5 ms·

Ask HN: How to prepare a talk for developer conference

7 points by mraza007 6y ago

How to find an interesting topic about which we can speak at the conference or how to prepare a talk just in general for the conference

bruce511 6y ago
Finding topics can be hard - but usually I find my topics bubble up from my own interests and conversations. Most often it happens when I notice that something I take for granted seems to be less-well understood, or perhaps misunderstood, by the community I am talking to. Ideally I try to focus on a take-away, something people can go home and immediately implement or apply. Obviously the conference itself matters - both in topic, but also projected audience. The topic should take people from where they are to somewhere new - and clearly to do that you need to understand where they are, and their goals.
- mraza007 6y ago
  just curious, finding topics is it like the eureka moment where things naturally flow and spark a new topic/idea in the mind or do you have to research what are you going to talk about or can it be things you might have worked on
  - bruce511 6y ago
    All of the above really. Personally I seldom (ever?) present on a topic I'm unfamiliar with, so I don't "research from scratch" just for a presentation. [1] I will research though some finer points just to check that what I "know" is accurate and up to date. Perhaps more along the lines of fact-checking than research. [1] a colleague once had 2 weeks notice to do a 4 hour training session about a subject he didn't know to replace a presenter who got denied entry by border control. That was very stressful for him, but he delivered well...
bruce511 6y ago
Techniques for preparing are probably unique to each presenter. Some start by writing a paper, and essentially narrating that paper. Personally I make flashcards - sometimes on paper, often in PowerPoint. I make a card for every major point (in no order) that i want to cover. Then I flesh those out with ancillary slides. Then I order them to make a narrative. From there I refine it, add more, reorder, remove some, until I can do the presentation from start to end and there are no jarring jumps or omissions. Obviously this is a faster process for subjects I know well, and where I have a specific point to make. It's worth pointing out that it is harder to make a short presentation than a long one. Making a short one takes discipline (cut out the non-essential) and clarity (make your point clearly and with sufficient supporting material.)
- mraza007 6y ago
  Agreed, Thanks for sharing the techniques
thirtythree 6y ago
Should the motivation to speak not come from being involved in an interesting topic first?

7 points by mraza007 6y ago

How to find an interesting topic about which we can speak at the conference or how to prepare a talk just in general for the conference

bruce511 6y ago

Finding topics can be hard - but usually I find my topics bubble up from my own interests and conversations. Most often it happens when I notice that something I take for granted seems to be less-well understood, or perhaps misunderstood, by the community I am talking to. Ideally I try to focus on a take-away, something people can go home and immediately implement or apply. Obviously the conference itself matters - both in topic, but also projected audience. The topic should take people from where they are to somewhere new - and clearly to do that you need to understand where they are, and their goals.

mraza007 6y ago
just curious, finding topics is it like the eureka moment where things naturally flow and spark a new topic/idea in the mind or do you have to research what are you going to talk about or can it be things you might have worked on
- bruce511 6y ago
  All of the above really. Personally I seldom (ever?) present on a topic I'm unfamiliar with, so I don't "research from scratch" just for a presentation. [1] I will research though some finer points just to check that what I "know" is accurate and up to date. Perhaps more along the lines of fact-checking than research. [1] a colleague once had 2 weeks notice to do a 4 hour training session about a subject he didn't know to replace a presenter who got denied entry by border control. That was very stressful for him, but he delivered well...

bruce511 6y ago

Techniques for preparing are probably unique to each presenter. Some start by writing a paper, and essentially narrating that paper. Personally I make flashcards - sometimes on paper, often in PowerPoint. I make a card for every major point (in no order) that i want to cover. Then I flesh those out with ancillary slides. Then I order them to make a narrative. From there I refine it, add more, reorder, remove some, until I can do the presentation from start to end and there are no jarring jumps or omissions. Obviously this is a faster process for subjects I know well, and where I have a specific point to make. It's worth pointing out that it is harder to make a short presentation than a long one. Making a short one takes discipline (cut out the non-essential) and clarity (make your point clearly and with sufficient supporting material.)

mraza007 6y ago
Agreed, Thanks for sharing the techniques

thirtythree 6y ago

Should the motivation to speak not come from being involved in an interesting topic first?