Stepping onto stage - a dream or nightmare?

Here's a system to make it work for you.

Author

Candice Grobler
June 11, 2025

What if speaking wasn’t just visibility... but a whole growth channel?

A few weeks ago, I stood in front of 200+ devs and did something unexpected: I made them stop. And talk. To each other.

What followed was pure magic: They didn’t run away, instead we had laughter, side-hustle swaps, and a room full of devs networking like pros. That moment made me realise (again) just how powerful speaking can be, not just for impact, but for growing your business, community, and confidence.

If you're curious about how speaking can unlock real opportunities (without needing a million followers or perfect pitch decks), then today’s essay is for you!

Let me show you how I treat speaking like a growth channel, and how you can too.

When I graduated matric I couldn't even look someone in the eyes. I was that shy. And now?

Two weeks ago stood in front of ~200 devs in Joburg (and ~100 in Cape Town), gave a talk called "Side-hustle AND keep your day job", and halfway through... I asked the audience to stop and talk to each other.

What happened next blew my mind.

The room erupted into excited chatter. People were laughing, sharing their side-hustle dreams, connecting like old friends. It was electric. I got messages afterward like: “This was the best networking event at DevConf.” And I felt it, people are hungry to build something of their own.

Me with a witty quip to give me feedback - at DevConf CPT: Taken by the DevConf team

Speaking as a personal and professional growth channel

The first time I spoke at DevConf, I thought it would just be a cool moment. But that one moment became a growth lever for my business, my mindset, and my community work.

It wasn’t just about being visible, it was about being memorable and useful. Since that first talk:

  • I got to work with EskomSePush (a literal bucket list client!)

  • Built friendships with mentors like Ewald Horn and Robert Maclean

  • Got invited to podcasts, other community events, and even more conferences!

💡 Tip: If you're new to speaking, think of your first talk as your MVP, minimum viable presentation. Don’t over-polish, just make sure it answers one real question your audience is already asking.

This time around, I:

  • Met a sponsor for one of my NPO clients (wild!)

  • Connected with 3 community organisers who want to collaborate

  • Was invited to give my talk at four other events, one of them is happening next week (if you’d like to catch it RSVP here).

💡 Tip: Speaking isn't just about stage-time, it’s about hallway chats, DM follow-ups, and building resonance that outlives your 30 minutes on stage.

Speaking is now my favourite lead-generation channel. It builds trust, shows off what I know without screaming into the void, and leads to work I care about. Plus, it’s scrappy, powerful, and way less soul-sucking than trying to please the algorithm gods.

Me having an absolute ball on stage: Taken by the DevConf team

A system to speak easy

The getting up on stage part is actually easy on the day. But you know what sucks?

Rewriting your bio for the 100th time. Forgetting where you pitched a talk. Losing your own slide decks. Total chaos.

So I built a Notion-based speaker hub with:

  • A Content/Topics Database

  • One Speaker Bio + all my headshots + sizes (no more scrambling)

  • A Talk Application Pipeline so I know who I pitched and when

Now everything lives in one place and pitching takes 5 mins instead of 5 hours of procrastination followed by panicked last-minute submissions…

(Since you’re a valued reader, you can have a peak here)

It’s calm. It’s collected. It lets me focus on the actual fun of speaking, not the admin.

💡 Tip: If you want to start speaking more, track these three things: your best-performing talks, where you’ve applied, and common audience questions, they’re your goldmine for new talk ideas.

This is for speakers (or aspiring speakers) who:

→ Want to speak at events but feel overwhelmed by the process,

→ Are tired of reinventing the wheel every time

→ Want to start treating your talks like the products they are (because polished talks deserve repeat value!)

💡 Tip: Want to make your talk pitch-ready? Add a title, 3 bullet takeaways, and one emotional hook. That combo lands more than you think.

DevConf is special. It's community-led, community-voted, and a celebration of people brave enough to share. That moment when 200 strangers started networking mid-talk?

I’ll carry it with me forever!

Speaking grows your brand. But more than that, it grows you.

Do one thing that scares you today. Pitch the talk. Start the side-hustle. Download the template.

And if you're nervous? Reply to this email. I’ll cheer you on.

We’ve had quite a few exciting things happening in the Candid Community, here’s just a few of the things our members are talking about:

If you’d like to see your work shared here, please do join the Candid Community for free here and post your work in the Show & Tell or Resource Exchange spaces.

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