Everyone should present at a VMUG, here’s why

Happy New Year people.  With a new year comes new opportunities, new challenges, new chances to shine.  This year I’ve set myself a goal to continue presenting, public speaking and just generally putting myself out there which includes the creation of a YouTube channel to share what I’m up to, in this case a condensed version of the VMworld 2019 presentation that I gave at a VMUG in November.  If you’ve got similar goals, then one of the best ways that you can put yourself out of your comfort zone and get a buzz is to present at your local VMUG.

Prior to joining VMware in 2018, I had never presented at a VMUG.  Who wants to put themselves under pressure in front of strangers I thought, but a good friend of mine convinced me that I was being daft (I was), so I went and covered the vNews spot at the UK North West VMUG, covering VMware Cloud on AWS, and some VMworld bits.

I was nervous.  I must have read my slide deck 20 times and I was at the end of the day, meaning I had all day listening to everyone else to stew on what I had to say.  When it was my turn I got up, spoke in front of maybe 30 people and it was over before I knew it.  I couldn’t believe how much I enjoyed it and I was delighted with the whole experience.  This is me at my first one https://twitter.com/NWEnglandVMUG/status/999318409484652545

And this is me at my latest presenting the content from my video above https://twitter.com/NWEnglandVMUG/status/1197510654866968576

Presenting at a VMUG is an incredible experience that will bring on your public speaking skills leaps and bounds.  You’ll get to speak to like minded IT Professionals and you’ll get a massive kick out it, trust me.  It looks really good on your vExpert application and is a great way to contribute to the vCommunity.  I’ve now presented at three or four and I’m lined up to present at two other VMUGs this year up to now.  Do it, you know you want too.  Just find your closest VMUG on vmug.com and get the ball rolling