It's been reported that up to 75% of the population has a fear of public speaking. This week, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson, co-founders of 37signals, recount some of their previous speaking engagements and share a few tips for building the skill. They discuss the styles of successful speakers and their thoughts on being over prepared.

Key Takeaways:

• 00:47 - Jason recalls his first speaking gig
• 02:30 - David shares his preferred style of delivering a talk
• 06:48 - Preparing for talks, podcasts, and Q&A sessions
• 08:15 - Preparing for keynote speeches and speaking with authenticity
• 13:05 - Examples of great public speakers who are authentically themselves on stage
• 14:43 - Being comfortable improvising a bit on stage

Links and Resources:

• Books by 37signals
• Sign up for a 30-day free trial at Basecamp.com
• HEY World | HEY
• The REWORK podcast
• The Rework Podcast on YouTube
• The 37signals Dev Blog
• 37signals on YouTube
• @37signals on X

37signals' co-founders Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson discuss their unique approach of operating without full-time managers. They reflect on the company's experience with full-time managers and share why they've moved to a flatter organization.

Key Takeaways:

• 00:54 - The before and after of 37signals' experience with full-time managers
• 08:34 - The founders thoughts on being directly involved in the business
• 10:36 - Why the company's management hierarchy works best for the founders
• 17:17 - 37signals' career ladder doesn't necessarily mean people leadership
• 20:03 - What company size makes sense for having more management layers

Links and Resources:

• HEY World post – We once more have no full-time managers at 37signals
• Books by 37signals
• Sign up for a 30-day free trial at Basecamp.com
• HEY World | HEY
• The REWORK podcast
• The Rework Podcast on YouTube
• The 37signals Dev Blog
• 37signals on YouTube
• @37signals on X

This week, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson, co-founders of 37signals, examine why it's advantageous to keep things simple — in both products and business. They challenge the idea that complex or bespoke tools are the best way to go and lean into not overcomplicating things.

Key Takeaways:

• 00:34 - The power of keeping things simple
• 10:55 - Why small businesses don't need to act like big businesses
• 12:04 - The beauty of embracing what you don’t know when starting something new
• 18:01 - Building products with depth versus surface area
• 23:09 - Knowing when to listen to customers for product input and ideas

Links and Resources:

Merchants of Complexity Post by David Heinemeier Hansson

Books by 37signals

Sign up for a 30-day free trial at Basecamp.com

HEY World | HEY

The REWORK podcast

The Rework Podcast on YouTube

The 37signals Dev Blog

37signals on YouTube

@37signals on X