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
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Can I avoid them?
- Find the right balance
- Deliver technical content in a user-friendly way
- Be engaging and interesting
@dessskris
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Why should I give a talk?
- Share your knowledge or passion
- Raise awareness about things you hate
- Learn more about something
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@dessskris
How do I design my talk?
- Who are your audience?
- What are they interested in?
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@dessskris
How do I design my talk?
- What's the story you want to tell?
- Why does this matter to your audience?
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@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
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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
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How can I not lose the audience?
- Outline key outcomes
- Define key terminologies
- Don't assume!
- Clear & logical structure
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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
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Should I do a live demo?
- What value does this add to your talk?
- What do you want to showcase?
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@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
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@dessskris
When on stage...
- Take pauses
- Make eye contact
- Slow and steady pace
@dessskris
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...Last impression is what people remember
- Summarise key conclusions
- Be approachable
- Smile and thank your audience
@dessskris
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Conclusion
- You too should be a tech speaker
- Audience is key
- Tell a story
- First & last impressions count
@dessskris
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Thank you!
Desy Kristianti
https://slides.com/dessskris/compelling-technical-talk/
https://www.meetup.com/The-SPUDS-Belfast/
dessskris@gmail.com
Desy Kristianti
@dessskris
