Public Speaking with Elder Moraes
Are you dreaming of giving presentations at conferences and build up your audience?
The January 28, 2025 episode of the “The Out of the Box Developer” with Elder Moraes, had a lot of insights on this very question.
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As a Java Champion and respected developer advocate, Elder Moraes has delivered over 500 presentations in nine years. In this enlightening interview, he shared valuable insights about presenting, content creation, and building an engaged audience. Let’s dive into his key wisdom points.
The Art of Presentation Repetition #
One of the most refreshing insights Elder shared is about repeating presentations. “It’s totally fine to repeat your presentation,” he emphasized, noting that you rarely face the same audience twice. Even at multiple TDC events across different Brazilian states, he confidently presents the same material, knowing it reaches new listeners each time.
Evolution Through Iteration #
“Our talks are never done… every single time that I do the same presentation, I change something.”
Elder reveals that no presentation remains static. Each delivery brings refinements:
- Rephrasing content for better clarity
- Adjusting stories that didn’t land as intended
- Updating code examples
- Fine-tuning the overall structure
Creating Compelling Content: Ask Your Audience #
Elder’s preferred method for developing new presentations is brilliantly simple: ask the audience what they want to know. He shared a success story about his GraalVM native compilation presentation:
- He posted on social media asking what people wanted to know about the topic
- Collected dozens of real questions from developers
- Built his presentation around answering these specific questions
- Result: “People were telling me it was the best presentation about this topic”
“It’s not because I’m great, it’s because I’m answering people’s questions… When I answer you a question and this helps you, you create reciprocity.”
Building Your Audience: Start Where You Are #
A common misconception is that you need a large following to begin sharing knowledge. Elder crushes this myth:
“We all have audience… you have your team, you have your friends, people that work with you… They are your audience. You always start where you are.”
His success formula has remained consistent over the years:
- Share knowledge consistently
- Focus on providing value
- Start with your immediate circle
- Build gradually with better resources and knowledge
Key Takeaways #
- Don’t fear repeating presentations - each delivery reaches new audiences
- Continuously refine and improve your content
- Let your audience guide your content creation
- Start sharing knowledge with whatever audience you currently have
- Focus on answering real questions and solving real problems
Conclusion #
Elder’s approach to technical presenting and audience building is refreshingly practical and accessible. The key isn’t to aim for instant success but to consistently share valuable knowledge, starting with whatever platform and audience you currently have.
Want to connect with Elder Moraes? Follow him on social media for more insights about Java, technical presenting, and developer advocacy.