How to Give a Compelling Technical Talk

Desy Kristianti @dessskris

About me

Desy Kristianti

Technology Consultant at Deloitte

City Leader at Women Who Code Belfast

Founder at The SPUDS Belfast

@dessskris

My public speaking experience

  • Women Techmakers Summit Belfast (Apr 2018)
  • Northern Ireland Developer Conference (Jun 2018)
  • JAX London Conference (Oct 2018)
  • DevOpsDays Galway (Nov 2018)
  • Women Techmakers Summit Belfast (Mar 2019 - NOW!)
  • Codemotion Amsterdam (Apr 2019)

Image: © Copyright S&S Media

@dessskris

Why should I do it?

  • Everyone knows something that a lot of other people don't know
  • You have a unique & valuable story to tell
  • Representation matters

@dessskris

Why do I need to deliver a good technical talk?

  • Conferences can be draining
  • Attending a conference can be costly
  • Make it easier for people to gain value!

@dessskris

Photo by Brittany Gaiser on Unsplash

Common pitfalls

  • Not well structured
  • No relevant context
  • Too high level
  • Too specific or detailed
  • Ineffective live demo
  • Poorly delivered

@dessskris

Photo by Fleur Treurniet on Unsplash

Can I avoid them?

  • Find the right balance
  • Deliver technical content in a user-friendly way
  • Be engaging and interesting

@dessskris

Photo by Tim Gouw on Unsplash

Why should I give a talk?

  1. Share your knowledge or passion
  2. Raise awareness about things you hate
  3. Learn more about something

Photo by Jefferson Santos on Unsplash

@dessskris

How do I design my talk?

  • Who are your audience?
  • What are they interested in?

Photo by Antenna on Unsplash

@dessskris

How do I design my talk?

  • What's the story you want to tell?
  • Why does this matter to your audience?

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

@dessskris

How can I fill the time limit? /

How can I fit so much content?

  • 30 min, 45 min, or 1 hour may sound like a lot... But when you are on stage,
    it will fly by
  • Always leave time for Q&A! (Recommended)

@dessskris

Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

How can I find a balance
with my time limit?

  • Too little content?
    • Add audience interaction
    • Give a live demo
  • Too much content?
    • Decide which slides to skip
    • Tell the audience you are free to chat afterwards

@dessskris

Photo by 90 Jiang on Unsplash

How can I not lose the audience?

  • Outline key outcomes
  • Define key terminologies
  • Don't assume!
  • Clear & logical structure

@dessskris

Photo by Hans-Peter Gauster on Unsplash

How can I not bore the audience?

  • Ask yes/no questions
  • Interactive poll
    e.g. mentimeter
  • Less text-heavy slides
  • More diagrams or illustrations

@dessskris

Photo by Callum Wale on Unsplash

Should I do a live demo?

  • What value does this add to your talk?
  • What do you want to showcase?

Photo by Clément H on Unsplash

@dessskris

How do I present a live demo?

  • Interesting & relatable scenario
  • Scrap your quirky IDE for an easy-to-read one
  • Bigger font
  • Don't go too fast

Photo by Dlanor S on Unsplash

@dessskris

First impression matters...

"You only have seven seconds to make a first impression" - Carol Goman

  • It starts as soon as you enter the stage
  • Be confident when you walk in
  • Make a conscious effort to smile

Photo by Hermes Rivera on Unsplash

@dessskris

When on stage...

  • Take pauses
  • Make eye contact
  • Slow and steady pace

@dessskris

Photo by James Toose on Unsplash

...Last impression is what people remember

  • Summarise key conclusions
  • Be approachable
  • Smile and thank your audience

@dessskris

Photo by Rob Laughter on Unsplash

Conclusion

  • You too should be a tech speaker
  • Audience is key
  • Tell a story
  • First & last impressions count

@dessskris

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash

Thank you!

Desy Kristianti

https://slides.com/dessskris/compelling-technical-talk/

https://www.meetup.com/The-SPUDS-Belfast/

dessskris@gmail.com

Desy Kristianti

@dessskris

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