We organize Tech Talk weekly to share knowledge. This week, a staff member who was supposed to do Tech Talk #69 had to cancel due to health reasons. Incidentally, 69 is a pretty special number. I was asked to be the backup, so my response was less of a “why not?” and more of a “hell yeah!”
I surveyed and gathered enough votes for a talk on Obsidian for writing. I had been using Obsidian on and off for years but did not take it as seriously until this year. In the past, I would prioritize writing on the company documentation tool. Last year, I was still taking personal notes on Coda, where our company documentation lived. However, we moved off Coda at the beginning of this year. As a company founder, I decided that this time, I would prioritize my own documentation first. Hence, I went back to Obsidian and, this time, became much more intentional about it.
Inspiration struck. I built a Prework for talk participants to prepare beforehand and hosted it here: https://obsidian.coderdone.com/Prework.
The talk was well-received, earning an average rating of 4.5/5. However, I wasn’t completely satisfied with my own delivery. Firstly, my workplace setup was less than ideal. Instead of my home office, I had to find a quiet spot in the restaurant where I took my family to lunch. Secondly, I was too ambitious in my agenda, trying to cover too many topics for a diverse group of 30 participants within the 30-minute slot. Lastly, although I managed to wrap up on time, I stayed an extra 15 minutes to answer questions. I always feel torn about extending the session; while some attendees appreciate the additional time, others might feel obliged to stay and could end up unsatisfied.
I just finished following up with those who completed the prework exercises. Sharing knowledge and helping others learn efficiently is a passion of mine. As I reflect on the experience, I find myself contemplating: How can I make their time investment truly worthwhile? How can I further support their learning journey? And how do I do this in a way that aligns with our company’s learning culture? These are questions I’m still working to answer.