Public Speaking. Testers on Stage - Maryia Tuleika

In this episode, I talk with Maryia Tuleika about stepping on stage in tech and testing. We explore why people speak: joy of sharing, stage energy, and community. The hard part is fear and stress. If you fear the stage, you will hear simple moves that help. Maryia shows how to switch stress to excitement: prep well, record dry runs, collect feedback, use box breathing, slow down, and stand tall.

"So my recommendation is not to Care too much about the audience face expressions while you're talking from the stage because you never know what it means." - Maryia Tuleika

Maryia Tuleika is a Quality Engineering Leader who leads teams, creates testing strategies, drives education programs and actively contributes to the testing community. As a mentor, speaker and conference organiser she helps new test professionals build their skills and confidence. She is a podcast host and a co-founder of Beyond Quality community of practice. Maryia believes that great testing brings both technical excellence and knowing what to prioritize, think critically and enjoy the process.

Highlights:

• Stress before going on stage does not disappear with experience; even speakers with decades on stage still feel the adrenaline kick, and reframing it as excitement rather than anxiety is a proven way to handle it.
• Slides with minimal text force a speaker to build a real story with a problem, escalation, and resolution, rather than reading bullet points, which lets the audience listen without splitting attention between reading and hearing.
• Thorough preparation is the single most reliable way to reduce on-stage stress, because confidence cannot be performed when the material is not ready, regardless of breathing techniques or posture.
• Square breathing (four seconds in, hold four, out four, hold four) directly calms the nervous system and slows speech, making it a practical pre-stage tool with a physiological basis, not just a relaxation ritual.

More Links with Insights:

• Maryia's Personal Page

📌 Testing is a people business, humanity as a superpower. That is my talk on October 7 at HUSTEF 2026 in Budapest: See programme and tickets