In 2023, I grew tired of public speaking. Over the past few years, I’ve participated in more than 20 talks, podcasts, and panel discussions, not to mention countless presentations within my company. It’s been a great way to meet interesting people and push my communication skills further. But after all those experiences, I started to question what I was really getting out of it.
In fact, I wouldn’t say I grew tired of public speaking itself. I grew tired of hearing my own voice repeating the same ideas. The main issue with speaking is that it becomes too easy. Don’t get me wrong—I know it’s hard work, and most of us struggle to become even decent at it. But it’s easy to slip into the TV pundit persona.
I’ve always promoted the idea that data science is a team sport: it’s business-oriented and more about tackling messy data than relying on fancy algorithms. For years, I refined those messages, but I began to notice that while speaking at events, I was saying things without fully thinking them through. When speaking into a microphone, it’s common to receive a question and respond with whatever comes to mind first. For example, I often get asked if AI will take our jobs. My usual response is that AI will automate tasks, not jobs. But how often have I revisited that idea? The answer that comes out usually isn’t all that original—it’s something I’ve said before. Maybe that’s because I’m consistent in my opinions, but more likely, it’s because I haven’t revisited my beliefs often enough. Changing your mind while on stage is hard. But keeping my ideas fixed and repeating them is the least appealing thing I can do.
Repeating the same mantras may have dulled my enthusiasm for taking the stage. Or it could be that I’m already using my voice and energy to speak at work, while also teaching classes at IE University and The Valley. Perhaps I miss the smaller, intimate events where I could truly connect with people. I think the atmosphere at events has changed since COVID. Most of them are now held online, making the experience feel less real and less appealing from a networking perspective. Even in-person events seem to have adopted the detached nature of online gatherings. It feels like people engage less than before.
Despite this, at the start of 2024, I felt I should be speaking publicly again. Why? I wasn’t sure. It was self-imposed pressure, a fear of missing out on networking, a delusional belief that I might lose an opportunity to be a voice on AI, or maybe just envy toward those still excelling on stage. It was just my ego needing validation. Realizing my ego was craving recognition, I turned to the data. What would happen if I quit public speaking? Would anyone miss my talks? Not really, the data showed no one even noticed my absence. As usual, data helped me change my perspective. Stripping away the ego and pressure, I began to see the benefit of stepping back.
With this new mindset, I realized that the industry needs new voices, especially those from diverse backgrounds. Over the past few months, that’s what I’ve been promoting. Whenever I receive an invitation to speak, I pass it to my team. For example, see Javi’s great participation at an Argilla event. If my team isn’t available, I try to recommend someone else. This approach has made me much happier than I was at the start of the year when I felt pressured to show up. Supporting event organizers by offering a curated network of experts still makes me feel like I’m contributing to the community. Shifting from speaking to uplifting others aligns more with my values and feels more rewarding.
This shift brought another unexpected benefit. Since I grew tired of reiterating the same messages about Unglamorous Data Science, I’ve begun exploring new topics—revisiting old ideas and thinking about change management, strategy, problem-solving, and organizational design. Freeing up time from talks and presentations has given me more space to write. I enjoy the act of putting words together. The zettelkasten method, which encourages me to revisit and connect ideas, has been invaluable. It’s easier to revisit notes than watch videos of myself speaking. Writing also helps me stay open-minded and self-critical.
So, will I be speaking at public events in the coming months? Probably not. I prefer a low profile and letting others on my team take the stage. It’s a great opportunity for them to grow, and I don’t want to stand in their way. If you reach out to me for a talk, I likely won’t say yes—but I’ll gladly connect you with one of the many talented people I’m surrounded by.