Coder. Speaker. Writer.

Many people have recently asked me for advice on presentation skills so I figured I’d share some of my so-called skillz. I’ll do a series of posts because the knowledge I have spans 16 years, and I want to give people the full spectrum.

The rules of software product creation apply to presentations, the main goal of a presenter is to keep people engaged and coming back for more!  Sure there’s an element of information exchange, but really a presenter should be entertaining and captivate the audience for the entire length of his presentation.  So instead of doing a bunch of how-to posts or lists, I’m going to take a slightly different approach and present narratives based on my experiences as a presenter, which I hope will still be informative and instructive, but mainly fun

Poornima’s first presentation

At the age of 8 I decided I was going to be a  lawyer and after watching one too many episodes of Matlock I knew that I had to have good presentation skills, but I was still a little shy four-eyed introvert  so it wasn’t until the age of 12 that I signed up for the debate team.  The first real presentation I ever did was for the “Optimist Oratorical Contest” it had the tagline: “The time for…”.  The grand prize was $1000 towards a college scholarship.  I spent 2 months preparing for my presentation.  One of my neighbors, Anne-Marie was a 30 something lawyer.  I idolized her, because she was articulate and drove a Toyota 4-runner SUV.  I asked Anne-Marie if she wouldn’t mind helping me out and she responded that she’d love to.

A picture is worth a 1000 words

I started drafting up my oratory.  First thing was to figure out the tagline.  I looked up the word optimist to understand what it meant, and then completed the tagline with “The time for action is now!”  I sat down outlined my speech, wrote it up with lots of catchy phrases, and then took it to Anne-Marie.  Anne-Marie being a sweetheart at the time did what anyone who is approached by a precocious 12 year-old would do, she sat down with me, and proceeded to teach me a few things about speech writing.  The first thing I learned was imagery.  The words I had chosen were flat, I need to paint a picture in the minds of my audience.  She handed me a speech she had written while in law school and I read over it.  It visually depicted the effects of alcohol of a fetus and I was appalled, but more importantly I got the point.  I took my speech back and changed it to included sentences like “bestowed upon your shoulders”, which is really the only sentence  can still remember to this day.

Practice, Practice, Practice

Once I had nailed down my speech in writing I  proceeded to practice it.  I rehearsed it everyday and timed myself, because it had to be under 5 minutes.  On the day of the speech  I needed something to calm my nerves and prevent me from forgetting my speech so I outlined it on a notecard.  I was one of the presenters in the middle going up against a few other girls my age from other middle schools across the school district, and only knew the one other girl from my school, Margaret.  I liked Margaret she was a head taller than me (who wasn’t at the time?) and we were on the debate team together.  The speeches began.  I got up and was a little nervous presenting to an audience of my peers, their parents, and a few adults who were judging.  My heart was racing, but I began the intro strong and then kept going.  I didn’t even look down at my notecard, but just held it in my hand and used it to gesture.

Then Margaret got up, I noticed she was the only presenter who didn’t have a notecard or set of papers that she was reading from.  Her speech went well.

After all the speeches we took a break while the judges decided our fate.  I wasn’t too concerned with the cash prize, because I knew $1000 wasn’t going to be enough for college, but I still held on to a shred of hope.  During the break a lot adults came up to me and commended me for my speech, which I thought was OK, but they thought was fantastic.  I didn’t see them commending anyone else so my shred of hope got bigger.

Results

The judges came back.  We all sat eagerly awaiting.  They were going to announce the people who placed and the winner would go on to try out at regionals for the $1000 scholarship.  They announced the 3rd place winner, it wasn’t me… I started to get a little excited but was still nervous.  Then they announced the 2nd place winner, the announcer paused to pronounce the name slowly… It was me!  Wow, second place not bad.  Sure I hadn’t won but hey I had placed!  Margaret ended up winning.

After the awards I ran into one of the judges, who told me I had the best presentation out of everyone, but the panel had docked me points for using a notecard. DOH!  Regardless I liked the feedback and from that day on knew that whenever I did a presentation I would do it empty handed.

Tweet This Post

In kindergarten I was the kid that got sent home because I couldn’t take naps.  Growing up I’d always be doing something: reading, writing short stories, riding my bike, or coming up with clever  ways to shirk doing Kumon math…  I was the only child for 6 years and had immigrant parents who worked a lot so I learned to entertain myself.  I find joy in having multiple projects going on at once: my startup, bikram yoga, training for a half marathon, speaking engagements, blogging, cooking, reading, traveling and spending time with my friends.  A lot of people have asked me how I juggle it all so I figured I share some tips.  But before you go and try to replicate this model a few caveats:

1. I’m not trying to “keep busy” I genuinely like doing a lot of things.  Some would call me a workaholic, which is a fine with me, but I chose the projects I want to work on.  I also recruit others to participate in my projects if I think its something they would enjoy taking part in or if I think the project is going to be too much for me to handle e.g. SXSW panel, cooking for 10+ people, running a company

2. I’m single this is not meant to be a proclamation or an advertisement…  It just means that I have a LOT of freedom and can do what I without feeling guilty about it.

3. I’m a planner I know there are a lot of people who procrastinate, that doesn’t work for me, and actually causes me to have high anxiety.  I’m a girl scout; I like to be prepared, I’ll anticipate issues coming up and try to think ahead of time how to handle them.

4. I have the memory of an elephant I’ve been blessed with a good memory for events, dates,and data.  For things I know I’ll forget I use a calendar or a long todo list.

5. I’m not a social butterfly contrary to popular belief I am not one who spends a lot of time socializing in the purest sense, i.e. I don’t go to a lot of parties.  Yes I have a LOT of friends but that’s mostly the result of building relationships over the years.  I actually prefer being by myself most of the time even though I’m classified as an ENTJ.  I do enjoy Sunday dinners and meeting up with people 1-1.

Ok so now onto the  ”secrets” behind my machine like ways:

1. Detachment I used to take things to heart when I was younger and it would fester, then I learned to shirk off the little things like my neighbor bitching me out, or someone cutting me off in traffic.  This helps me keep my cool and even keel state.  I also avoid drama or alleviate if at all possible, which I know seems unemotional, but if you’ve met me you know I can be quite emotional in a good way

2. Priorities Just because I have a lot of projects doesn’t mean I give them all equal weight.  My top priority these days is my startup and my team.  Everything and everyone comes after that.  This makes decision-making easy because before I chose to take on a project or task I’ll weigh it against my list of priorities.  And if I don’t have time for it then I just don’t have time.  I don’t like to overcommit myself because then I’m not doing anything particularly well, which by the way is key;  I focus on the quality of my projects and work rather than the quantity.

3. Commitments Once I’ve committed to a project then I’m going to see it through.  That includes meetings, although there are times when I just don’t have time to meet with people.  I feel bad about it and I’ll try to circle back with them if there is too much going on.

3. Diet/Exercise/Sleep These should probably be before detachment.  I try to work out at least 2 times a week but aim for 4-5.  Exercise keeps me happy and its a great outlet for stress.  Sleep keeps me sharp, I am for 6-8 hours.  I have a really hard time sleeping in, even on the weekends.  As far as diet goes I don’t eat crap (hardly any processed foods) and I eat a LOT of fruits, veggies, and lean meats this keeps my blood sugar even throughout the day.  I love dark chocolate, wine, and cocktails but I keep it to a minimum.

4. Focus I can’t multitask.  It may seem like I do, but I’m actually parallelizing and context switching.  I like to do one thing get it done and then move onto to the next.  If this means I don’t accomplish everything on my todo list then so be it.  Tomorrow is another day!

5. Time Sinks I’m hyper aware of how much time it takes to do tasks.  I’m not really a facebook junkie, and will limit my twitter and email times.  I also alway factor in transit time and use it to accomplish things like working on the train, taking phone calls (with my headset) on long drives, or reading when I’m waiting for something or someone.

6. Relaxation?!? Some people like to come home and take a load off.  I prefer relaxing throughout the day, I’ve got a 5 minute yoga routine in the morning, I’ll take a couple 15-20 minute walks throughout the day, and I’ll listen to music in the car or if I’m doing a mundane task it keeps me going.  Exercise is also my form of relaxation, I’ve never really been a couch potato, and sometimes I wish I was.

7. Limits I think its important to know your limits.  Like I said I don’t like to get mad, yell, or obsess.  If I find myself burning out then I will plan a vacation or take a day off.  Keep in mind that these are time that I spend solely by myself!

These are my tips, they may or may not work for you, I certainly don’t advocate anyone copying them exactly, who wants a bunch of Poornima’s running around… and do realize that I’m optimizing for a happy and fulfilling life!

Tweet This Post

On the first day of second grade, I woke up, packed my lunch, got on my bike, and went to school.  I started this trend in second grade, and I’m still doing it.  To this day, how I grew up is a mystery for my dad, and at dinner parties he’ll mention that since the age of 6 I really haven’t changed.  Once I got to middle school and high school both my parents got extremely busy working and commuting.  So there wasn’t really a lot parenting going on, but despite the lack of “adult supervision” I turned out OK.  My parents of course felt bad that they had missed out and took a much more active role in my younger brother’s adolescence than they had with me.

Its been 10 months since I started BizeeBee.  As a founder I’m faced with the same level of independence that I had growing up.  I have “no boss”, I set my own schedule and goals.  Being a founder of a startup is not a cushy job.  Here are some of the challenges that I did not anticipate experiencing and how I’ve dealt with them:

Resolving human conflict is the hardest challenge

Many people think that building a product, distributing it, and raising money are the toughest problems they will face.  None of those are not the hardest problems or even remotely close.  The hardest problem is putting a team together and motivating them to help you find solutions to these problems.  And above all else that is the job of the founder.

Sure you can outsource away your coding, have a PR agency run your marketing campaign, and hire a college student to manage your social media.  But at the end of the day who are the people that you are going to talk to about building a company or bounce ideas off of when it comes to anticipating customer needs?  Or help you put together a kick ass demo and deck to wow investors?  Its your founding team.  These are the people that will stick with you and want to work with you to build something great.  But in order to accomplish things you have to be willing to work with them and for them!

When month 7 rolled along I noticed people were getting stressed out and taking it out on one another.  There was just too much to accomplish and everyone including me was maxing out on throughput.  But it was my job as the founder to keep the team happy.  So I tried a couple things.  First, I setup weekly 1-1s with everyone.  No matter what was going on it was time that each person had to voice their concerns and talk to me.  Second, I checked in with everyone everyday, not to micromanage, but to see how they were doing emotionally.  Third, I planned time for us to spend outside of the office.  Fourth, I started spending time and money on technology that would make people’s lives better: laptops, monitors, and software.  Fifth, no more Saturdays unless there was an immediate deadline.  Sixth, I gave them more time to learn rather than constantly having to produce.  Seventh, I gave us all time to improve our development process and let the team have the freedom to suggest improvements.  Finally, I started delegating and letting people have freedom to own their area: engineering, product, design, and marketing.  I stopped being a control freak perfectionist, and let others have a real voice and the ability to chart the company and product’s course, and above all else create a culture where its OK to make mistakes.

Don’t do it if you just don’t want a boss

A lot of people tease me and ask if I started my startup because I wanted to be my own boss.  Yes that was one of the motivations, but in all honesty, its no what gets me to jump out of bed.  As a founder, your boss is your team, your investors, and your customers.  I realized that early on, and then my primary motivation became the freedom to build: a team, a company, and a product.

Understand your company culture and where it comes from

When you’re last startup is successful you start to think that that is the way to conduct business.  Wrong.  You’re dealing with a new market, working with a different set of people, and your role is also completely different.  I made the mistake of using my past startup as a model, and it certainly backfired on me (see point 1).  What I realized is that the group of people I attracted and hired to work for BizeeBee were completely different from my previous startup.  Yes this is a group of highly motivated people capable of accomplishing great things similar to the last startup.  But fundamentally this group is actually a reflection of who I am, not of my previous boss.  As such they want to be treated the same way I do and have a similar persona.

You must set a clear and consistent vision

You are the only one in the company that can deal with ambiguity, no one else can and should.  You have to set a clear vision of where you’re headed now, tomorrow, 3 months from now, and next year.  People want to know what your goals are for them, for the product, and for the company.  If you don’t tell them they feel like cogs.    Yes the vision may change and when it does, its up to you to let the others know.  But above all else, you have to be consistent in setting that vision and working towards it.  People are working long hours and producing results, the last thing they want is to satisfy someone’s every whim.  They want to know that you have goals that you’ve set and are working towards accomplishing them everyday.

Slow, steady, and smile!

Before I left my last startup I spent 2 months reading about everything: new technology, management and leadership, customer development, and the list goes on.  I learned a lot, but it prepared me for some challenges but I’m still learning.  Everyday there is a new challenge that requires me to rally.  Somedays the challenges are simple, and somedays they’re extremely gut wrenching.  I fight, hustle, and above all else smile!  Because this is supposed to hard but fun

Tweet This Post

I usually don’t like to debate issues of gender or race, but the with the tech community buzzing about the dearth of women entrepreneurs and women in tech I decided it was time to throw in my two cents, after all I am a femgineer.  I think the community overall is conflating two issues into one: the lack of a group does not automatically fault the presence or abundance of another.  I also think people in general complain too much instead of taking action and fixate on negatives instead of finding paths to success.  IMHO I think it boils down to awareness, motivation, and priorities.  I’ll save the claims of meritocracy for a later post.

Awareness

My younger brother and I talk a lot about how we were raised from a very young age to think like engineers.  Our entire family is composed of engineers aside from my mom who is an accountant.  And even though I thought I was going to be a lawyer I somehow managed to come back to my roots.  No one pressured me into being an engineer, my dad did gently nudge me towards taking a computer science class, and even after I dropped out of my freshman year programming class my dad didn’t revisit the topic.  It was I, who out of a sense of failure decided to return and prove to myself that I could hack it (pun intended).

The reason I chose a path of technologist is because I believe it improves human life.  Since the industrial revolution people have been benefiting from technological advances and living happier and longer lives that don’t require back breaking labor.  Hence, my choice to pursue an engineering degree was based on upbringing, a curiosity to discover the space, and a desire to improve human life including my own.

I also had clear models growing up, which I don’t think a lot of kids have.  I knew what a fab looked like by the time I was 10, and my family’s dinnertime conversation revolved around a fascination with Wall Street and high tech.

Priorities

While most girls grow up playing with Barbies and dreaming about their wedding day, my dad banned Barbies, and I fixated on my career goals of being a lawyer, writer, and professor.  To this day I’ve thought about having a family, but it directly conflicts with the vision I have for my life for the next 5-10 years, which is one of freedom, freedom to pursue my own interests whether that’s a career, travel, or even hobbies.  To most people, men or women working at a startup is a huge time commitment.  It takes away time spent with their loved ones.  And for women who want to have a family they see their 20s as a time to find a partner and settle down, not to be working 40+ hours a week, which is the Valley norm whether you’re at a tech company or a startup.  There just aren’t many 9-5 gigs for talented engineers, but realize the compensation is commensurate.  You can’t deny mother nature and the fact that women have a shorter runway than men.  So if children and family are a priority then everything else including being an engineer must take a backseat to that dream.

Motivation

What motivates me is having a purpose and building something of value, which is why I’m in the startup scene.  I initially began as a startup engineer because I wanted to become a better engineer and I also wanted to learn how companies were created.  Next, as a startup founder, I want to learn what it takes to build a business.  Truth be told, the only thing I obsess about aside from my startup is food and staying healthy.  Everything else this year has taken a backseat to my business including dating, friends, and family.  But I knew that going in and I’m capable of staying focused for the long run, because I’m motivated to succeed.  So when people ask why there aren’t more women tech entrepreneurs they need to first ask the question, what does it take to be an tech entrepreneur?  And who is it right for?

Honestly, I wouldn’t have been capable of starting a business when I was 22.  It took me time to build up the courage, confidence, and competence.  And I’m one who enjoys being in uncomfortable situations (working at a startup, opposing arranged marriage, Bikram yoga, the list goes on…), I’m a bit of a masochist.  But that’s not true of all people men and women alike, which is why a large number of people drop out of things whether is engineering or med school and pursue easier paths in life.  It’s also the reason people give into social pressure or settle for things in life instead of trying to push the edge.

At the end of the day people can complain all they want about there not being enough support, funding, resources or peers in any community or scene.  Its up to you to create a vision for your future and amass the resources to reach that vision and it requires giving up some comforts to achieve it.  If there’s one thing that I learned from engineering school its about learning to make trade-offs!

Tweet This Post

I’ve heard a lot of horror stories regarding Rails development and how it has trouble scaling, my verdict is still out.  I also think code can be written inefficiently in any language (I’m certainly guilty of writing SQL queries that pull in too many records).

I really enjoy developing in Rails.  I think Ruby is a very terse language and Rails is framework that helps developers achieve peak productivity.  So I’m trying an experiment with BizeeBee.  The team has been through 3 iterations.  At the end of each iteration we’ve been focused on cleaning up our code base.

For this iteration our goals are:

1. Convert obtrusive AJAX queries (RJS) into straight JS, because we’ve experienced how slow RJS can be.
2. Make the DB agnostic by removing straight SQL calls and instead relying on the ActiveRecord framework, because we don’t want to deal with mySQL vs. Postgres incompatibilities.

I’ve also talked to a couple people in DevOps to get their thoughts on Rails as a framework here are their suggestions:

1. Think about  scale from the beginning because you’ll need to scale before you know it.  They seem to almost value premature optimization over no optimizations.
2. Limit the number of joins you’re performing on your database.  This means restrict the foreign key relationships and try to de-normalize your tables early on.
3. Think about archiving or aggregating historical data.  This will limit full table scans, and give users a richer experience when dealing with data that pertains to the present.  If you need to retrieve older datasets then you’ll need to design around it by messaging users that you’re retrieving older data.

As BizeeBee moves into the fourth iteration, I’ve started to think about how an open beta will result in more users.  David, my back-end developer, and I spend more time thinking about data modeling.  We know which tables we anticipate growing quickly, how we need to address the growth rat, and have started thinking about partitioning schemes to address the growth of data.  Currently our app is hosted on Heroku, which means we don’t have control over our partitioning scheme.  So if we do want to partition we’ll need to host the app ourselves.  But we like the ease of deployment that Heroku offers and how we can closely mirror the staging and production environments without having to configure them ourselves.

While I don’t anticipate us growing overnight, I think its good to start thinking about these problems early on.  I’ve also anticipated the need for caching in the short-term and will implement it depending on usage patterns.  As far as using a solution like NoSQL or MongoDB, my main reluctance to embrace it is the need for an ACID database, one that maintains data integrity.  I know a lot of startups have openly welcomed both, but my skepticism originates from the need to have a highly accurate system that cannot tolerate data glitches.  I’m dealing with transactional data that belongs to small business owners, and can’t afford for the service to be unreliable.

I’m curious to hear about everyone else’s experience and architecture regarding scaling in Rails and how their stack has morphed overtime…

Tweet This Post