Guide for speakers
Congratulations! You are a speaker at the tech conference!
This guide will help you out with preparing your best talk yet. Link to guide in Google Docs
Table of Content
How to choose what you will be talking about?
Standard slides
2.1 Title slide
2.2 About me
2.3 Agenda
2.4 Takeaways
2.5 Materials
2.6 Thank you. QuestionsDesign: General recommendations
3.1 Avoid slides with lots of text, especially if it's just a repetition of what you're saying.
3.2 Avoid slides with lots of mems and gifs in a row :)
3.3 Check your grammar (e.g. with Grammarly :))
3.4 Boring technical paragraphCommon sense recommendations
During your talk
How to avoid parasite words and awkward pauses
6.1 Write a script or outline
6.2 Iterate, iterate and iterate...
6.3 Let your presentation tool help youWhen you can break all rules except Common sense
Read more
1. How to choose what you will be talking about
Be passionate about your topic. Make sure that your topic is the most exciting, interesting, compelling thing in the universe.
2. Standard slides
2.1. Title slide
Create a visually engaging title page so the audience is interested and ready to listen before you begin speaking.
2.2. About me
To give a context of your topic, background, expertise or interests for listeners - introduce yourself.
For example:
1) what are you doing?
2) what is your company?
3) what is your calling?
It's okay to advertise yourself. Add your social media contacts to the Title slide, About me or even duplicate it to the Thank you slide. After your great talk, everyone will be willing to follow such an interesting person. But don't just copypaste links to the slide, it looks messy and distracts from the unique information - your nickname. Well-known domains as github, twitter or medium better to hide under its icons. If you feel that slide is too empty - add your photo!
2.3. Agenda
Announce talk plan. It will help to avoid premature questions and engage the audience attention.
Corresponding titles on each next slide will make it easier for listeners to follow your narration.
2.4. Takeaways
n-things to remember from your talk. It doesn't matter how long was your talk - it's always a good idea to remind the audience of the most important points before wrapping up.
Tip: Imagine what you would like them to take away guaranteed from your talk.
2.5. Materials
You can add here links to material that inspired you or which can explain more on your topic: podcasts, other talks, articles.
Don't add links that are easily indexed, like StackOverflow and documentation.
Format links according to Boring technical paragraph.
2.6 Thank you. Questions
Time to say thank you to the audience.
Also, place for your contacts.
3. Design: General recommendations
3.1 Avoid slides with lots of text, especially if it's just a repetition of what you're saying.
Disable the viewer’s ability to read ahead. If you need text-heavy slides then gradually reveal the text when needed (with help of an animation, but not fancy one, see Boring technical paragraph).
Ideally, you should only include main speaking points in the form of short and concise bullet points on your slides. This is far less dull for the audience and the best slides have no text - some speakers just use images.
Don't fill up empty spaces with unnecessary elements as this won't help the audience understand what you're saying. The less clutter there is on a slide the more impact your visual message will have.
The design elements should be kept to a minimum to prevent distractions, such as ensuring you have a clear and simple background.
3.2 Avoid slides with lots of mems and gifs in a row :)
We all like old good jokes but think about people who will have only your slides for reference. They would appreciate useful information and a straightforward structure.
Find a balance between entertaining and educational material.
3.3 Check your grammar (e.g. with Grammarly :))
3.4 Boring technical paragraph
- Text font size > 30px
- Background - light
- Links - without domain part, wrapped to the header. ex google
- Animation - simple Appear with a minimal delay time
- Code - use contrast schema
- Dotes - don't use them in titles, subtitles, lists
4. Common sense recommendations
pivorak is a friendly community. Please do not share sexist, racist and other types of offending content. Do not use obscene language
5. During your talk
While public speaking it's easy to break your usual pace of speech: talk too fast or too slow. Time after time take a break - sip water, breathe-in breath-out deeply.
Try to talk louder than usual. Think about people from the last rows.
Be conscious of parasite words and awkward pauses.
6. How to avoid parasite words and awkward pauses
Nervous about public speaking? Nightmares about how you forget what to say next during presentation don't let you sleep well? Fear no more. Next few simple tips will save your sleep and improve your oratory skills.
6.1 Write a script or outline
Your narration should sound casual but informed like you’re showing something to a coworker. It is helpful to write out a script beforehand so they’re never in doubt of what to say. It’s a great way to cut the “umm”s and “uhh”s and make your presentation as tight as possible.
If you’d rather sound more conversational, less scripted, write out an outline. We’re talking bullet points—the keywords you want to say, the points you want to hit. This approach may require you to edit a few seconds of dead air here and there, but the published narration will sound polished.
6.2 Iterate, iterate and iterate...
Make sure you spend more than enough time going through slides and script until you will be absolutely sure that narrative is smooth, illustrations are on top, slides are in the correct order
6.3 Let your presentation tool help you
Whatever presentation tool you are using - big chances that it includes useful features to help you create outstanding slides during a presentation. Know your weapon of choice and use it wisely. We added few links to Read more section to start, but google knows more, fo sure.
Tip: Did you know Google Slides has the comment section, which is visible only for speaker during the Presentation mode?
7. When you can break all rules except Common sense
And those who read it through up to the end here is a bonus tip.
Talking too quickly, waving arms a lot, wander around the stage. According to conventional wisdom, these are all bad habits!
But there is a secret that allows you to break all the rules. Bring energy and enthusiasm about what you are saying to the stage. Enthusiasm is infectious.