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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
by 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 agojust 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 agoAll 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...