What is a Lightning Talk?¶
A Lightning Talk is a brief presentation, lasting up to five minutes, where you share an idea, concept, or piece of information that you find interesting. These talks can cover technical or non-technical topics - whatever you are passionate about!
Lightning Talks are a fantastic opportunity for first-time speakers. Regardless of your speaking experience, we invite you to submit a talk.
Supporting first-time speakers is important to us, so we have created two speaker categories:
First-time speakers
Experienced speakers
Our goal is to have a balance between first-time and experienced speakers.
Schedule and Logistics¶
Date: Monday, May 5 and Tuesday, May 6 after lunch
Submit your Lightning Talk in person at the registration/check-in table.
Submissions are open:
During Writing Day on Sunday
Monday morning, until the end of the last morning break
Monday afternoon, post-Monday Lightning Talks
Tuesday morning, until the end of the last morning break
Speaker selection and announcements:
The coordinator, with staff support, selects the speakers. The speakers are announced onstage after the final morning talk and before lunch on Monday and Tuesday. You do not have to be present to be selected, but it is helpful. The coordinator also contacts the speakers by phone to confirm their acceptance.
Tech check:
Fifteen minutes before Lightning Talks begin on Monday and Tuesday.
Speaking order is confirmed during tech check.
Speakers using tech, such as slides, etc, have the opportunity to test it.
Lightning Talks!
Coordinator introduces and explains Lightning Talks to attendees.
Each speaker is introduced and given five minutes to present.
There is a countdown timer for each presentation. Speakers receive a signal when they have one minute remaining.
The coordinator stops speakers after five minutes.
Exact times to be posted on our Schedule page.
Planning Your Lightning Talk¶
A Lightning Talk is five minutes and intentionally designed to encourage speakers to be mindful in how they communicate their topic. Use the time to give an overview, provide insights, and ignite curiosity.
1. Choose a topic¶
You are welcome to submit any topic you are passionate about. It does not have to be related to documentation. Some of our most popular Lightning Talk topics included legos, music, design software, and more.
Topic selection tips:
A concept, process, or tool that you are learning or learned recently.
A retrospective overview, what went right/wrong during a project you are doing or finished.
Any relevant content that the audience might be interested in knowing more about.
Technical topics are wonderful and welcome but not mandatory.
2. Create an outline¶
Who is your audience?
What is the goal of your talk?
What points do you need to make to help the audience understand your goal?
3. Choose points of interest¶
What could you use this for or when could you use it? Have you already used it? How?
When would it not be as useful? What are some contraindications to using it?
Resources related to the subject, including books, documentation, and URLs.
Are there any projects or companies that are using what you are sharing?
Is this something you’d like to collaborate with others on? Feel free to ASK!
What are some of the challenges related to using, building, or configuring what you’re showing?
Remember how quickly five minutes goes by when choosing what to include!
Presentation Options¶
While there is a short tech check to acclimate you to the stage, all technology is optional so proceed at your own risk!
Slides
Use a platform you are familiar with - Microsoft Word, Keynote, a PDF, a website, etc. Even a terminal or console window where you enter commands can work well for presenting your ideas.
Don’t worry if it does not look polished; Lightning Talks do not need to be!
Keep in mind that the projector is lower resolution, typically 1024x768. Low-contrast slides don’t display well.
Remember to adjust your font! This is key for terminal or console examples, you need a large font so everyone can see what you’re typing.
If you plan to use code examples, have them written, debugged, and ready to go. Watching someone write code as they go can be great in a longer deep-dive type of talk, but it’s not very well-suited to a Lightning Talk.
Live demos
You may have the desire to do a live demonstration. It seems like an easy way to help the audience see your vision, and it is… if it works! In most cases, live demos rarely convey your goals and often fail.
A derailed demo can distress even the most skilled presenters. If you choose to do a demo and it goes wrong, have a backup story to explain what the demo would have shown and revert to it if necessary.
Equipment
Be self-sufficient. Bring everything you need to do your presentation - computer, cords, adaptors to connect to a monitor or projector, etc.
Download slides or load web pages you need into your browser beforehand. Do not rely on the internet as it has proven to drop the connection during talks.
Keep a backup copy of your presentation on a USB removable storage device.
Your Moment on Stage¶
Take a deep breath and go for it. You are among friends and colleagues. We are excited for your presentation! Nobody minds if you make mistakes. We are here to support you.
This may be something you do once, or maybe it will spark a love for presenting for you. Many folks begin their speaking career in the tech industry with Lightning Talks.
Enjoy your five minutes; you are going to do great! :)
Create Opportunities for Follow Up¶
Lightning Talks can create wonderful opportunities such as hallway conversations, Unconference sessions, and sometimes, future presentations.
Consider using the final moments of your presentation to let the audience know how to follow up with you.
If you plan to share your content, let them know how to access it.
Share your social media information (optional).
Host your own Unconference session (optional).
Be available to speak afterwards in the hallway (optional).
Acknowledgements¶
Special thanks to the Portland Python Users Group for use of this content.
Lightning Talks: A Guide for Beginners by Michelle Rowley of PDX Python is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
