How We Gave a Speech About Crypto at our University
And all of it in our early twenties in our first year there!
Hi,🙋
It's Jacob and Matthew here! Usually, we write newsletters for you, but this time we have a story to share. 😄
We had the amazing pleasure of giving a talk at our university — and of course, the topic was cryptocurrencies.
But let's start from the beginning. In November, we received the offer and thought — alright, what's next? What should we talk about to other students to present a realistic picture of crypto, one that differs from what we see in the media? Usually, it's a simple narrative — either crypto is used for crime, or it is a crime. So, how do we present it properly?
Together with Matthew, co-author of this Substack, we came up with a plan. What kind? Smart and simple: talk about why crypto is the future of the financial system 💸. After all, we were speaking to students — this topic will concern them one day.
We had the plan. Now came the content and how to present it. We had zero experience speaking in front of 200 people. That’s when MIT’s lecture “How to Speak” by Patrick Winston came to the rescue.
A massive dose of knowledge on public speaking and real tricks that work — and, of course, a list of golden rules for giving a great presentation. So, we had the formula and knew how to speak and prepare slides. Now came the content.
We started with an outline — a list of points we wanted to cover. First things that came to mind were easy: what are cryptocurrencies, blockchain, and naturally the issue of transparency — a topic that always stirs emotions among beginners. Then came the idea of showing real-world use. Why talk about something no one uses? That’s when we brought up Bakong (Cambodia’s blockchain-based transaction system), strategic reserves in Bitcoin, and XRP with RippleNet.
At this point, we did a trial run — and what happened? We ran out of time 😅 We wanted the lecture to last one hour, including a Q&A session at the end. But what we prepared already filled 40 minutes. Originally, we planned to discuss who Satoshi is, what he meant, and how Bitcoin compares to other technologies in finance — but there was no time.
Our final must-have? CBDCs. That was our priority, especially since the digital euro is coming to Europe this year. People must know what that means ⚠️
How did it go? We'll tell you separately 👇
Jacob
Before we started, there was some stress — honestly, next time we’ll choose a different format. This time, we switched slides: Matthew spoke, then I did, back and forth. Just when I was getting into it, the slide was over. One thing to improve is definitely body language — with little experience, it was a weak spot. But that didn’t stop the talk from being interesting! Despite the late hour, most people stayed focused.
Oh right — we started at 5:30 PM, finished around 6:40 PM. Not the ideal time, neither for us nor for the audience. That played a big role in the Q&A, where fewer questions were asked than we expected — hence the early ending.
We finished with a nod to the audience, acknowledging their desire to grow and interest. In return, we got applause from the entire room 👏 It was an incredible feeling, a moment we’ll never forget.
It was a huge challenge — preparing, knowing what and how to say it, and finally performing. The challenge was accepted — and successfully completed. Not everyone gets the chance to do something like this during their studies — and we made it happen 💪
Honestly, organizing something like this was a nice break from student routine. Usually, you take notes and do homework, and that’s it. Here, we got to create something truly ours and present it — all in our first year of studies!
When I talk to others about their first year, they say they barely made it through. Their faces are priceless when I say I gave a lecture on crypto at a public university in year one 😄
Why crypto? Because in our view, it's the future of finance. And if we can contribute to that future, the decision was easy — of course we’re doing it. The university environment wasn’t as excited, but hey — it’s crypto after all.
The challenge? Deciding what to say. You know how it is here on Substack — it’s not financial advice, but the belief that Bitcoin could reach $150k is our opinion. And no one can take away our right to express it.
Now imagine standing in front of 200 people, including PhDs, saying this is their chance for financial freedom. That gave us a chance to return to the roots of crypto — it wasn't created for price speculation, but to transform finance, to introduce real digital cash (not the CBDC imitation).
For me, this was an unforgettable experience, especially because the first time is always special.
Matthew
Hi, Matthew here! I’ll soon share my thoughts on speaking in front of 200 people and talking about crypto while everyone looks at you like you're a bear at a new Bitcoin ATH 🤣 But first, make sure to leave a like on this post — not gonna lie, Jacob and I find it super motivating and honestly just really nice.
Imagine being 21, in your first year of studies, and giving a talk to over 200 people — when you've never done that before 😬 I won’t lie, that fact alone made me nervous, but it wasn’t the biggest challenge.
The hardest part? Fighting myself. Why? Because I’m naturally an introvert and have struggled with stuttering since childhood. That combo really doesn’t help with delivering ambitious talks. But if you say A, you have to say B.
On the day of the talk, I felt strangely calm. But that was the calm before the storm — an hour before, the anxiety kicked in hard. Still, I knew I was well-prepared and had something important to say.
Something that might open eyes and spark financial awareness in our peers — encouraging them to start investing in their future.
When everything was set up, the audience in their seats, and we were in a battle-ready mindset, it was time to begin. Since we were switching speakers with each slide, Jacob started first, and I waited for my turn. When I finally took the microphone and began to speak, I felt a sudden surge of intense emotion 😳 — my body instantly warmed up, tension built up, my breathing quickened, my voice trembled, and it was hard to squeeze out even a single word. And just like that, my worst fear became reality – stage fright.
However, I was prepared for such a situation, as I couldn't let a brief emotional wave destroy all the hard work I had put in. I knew exactly what I needed to do to regain control – I paused, took a deep breath, and calmly continued my slide. I’ll never forget that feeling — even though it was incredibly stressful, it was also thrilling. In moments like that, when you must make the best decision in just seconds, you really feel alive ⚡.
The beginning wasn’t the best, but as time passed and slides changed, I felt increasingly confident, and it became easier to talk about Bitcoin’s advantages as a tool for revolutionizing the monetary system. And that, on a typical university campus, where the number of people into crypto could be counted on one hand — and that hand belongs to Master Yoda 🧙♂️.
Two of those people were Jacob and me. That’s why, when we talked about Bitcoin or crypto in general, I felt like an alien walking through Times Square, knowing that most students had no idea what we were talking about – so we tried to avoid crypto slang and convey everything in the simplest possible way.
Since it was pretty late for a lecture on magical digital money, we had to find ways to keep the audience awake and engaged. One of the tricks was a prop – a stack of money (Monopoly money, since I’m not that rich, yet… 😥), used to illustrate how our audience earns their hard-earned money. Since I was already feeling good and enjoyed delivering the talk, I grabbed the "pile" of money and started tossing it toward the audience (like simulating money printing). Their smiles were priceless and gave me even more motivation 💸.
The rest of the lecture went really well — we stuck to our presentation plan, and as it neared the end, the final topic came up: CBDC (Central Bank Digital Currencies). If you're reading this article or are interested in the subject, you likely realize how dangerous CBDCs can be — so this topic could not be ignored.
Honestly, it was my favorite part of the lecture, and I was excited to raise awareness about what really hides behind the acronym CBDC. I took this mission to heart ❤️ — I criticized the abstract concept from top to bottom, in every possible way, even comparing it to a certain political system 😏, and backed it up with real-world evidence from other countries. It was a bold move for a first-year student who’s just starting university life, especially since there were not just students in the room, but also several PhDs. Would’ve been a shame to get kicked out for having "inappropriate opinions" 😬.
Despite the late hour — almost 7 p.m. — the audience remained engaged, clearly interested in what we had to say. That meant a lot.
With the final slide, it was time for the Q&A session. Unfortunately, we didn’t plan it perfectly — instead of displaying a QR code for submitting questions by phone, we handed out paper and pens, which turned out to be a less-than-ideal solution. Something to improve for next time. Still, a few students managed to ask questions, and we happily responded.
In the end, the Q&A was shorter than planned, but I didn’t mind — I was just exhausted. However, all the effort and hundreds of hours of preparation paid off when Jacob honored the audience and the whole room burst into applause 👏. That moment was incredible — seeing all those people smiling and clapping was the best reward I could have imagined before the lecture. I’ll never forget it. It was especially touching because the applause wasn’t short – it lasted for almost a minute!
So, what are my final thoughts? Of course – positive! I’m very proud and satisfied that I pulled off such a huge project, despite my young age and lack of experience. But what’s even more important to me is the fact that I "won" against myself, overcame my biggest fears, and did exactly what was the hardest thing for me to do. That gave me proof that limitations exist only in the mind — and they can be tricked. You can push forward, even through the biggest challenges 💪.
Speaking for the first time in front of such a large crowd and talking about crypto in a place that isn’t exactly welcoming to it confirmed what I’ve long suspected: excuses are just an escape — a way to avoid problems that we all face, which will eventually return twice as strong if left unaddressed.
Jacob, Matthew