A Talk About Giving Talks

A Talk About Giving Talks

Great ideas deserve great presentation. The talk I did and this companion site are designed to provide advice for prospective speakers on designing and delivering conference talks, from first idea, through the CFP process, to standing up on the day.

Hopefully it'll help your first talk, or your next talk, go well!

Watch the full talk

Speaker Myth Busting

A couple of myths about speaking that are indeed myths.

  1. Speaker Myth Busting 1:54

From Idea to Talk

Getting started with an idea and working out what you're going to say and to whom.

  1. Ideas 3:36
  2. Audience 5:07
  3. Events 6:55
  4. Selling Your Talk 8:57
  5. Selling Your Talk — LLMs 10:29

The CFP Process

Submitting to a call for papers, the waiting game, and handling both rejection and acceptance.

  1. CFPs 13:20
  2. CFPs — Waiting 15:43
  3. CFP Rejection 17:05
  4. CFP Acceptance! 18:49

Structuring Your Talk

Building the talk as a story, thinking about time budget, takeaways, opening, the body, and wrapping up.

  1. Talks Are Stories 20:40
  2. Dividing Up Your Time 21:19
  3. Takeaways 22:26
  4. Starting Your Talk 23:29
  5. About You 24:16
  6. Body of the Talk 25:37
  7. Wrapping Up Your Talk 26:20

Slides & Demos

Tips and tricks for a successful slide deck that supports your story.

  1. Why Slides? 27:20
  2. Slide Technology 28:14
  3. Slide Design 30:24
  4. Busy Slides 32:03
  5. Shiny Slides 33:27
  6. ETOOMUCHINFO 34:08
  7. The Meme Slide 35:33
  8. Demos 37:30

Preparation

Rehearsing the talk and working out how you'll remember what to say.

  1. Preparation 39:58
  2. How Do I Know What to Say? 42:06

On the Day

Logistics and some tips for presenting on stage.

  1. On the Day 43:17
  2. Slow Down 46:01
  3. Stage Presence 47:16
  4. Timing 48:49
  5. Dealing With Questions 51:00