Speaking

Since 2014, I’ve been an international conference speaker, covering topics like good management practices, building internal outreach, evangelism and learning initiatives and becoming a better speaker. I also provide coaching and internal training on these topics.

Get in touch at melinda@seckington.com to find out more or to book me for your next event.

Here are a few videos of the talks I've done in the past. For a full list of talk topics, scroll past the videos.

Level Up: Frameworks for Developing Developers

As video games have become more and more complex, game designers put way more time into creating environments where players are engaged and willing to put the time and effort into learning and mastering these skills.

As leads, we can learn a lot from how games are designed to make the internal developer experiences better, since it’s a similar type of environment we want to create: an environment where people can learn and master skills. We should make it easier for developers to understand what options are available to them, allow them to make time for learning and provide structures and processes for them to develop the skills that they want and need for future roles.

This talk will look at how you can help level up your developers by using competencies and career development frameworks, what types of processes you can introduce to support personal development and how developers should be using opportunities like these to get a better understanding of what skills they should focus on.

Employee Evangelism: How To Succeed at Hiring without Really Trying

Hiring good people can be hard. Keeping good people can be hard. It’s made easier though if you can set your company apart as a place that people want to work at. But how do you make the community aware that that’s the case?

Developer evangelists typically evangelise products to developers, but what if the thing you’re trying to sell is the team itself? How can you get your entire team sharing with the community what you’ve built and how you work? This talk examines why you should evangelise your team and gives concrete examples of how to encourage your team to do so.

[Slides]

The Art of Story Design

Once upon a time… A couple of years ago… Did you hear that thing about… Let me tell you a tale… We live in a culture that lives and breathes stories, and we use and rely on them every day. Stories are part of the fabric of our lives.

As developers, we need to understand how our stories have an effect on others, how we can best tell stories to our audiences and how we can share stories about what we do.

This talk will explore the mechanics of storytelling and demonstrate the ways we can tell better stories. It will showcase several techniques and storytelling structures to help you craft more impactful talks, blog posts and conversations.

Talk Portfolio

Add A Little M.A.G.I.C.: Discover how a simple framework can help you overcome fear, find motivation, and take meaningful steps toward your dreams.

If I Can Do It: A talk about my journey in tech, dealing with imposter syndrome, and reflecting & refactoring your skills.

Finding Your Voice: A talk about helping you build your reputation in the tech community, getting you to share what you know with others and figuring out the best way to do that for you.

Refactor Yourself: Learn how to apply refactoring principles to your own habits, combining psychology and coding techniques to drive lasting personal change.

10x Yourself: A talk aimed at engineers to explore how to increase their impact within their teams by building communication and collaboration skills.

Developing Resilience: Explore how to build resilience and adaptability in a constantly changing tech industry, using psychological insights and practical techniques to navigate challenges for yourself and your team.

Command the Stage: What Engineering Leaders Can Learn from World-Class Performers: Unlock the power of stage presence to lead with confidence, inspire your team, and leave a lasting impression, just like a world-class performer.

Disney Driven Development: Discover how lessons from Disney's parks and magical experiences can inspire tech teams to build engaging cultures, memorable events, and connected communities.

From First Day to First Commit: Orchestrating an Onboarding Process: What if we approached onboarding like a West End production, with clear cues, great storytelling, and unforgettable moments to build confidence and connections?

Level Up: Developing Developers: Learn how principles from game design can inspire engineering leaders to create environments that encourage skill development, career growth, and meaningful learning opportunities for developers.

The Art of Slide Design: Learn simple design techniques to create impactful, memorable slide decks that enhance your storytelling and connect with your audience.

The Art of Talk Design: Discover how to design and iterate your talks like a product, using a framework to craft compelling talks that resonate with your audience.

The Art of Story Design: Learn the mechanics of storytelling and discover techniques to craft more impactful talks, blog posts, and conversations that resonate with your audience.

The Art of Communication Design: Explore how to improve your communication with techniques, strategies, and psychological insights to make a meaningful impact across diverse audiences and channels.

Employee Evangelism: Discover how to get your team sharing more about what they do with the wider community.

How to do Goalsetting Workshops: An approach to brainstorming bigger questions before hands-on goal setting

How & Why to Run Internal Hackathons: how to setup internal hackathons to allow your team to get to know each other, collaborate and brainstorm ideas