Getting up on stage
Scott Davis: Public speaking continues to be one of the number one fears that many people have. There's that common nightmare where you're standing up in front of your classmates at school giving a report and, all of a sudden, you're naked or you've forgotten what you wanted to say next. It takes a real act of courage to stand up and present yourself as an authority, especially to a group of your peers.
On the flip side, I really try to be mindful about not appearing arrogant. I try to turn each presentation about software into a personal journey—a "hero's journey" if you're familiar with the literary concept. I don't want to stand up and say, "I know this and you don't, so why don't you sit back and listen to me talk about how much I know." I like standing up and saying, "Hey, I'm a Java developer and I just discovered this new language, Groovy. Let me show you what I...
