The why is much more important than the how. The job of the talk is to convince people to read your paper. Focus on motivating your work, overview how the approach was done and the results but the setting for the problem is much more important.
Ask HN: What are the things keep in mind while giving/preparing for a tech talk?
91–100 of 174 posts
Re: Ask HN: What are the things keep in mind while giving/preparing for a tech talk?
#92Don't try and cover too much ground in the time - it is generally quicker than you think. Have a strong story arc however so that any questions can be asked at the end during the presentation or afterwards.
You can always put slides and examples online and refer to them, especially if in another country where people might not keep up with your native language.
Smile a lot!
Re: Ask HN: What are the things keep in mind while giving/preparing for a tech talk?
#93People decide in the first 10 seconds whether they're going to listen to you or use your session to catch up on email. So make your intro good. Catch their attention. Surprise and intrigue them. Memorize and practise your intro over and over again so when you walk on stage you can get comfortable without having to worry about the specific words you're saying. Memorize your conclusion too so you can bring it home with…
Somewhat off topic: I always wondered why people would bother showing up for a talk or conference if they're going to be on their phone or laptop during the entire thing.
Last time I went to a conference I was actually a little surprised by the number of people at the talks who where clearly working during the entire thing. Why bother, you most likely pay for the plane ticket, the hotel and the conference it self, and then not pay attention? If you're only interested in one talk, then just go to that one and then leave.
Given that people mostly show up to technical talks of their own free will, I don't think you need to trick them into paying attention. It's fair to assume that they are generally interested and focused on what you have to say.
Re: Ask HN: What are the things keep in mind while giving/preparing for a tech talk?
#94I came across https://speaking.io _after_ I presented for the first time at a larger conference [1]. In hindsight it's so obvious -- Zach Holman really talks about the things that matter. So if you still have time, please do your future-self a favour and have a look at it.
Another point I found out _after_ I presented is to better avoid any caffeinated drinks -- apparently it makes your mouth dryer. Adding a bit of nervousness makes matters worse and you end up having to drink a sip of water every few minutes.
Re: Ask HN: What are the things keep in mind while giving/preparing for a tech talk?
#95People decide in the first 10 seconds whether they're going to listen to you or use your session to catch up on email. So make your intro good. Catch their attention. Surprise and intrigue them. Memorize and practise your intro over and over again so when you walk on stage you can get comfortable without having to worry about the specific words you're saying. Memorize your conclusion too so you can bring it home with…
Somewhat off topic: I always wondered why people would bother showing up for a talk or conference if they're going to be on their phone or laptop during the entire thing. Last time I went to a conference I was actually a little surprised by the number of people at the talks who where clearly working during the entire thing. Why bother, you most likely pay for the plane ticket, the hotel and the conference it self, an…
Some people get paid to go to the conference and also for some its in their best interest to half pay attention while doing work.
On another level, sometimes I go to meetups in my area which are technically the same conference presentation as well. There are times when I regret going to the meetup (There's 10-20 people) because of how boring the speaker is or how overly technical it becomes, but I don't want to be rude and leave the area cause it'd reflect poorly. Its not like a convention where leaving is okay, everyone in the area knows each other.
Re: Ask HN: What are the things keep in mind while giving/preparing for a tech talk?
#96Do not assume everyone knows acronyms or initialisms that you use, particularly if the audience is unknown. Saying "test driven development" is more accessible to a wider audience than "TDD".
Re: Ask HN: What are the things keep in mind while giving/preparing for a tech talk?
#97Do not assume everyone knows acronyms or initialisms that you use, particularly if the audience is unknown. Saying "test driven development" is more accessible to a wider audience than "TDD".
Also, if someone is hearing impaired, they might not know what TDT is.
Re: Ask HN: What are the things keep in mind while giving/preparing for a tech talk?
#98People decide in the first 10 seconds whether they're going to listen to you or use your session to catch up on email. So make your intro good. Catch their attention. Surprise and intrigue them. Memorize and practise your intro over and over again so when you walk on stage you can get comfortable without having to worry about the specific words you're saying. Memorize your conclusion too so you can bring it home with…
Somewhat off topic: I always wondered why people would bother showing up for a talk or conference if they're going to be on their phone or laptop during the entire thing. Last time I went to a conference I was actually a little surprised by the number of people at the talks who where clearly working during the entire thing. Why bother, you most likely pay for the plane ticket, the hotel and the conference it self, an…
The real part of the conference is the bit in between the talks.
(Fun fact, the first conference I went to had like five coffee breaks per day, and I got a coffee at every break and complained to someone at dinner that there was too much coffee and not enough talking. They explained it to me quickly enough!)
Re: Ask HN: What are the things keep in mind while giving/preparing for a tech talk?
#99People decide in the first 10 seconds whether they're going to listen to you or use your session to catch up on email. So make your intro good. Catch their attention. Surprise and intrigue them. Memorize and practise your intro over and over again so when you walk on stage you can get comfortable without having to worry about the specific words you're saying. Memorize your conclusion too so you can bring it home with…
Somewhat off topic: I always wondered why people would bother showing up for a talk or conference if they're going to be on their phone or laptop during the entire thing. Last time I went to a conference I was actually a little surprised by the number of people at the talks who where clearly working during the entire thing. Why bother, you most likely pay for the plane ticket, the hotel and the conference it self, an…
The conferences I pay attention to are the conferences that are in areas I'm pretty weak in because all of the concepts are ill-defined in my mind so I need to work to understand the overall point of the talk.
For topics I'm familiar with, however, I find most talks too simple so I might as well get work done while vaguely listening. Ideally the talk would get more complex, but it usually doesn't.
Re: Ask HN: What are the things keep in mind while giving/preparing for a tech talk?
#100Always 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. Do a live demo, people love live demo's, but be prepared for when disaster strikes (it will), if possible run your live demo on a physical device with you during the presentation. Most places allow you t…
The do not use a Linux machine advice is funny. I have been using my Linux machine forever for presentations and only once I got an issue because I switched to KDE and forgot to have kscreen installed. Once in like 7 years. I see much more often people with Macs who cant project anything because they dont have the right adapter to begin with.
> I see much more often people with Macs who cant project anything because they dont have the right adapter to begin with.
Yes, as a regular Linux user I've never had major issues with presentations from Linux, but I've seen Mac users stumble many times for this exact reason.
If possible, have multiple output options built into your laptop. I have both HDMI and VGA on my current laptop and this has proved quite useful over the past few years.