Ask HN: What are the things keep in mind while giving/preparing for a tech talk?

Make the objective of your talk clear. If you're giving an introduction to some technology, it is helpful to also point people to resources to learn more. If you need to explain or 'sell' your topic, do so, but don't overdo it. Also, be honest. Everyone appreciates enthusiasm, but it's better if you don't come across as a fanboy.

If you're having an interactive part, be aware that it is hard to estimate the time this part will take. If you have a hard deadline, be ready to skip some parts (this is a good idea in general as things may always

It's probably best if you are so familiar with the topic that you don't really need slides in the first place. On the other hand, take care to connect with your audience and take their background into consideration.

Casually give an informal version of the talk to some friends or colleagues to see if they "get it".

I find that talking it through a few times with someone will help you figure out which parts of your explanation are unclear and need rephrasing.

Also, don't take it too seriously - technical talks are already often dry - don't be afraid to insert some memes and jokes to keep the audience engaged!

>Always do at least 1 full rehearsal with a timer, preferably two full rehearsals where the first one you do keep a timer but also have a notebook (physical) present to quickly write down adjustments you want to make.

two are still too few IMO (I'm not a native speaker but still). I like to do at least ~5, where I can get a feel for the sentences I'll pick for transitions (like some sort of theater play) so should I get stuck somewhere I know how to transition to the next talking point/topic.

>Do not use a linux machine,

eh, my experience with linux machines was mostly positive, what I can recommend though is to have the slides ready (4:3 and 16:9 aspect ratio) in the cloud as a "safety net"

There is a lot of good content advice here. I'd like to add two technical points:

- Plan for the worst-case scenario, e.g. your computer dying. All my presentations are available on GitHub Pages[0] (using RevealJS), so all I need is a random laptop.

- Use a bright color theme on a beamer to improve readability (slides, console, editor/IDE). Dark schemes are nice, but they are inappropriate for most presentations. Bonus: when using HTML slides, you can design both a bright and dark theme and switch depending on the light conditions.

[0] https://github.com/darekkay/presentations/

Chances are you’re an expert in the field! Great! Rember not everyone in the audience is.

Keep in mind who you’re talking to and what they’ll bring home from your talk.

Will they use it on their job? Then it’ll need operational details. It’s just something cool you did? Make sure it’s a good story with villains (problems) henchmen (bugs) and it stays relatable all the way to the victory. Is somerhing that pushes the envelope of what’s known? Make sure to establish the state of the art and guide the audience through the wonder of the discovery process.