: May 2018
Event: WordCamp Dayton 2018
Description: My life hacks presentation was a reasonably popular collection of tips, tools, and tricks that I delivered in rapid succession. I gave several variations on this talk at different events.
All my favorite WordPress Life Hacks
Date: April 2018
Event: WordCamp Detroit 2018
Description: One of my first times presenting this topic which was essentially a grab-bag of advice and tips spanning a wide array of topics, all pertaining in some way to our lives as digital business owners.
A Joyfowl Reflection
Date: January 2018
Event: Energizers Toastmasters
Description: A whimsical and personal speech based on a Toastmasters curriculum assignment. I shared stories and anecdotes about growing up on a farm and raising chickens.
Peaches vs Pineapples
Date: August 2017
Event: Energizers Toastmasters
Description: A speech based on a reflection I had about the value of diving deeper into our interests rather than settling for superficial details.
Panel Discussion: Freelancing
Date: July 2017
Event: WordCamp Boston 2017
Description: I assembled a panel of experts (with a couple last minute substitutes) to answer audience questions about being successful while freelancing in WordPress.
Get Options Live
Date: June 2017
Event: WordCamp Kent 2017
Description: Adam Silver and I co-hosted the first ever live episode of our podcast, Get Options.
Digital Ecommerce For Beginners
Date: May 2017
Event: WordCamp Jackson 2017
Description: My Nicholas Cage themed session extolled the wonders of digital products and offered some advice for those getting started selling them.
Panel: Starting and Running a WordPress Agency
Date: May 2017
Event: WordCamp Jackson 2017
Description: A panel of experienced WordPress agency owners were assembled and I moderated this discussion about running a profitable services business.
Rocking the Convention Kyle Style
Date: January 2017
Event: Energizers Toastmasters
Description: I looked back on some lessons that I have learned from attending professional conferences and offered advice to others planning to attend some in the future.
WPBattles – Entrepreneurship vs. Employment
Date: October 2016
Event: WordCamp Ann Arbor 2016
Description: Our third and final edition of #WPBattles featured myself and costar Adam Silver masquerading as super heroes and villains, engaging in epic virtual combat over control of online properties. I portrayed the evil Malwarious, intent on hacking innocent websites. Adam was the virtuous Cyber Shield who thwarts my every attempt.
Panel Discussion: Organizing WordPress Events
Date: October 2016
Event: WordCamp Ann Arbor 2016
Description: As a part of our contributor track at WCA2, I organized and moderated a panel discussion about what goes into creating WordPress related events.
WordPress in Higher Ed
Date: October 2016
Event: NCMPR District 3 Conference
Description: Video unavailable. At this conference for community college employees and proponents, I presented on the merits of using WordPress in higher education. I used a recent client project done with a local community college as a case study.
WPBattles – Entrepreneurship vs. Employment
Date: June 2016
Event: WordCamp Northeast Ohio 2016
Description: In our second #WPBattles face-off, Adam Silver and I battled again at a WordCamp though in a very different style than our previous match. During the heat of the 2016 presidential election, we decided to put on our own suits and format our session as a mock debate. Adam was the candidate representing WordPress entrepreneurship while I made the case for seeking employment. Our friend Angie Bergmann was our outstanding debate moderator.
Getting Started with Freelancing Public Square
Date: June 2016
Event: WordCamp Northeast Ohio 2016
Description: Having spent some years providing custom development services to my own clients, I put together this loose session filled with advice for beginner freelancers and agency owners. I provided an array of pre-written questions we could start conversations with and let the audience determine the direction.
Contributing To WordPress Meta
Date: December 2015
Event: WordCamp US 2015
Description: Lightning talk delivered at the first ever WordCamp US, in Philadelphia, PA. I shared an overview of what the Meta Team does for the WordPress project, shared my contribution story, and encouraged other volunteers to join the team.
WP Battles: Plugins vs. Themes
Date: October 2015
Event: WordCamp Ann Arbor 2015
Description: In the first edition of #WPBattles, my friend Adam Silver and I debated the merits and faults of WordPress plugins and themes…while rapping.
Business in the Front, Party in the Back – Lessons in Admin UX
Date: May 2015
Event: WordCamp North Canton 2015
Description: After spending a lot of time learning about the principles of good admin user experience, and developing some useful plugins to help others facilitate better wp-admin workflows, I created this demonstration which explained how important it is to consider admin users and explained how to make administering a WordPress site much less painful.
Getting Started with WordPress
Date: January 2015
Event: Jackson WordPress Meetup
Description: My friend Peter Shackelford and I co-hosted a monthly meetup for WordPress users in our home town for years. This is one of our earlier recorded presentations which covered a wide range of beginner topics.
Lessons Learned From WordPress Developers
Date: October 2014
Event: WordCamp Ann Arbor 2014
Description: At the inaugural WordCamp Ann Arbor, I assembled a panel of experienced WordPress developers to share useful lessons and tips for those learning to code.
Building a WordPress Business
Date: October 2014
Event: WordCamp Ann Arbor 2014
Description: For this panel discussion, I gathered five experts together and posed questions to them about how others can succeed as entrepreneurs in WordPress.
Theme Customization Best Practices
Date: August 2014
Event: WordCamp Grand Rapids 2014
Description: My Monty Python and the Holy Grail themed educational session dove deep into all the various methods for customizing WordPress themes (at the time) and explained the merits of each.
Don’t Fear the Code
Date: August 2014
Event: WordCamp Grand Rapids 2014
Description: In this very personal session I encouraged non-developers to overcome their imposter syndrome and get more familiar with the code powering their web projects.
Shortcode Shenanigans
Date: June 2014
Event: WordCamp Chicago 2014
Description: The second time I presented at a WordCamp was this 90 minute workshop focused on how shortcodes in WordPress work and what they are used for.