Comment by WalterBright
10 hours ago
Some things I've learned over the years:
1. do not show a slide full of code. The font will be too small to read. Nobody will read it
2. don't read your slides to the audience. The audience can read
3. don't talk with your back to the audience
4. make your font as big as practical
5. 3 bullet points is ideal
6. add a picture now and then
7. don't bother with a copyright notice on every slide. It gets really old. Besides, you want people to steal your presentation!
8. avoid typing in code as part of the presentation, most of the time it won't work and it's boring watching somebody type
9. render the presentation as a pdf file, so any device can display it
10. email a copy of your presentation to the conference coordinator beforehand, put a copy on your laptop, and phone, and on a usb stick in your pocket. Arriving at the show without your presentation can be very embarrassing!
11. the anxiety goes away
12. don't worry about it. You're not running for President! Just have some fun with it
> 8. avoid typing in code as part of the presentation, most of the time it won't work and it's boring watching somebody type
As usual, thumb rules exist to protect you until you can confidently break them. One of the coolest presentations I've seen was several years ago at a React conference where the speaker live coded an electronic music and light show using React. They were demonstrating how "components" could really render anything.
> 11. the anxiety goes away
It is genuinely shocking how true this is. Also, it's not a gradual thing. I used to be very nervous about public speaking. I did it a lot and one day it just stops. Very sudden, very unexpected.
I still have it, but it goes away as soon as I start the presentation. Then it just becomes fun!
A shot or two of liquid courage doesn’t hurt either. Though beyond that you risk exceeding the Balmer peak.
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13. Have a message you're actually enthusiastic to tell people.
The audience can quickly tell if someone is there because they want to talk about the topic they're presenting, and having a receptive audience makes it much easier to get on stage to talk about it. If the audience knows you're there because you want another line on your resume or because you're trying to sell them something the atmosphere can turn quite cold and that is a world of pain for a speaker.
it's physically painful for me to stop talking about my topic
it's physically painful for everyone else to listen to you talking about your topic.. if you talk for too long that is. :)
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LOL. I get writers' cramp every time I write a check.
> 9. render the presentation as a pdf file, so any device can display it
That's good as a backup, or for simpler presentations (in a good way!) but Powerpoint allows you all kinds of benefits like animations or transitions. Presnting PDFs is not guaranteed to be pain free as well, as I expereince on my corporate controlled laptop with stange versions of Adobe software.
> 11. the anxiety goes away
It does! also remember that the audience doesn't know what you are going to present, so they wouldn't care if you make mistakes.
I will add
13. Practice and learn speaking, a good start could be Vinh Giang's Youtube channel
> Powerpoint allows you all kinds of benefits like animations or transitions
I know. I just go for very basic stuff - large fonts, black text on white background, no border, no colors. I ruthlessly eliminate everything but the point I'm trying to make.
> 8. avoid typing in code as part of the presentation, most of the time it won't work and it's boring watching somebody type
This can absolutely be made to work very well. When Josh Long did this at Goto, it was an absolute masterclass. He used timed zooms to almost turn it into comedy. The rehearsal involved must have been considerable.
Might want to link the talk, he's a rather prolific speaker.
What is the best way to show code?
I really want to show some code. Like 4-5 lines to give a gist.
Just do it. There's nothing wrong with it, if that's the kind of talk you want to give.
Look at stuff by david beazley, matt godbolt or casey muratori. They all have talks which focus on small pieces of code and i'm sure it's a tremendous effort to frame that well enough and pace it appropriately, but it sure works for them (and me watching their talks).
I ruthlessly make the code examples as simple as possible. Eliminate everything but the point you're trying to make. I'll adjust the font to fill the slide.
8. depends on the nature of the presentation. if it is a coding workshop then live coding is actually quite a good idea.
A workshop is a different sort of animal.
Above all else, make it interesting and entertaining!
Which should go without saying…
In this line;
Tell a story. It might be "unrelated" to thd topic at hand (I based one on Shackleton's expedition, and another on a Robert Frost poem (two roads diverged.) Or it might be related, a "my journey" type, or it might be about the experience seen through the eyes of a customer. But a story helps the audience relate, and keeps a thread through it all.
If you can, be funny. Frankly this is hard if you're not a 'funny' person. Delivering a good joke, or line, well can be learned but if it's not your thing steer clear. Bad funny is worse than not funny.
If you're not funny naturally then get a funny person to help you script in "dry" humor lines. You can deliver them dry, in fact often the dryer the better.
"We founded our business in Jan 2020. Nothing could possibly go wrong".
But good funny is great. Learning while laughing really keeps the audience engaged.
Reacting to the audience engagement is also a skill worth developing. When they're bored, move on. When they hiss or boo or laugh or leave, these are all valuable feedback.
Enjoy yourself. If you're having fun, they will too.
Oh, one more thing. Keep on hand some of your previous presentations. Often, a speaker won't show up and the conference organizer is panicking and needs a replacement. Be first to volunteer your services! I've done that several times, and the results were always worthwhile.
One time, I didn't have an extra talk with me, but I volunteered anyway and asked for a whiteboard and markers. Frankly, it was the best talk I ever gave. Unfortunately, it wasn't recorded. But it sure was fun! (I simply asked the audience what they wanted me to talk about.)
I once got a panicked email from a conference organizer in Japan at about 3AM because a speaker was at another event and completely forgotten about this one. (Hey! Happens.) I was able to be like, no problem. Here's a presentation that works.
And, if need be, I could have just done something on the fly instead.