I just got back from Toronto today. Yes, I went again. This time it was for client meetings, though, so was not for a purely technical experience. That being said, I do work in a software company and so it was about software we were talking about.

Although the client conversation has nothing to do with the various technical pieces running through my mind right now, I have 3 primary things I want to learn in the near future:

• Silverlight development
• WPF development
• WCF development

But the question is... how can I make sure that I learn the technologies?

After reading a recent post by Justice Gray where he discusses technical presentations of late, he makes a strong point about how many presenters are in it for the wrong reasons. There are many who participate for the right reasons, but there are some who do not. I would be doing presentations going forward for somewhat selfish reasons too, but for a different end goal. My goal is to learn the technologies. How can I make myself do that? By preparing to do a presentation on the topics that I am learning. This gives me incentive to learn better, as I would have to present that information to others to absorb. Yes, it's selfish, but it makes sure that I know what I am talking about otherwise I make myself lose all credibility with anything I do in the future.

Pressure? Sure. Resulting satisfaction? As D'Arcy said recently, there is a difference between teaching and speaking. But your incentive for how you approach the presentation is really what is key. For me, any presentations I do would be twofold: one, to teach (depending on the depth of the presentation; introductory ones may be used merely to spark interest in others rather than detailed teaching)... where was I? Oh yes, to teach others a new technology or idea. But second, to teach me several things - the necessary information one needs to make a valid presentation, to learn new technologies for myself and my own personal growth, but also to give back into the community here and elsewhere that has helped spark a newfound interest back in developing. (For those that don't know me very well, my current position has me in a project management role, not a development one. The Winnipeg .NET User Group and DevTeach, as well as meeting many people at these conferences, have continued my interest in development and keeping me current and wanting to challenge myself more.)

So there we have it. I will be learning these technologies and holding myself accountable for them via a presentation/teaching method, either through the User Group, through a code camp, or even if just being used internally in my own workplace to impart the knowledge. I know there have been challenges before that I have slacked on, but a more focused method here (along with still reading a ton of books, alternating technical and business (usually company profiles) ones) will allow me to continue to grow.