Chapter 1: Introduction to My Speaking Journey

I recently completed my inaugural technical speaking engagement of the season, delivering a presentation titled “Ignore Previous Instructions: Embracing AI Red Teaming” at the AI Risk Summit. A heartfelt thank you to SecurityWeek for organizing such a remarkable event.

Although I wouldn’t label myself as an experienced speaker just yet, I might consider it after this year concludes. I've got three more engagements scheduled and several additional call for presentations (CFPs) pending review.

Speaking Schedule

Here’s a glimpse of my upcoming talks on AI Red Teaming and Cybersecurity:

• Summercon | July 19th-20th
• KEYNOTE GSDC Global Gen AI in Risk and Compliance | July 23rd
• InfoSec Nashville 2024 | September 10th-12th

The Beginning of Stage Fright

My first foray into public speaking was during middle school when I was about 13 or 14 years old. I presented on the band KISS, a choice I now find rather embarrassing since I wasn’t even a fan. I played "Nothin' To Lose" in the background while reading a prewritten speech, and I can hardly remember the details. I was incredibly anxious presenting to my peers, and I shudder to think of the grade I received—probably a B-. Thankfully, I didn’t go so far as to paint my face, despite briefly considering it. That moment marked my first experience with stage fright, and I couldn’t recall a single word I had spoken afterward.

My next opportunity to speak didn’t arise until college, where I enjoyed some moderate success. However, it wasn’t until my time at Uber that I delivered my first professional talk. This presentation was more of a demonstration to around 500 engineers about a reverse proxy that reduced latency in India by nearly 600 ms. Surprisingly, I felt no nerves beforehand; I was proud of my work and only felt a flutter of excitement about covering all my talking points.

Opportunities for Growth

Over the past year, I have been deeply involved in AI Red Teaming research. The White House even acknowledged our platform as the world's largest Generative Red Teaming initiative, and we presented our findings to Congress. This experience has been incredibly rewarding, and I was eager to share my insights with the world. To enhance my speaking skills, I decided to join Toastmasters, which made me realize that after my time at Uber, I had developed stage fright once again. I suspect that working from home for the last six years and the two-year lockdown due to COVID contributed to this regression.

The most challenging part was recognizing the self-fulfilling cycle I had fallen into. Joining Toastmasters made me acutely aware of my anxiety when speaking to unfamiliar audiences, leading me to second-guess my message and diminish my own credibility.

Embracing Failure as a Learning Tool

I can’t pinpoint exactly what inspired me to embark on this experiment, but after receiving encouraging feedback from seasoned speakers, I felt compelled to share my experience.

I deliberately set out to fail, to experience the embarrassment of stumbling through a presentation. I consciously ignored every public speaking technique I had learned. No practice, no notes—essentially, I tried to forget I was even speaking. For my first Toastmasters speech, known as THE ICE BREAKER, I relied on my knowledge of the subject matter to guide me, allowing my nervousness to manifest as I spoke.

I titled my talk “Meta,” intending to express my feelings during the presentation. I wanted to fully experience the sensation of failing in front of an audience. A jarring technical glitch occurred about a minute and a half into my speech, which was unexpected but added to the chaos and stress.

To my surprise, I didn’t collapse under pressure. I delivered my talk successfully—4 minutes and 41 seconds of honest engagement with my anxiety, and I emerged unscathed. This experience instilled in me the confidence that my anxiety does not have the power to silence my voice.

I received valuable feedback from my audience that echoed my experience:

• "Great way to recover from the distraction at the beginning! It’s good practice to work through interruptions."
• "Your impromptu approach was impressive. It added depth to your speech structure."
• "Congratulations on completing your icebreaker! Being candid about your nerves made you relatable."

Having now presented at the AI Risk Summit, I feel invigorated and ready for the other speaking engagements lined up for this year. I hope my story inspires you to share your voice as well!

If you're interested in learning more about my talk, you can check out related articles on AI Red Teaming that I've written on Medium:

• AI’s Dirty Little Secret: The Minefield of Forbidden Knowledge
• The AI Risk Matrix: A Strategy for Risk Mitigation
• Understanding the WMDP Benchmark: Making AI Safer

I welcome your thoughts and experiences regarding vulnerability in public speaking and overcoming anxiety. Feel free to connect with me here on Medium or on X: MrDavidCampbell.

Chapter 2: Learning from Others

The first video, "Fail Fast, Succeed Faster" by Avelo Roy, discusses the importance of rapid failure in the journey toward success. Avelo emphasizes the necessity of embracing setbacks as a part of growth.

In the second video, "Why You Need to Fail Fast and Recover Fast, In Order To Succeed" by Al-Ishsal Ishak, the speaker dives into the concept of quick recovery after failures, showcasing how resilience is key to achieving long-term success.