SQLBits 2020

The art and skill of listening

We all want to be listened to. In our busy world sometimes we forget how to listen, often to other people. There are advantages to listening, and its a skill we can learn.

We all know when someone is really listening to what we are saying. On the other hand we also know when someone is not paying attention to what we are saying. Listening to people has many advantages, other people feel more valued. People are often more willing to see your point of view when you listen to them for example. By listening you often hear things that others miss, often giving you the advantage. Some people are able to make people feel listened to effortlessly. If you want to learn improve your ability to listen, or discover what being a better listener can do for. This is the session for you.

Like many soft skills there some practical things you can do to help improve your listening skills. During this session we will look what you can do to become a better listener. From this session you have some practical, simple hints and tips that you can put into practice as soon leave this session.

Robert French's other proposed sessions for 2026

Tech's Secret Sauce: The Power of Neurodiversity - 2026

Are Pie Charts Evil? - 2026

Soft Skills for Success - 2026

Why Am I Here? Dealing with Imposter Phenomenon - 2026

Robert French's previous sessions

How to be awesome at getting your next job

Finding that job you desire and want can be hard work. First, writing that CV that gets your name on the interview list. Then, making the first good impression at the interview, handling those tough questions easily. These skills are something you can learn This session, is based on many years real life hard won experience. What will be shared is tips and techniques that have got me jobs I wanted. This session is full of practical advice that you to can take away and use in your life. I will share some of the tips and techniques I have used to get roles over our career. * Creating a CV that gets noticed. * How to work with recruitment agents. * What to say when you speak with recruitment agents. * Ways to get your name to the top of the recruiter's list. * How to prepare for an interview * Get some insider tips on how to deal with those difficult interview questions. * What to say and what not say at an interview. * First hand advice from someone who has been on both sides of the job interview. When you leave this session, you have techniques and tips you can use as soon as you leave the session to help you in your search for that role you want.

Power BI Incremental refresh made simple.

Power BI has many amazing features that will make life much easier and more efficient. Yes, incremental refresh is one of them, so you read the official Microsoft documentation. Maybe once, then again, just a few more times. Now you have more questions than answers. Or was that just how I felt? If you thought the same thing or want to ask questions, this session is for you. This session will look at setting up incremental refreshes for both Dataflows and Datasets. Explain what ALL the different settings mean and words we can all understand. How will I perform this daring feat? Using a combination of words, pictures and examples. As part of the presentation, I will share the demo code so you can try this at home. Leaving this session, you will understand how to configure Incremental Refresh and use it when you return to your office. You will have a link to the code shown as part of the session. So that you to can see how it works.

The art and skill of listening

We all want to be listened to. In our busy world sometimes we forget how to listen, often to other people. There are advantages to listening, and its a skill we can learn.

10 reasons to look at using Azure Data Studio

Yet another new tool from Microsoft ! Why should you consider using it? Thats a good question. In this session we will explore at least 10 reasons to use the tool, and maybe a few more.