So this week was another first for me, I finally bit the bullet and gave a talk at the Leeds SQL Server User Group and it was great, I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Public speaking is something that I have wanted to do for a while now but have put off because of nerves to be honest.  I have given plenty talks to colleagues at a number of previous employers but never publicly, I had the mindset that I would be more comfortable speaking to my peers, rather than as I had previously envisaged a "rowdy bunch of data professionals".  My talk was about indexes and in particular demonstrating practices that I employ in my position as a production DBA.  You can find the PowerPoint presentation and accompanying scripts here.  The scripts were developed and used on SQL Server 2008 R2.

I can honestly say that it was an enjoyable experience, I wanted to involve the audience so rather than just listening there could be some interaction between us, which I thought worked very well.  I have taken a lot away from the evening and learned a few things about myself as well as how I can improve the next time I give a talk.  Yes I want to continue to do public speaking, why?  Well, I want to continue to give back to the fantastic SQL Server Community we have, to teach and also to learn.  I believe this will make me not only a better DBA, but a better person.

Enjoy!

Chris