pycon india 2014 - 10 tips for speakers

Pycon India 2014Draft

Pycon India

10 Things Every Presenter Needs To Know


10 Things Every Presenter Needs To Know

1. No pitches, please 2. Present unique content 3. Clarity and brevity 4. Takeaways. And code! 5. Plan your time 6. Network with peers 7. Presenting solo 8. Content submission timelines 9. Waitlisted presenters 10.Inspire others!


1. No pitches, please•Pitches about yourself, your company, or

other products or services are a no-no. Serious.

•Weaving in “We’re hiring” or “How cool we are” may seem smart to you.

•Being a sponsor and showing that you guys are professional and support the ecosystem is smarter.

•Your audience at Pycon is professional and smart. Treat them so.


2. Present Unique Content•Showcase your original work where possible

•Or, provide your insights and learnings on top of work done by others

•Avoid repeating topics you’ve presented elsewhere. Conference fatigue catches up quickly.

•If someone can already google or look up docs to find what you are about to present… stop to think about what value you can add.


3. Clarity and brevity•Having a clever title may get folks in the

door to know more.

•But you’ll have most of them heading out 10 minutes in once they know they aren’t interested.

•And that affects everyone else who really *cares* about what you are presenting.

•Provide a clear, unambiguous title, description and slide outline on the Funnel.


4. Takeaways. And code!•For every slide that you stick up there,

focus on what the key takeaways are for your audience.

•Or even better, drop a few of the slides and get into code.

•Try not to pack in too much information or please avoid reading from slides. It gets old quickly.


5. Plan your talk time•All regular talks are 45 minutes long. The

NIMHANS venue is fairly large, and people take a few minutes to get across halls and settle down.

•We’d urge you to plan your time

•5 min setup (during previous speaker’s Q&A)

•30 min talk (let the volunteers know if you need a time cue halfway through)

•10 min Q&A (enough for around 3 questions)


6. Network with Peers•There’s open spaces to hack on things,

share ideas, and hang out.

•Join us for an invite only dinner on XX date and XX place/time.

•Take time out to interact with people and answer questions. They look up to you!


7. Presenting Solo•From past data, solo presenters have had

better audience ratings.

•The 30-45 minute time slots provide limited time, and switching presenters interrupts the flow.

•If you genuinely have a collaborator (who isnt just your boss doing an intro), consider involving him just in the Q&A.

•If you choose to present together, find a meaningful split of time and context setting that makes sense.


8. Content Submission Timeline

•Here are the important dates by which you need to submit your presentation to the Pycon Program Committee.

•First Draft - Sep 7th 2014

•Final Version - Sep 14th 2014

•A member of the committee will be available to review your material over a 15 minute phone or Skype call.

•The Committee reserves the right to drop you from the lineup if submissions are not made on time or do not meet expectations.


9. Waitlisted Presenters•If you’ve been confirmed for Pycon, but

informed that you are on the waitlist, here’s what you need to know:

•If other presenters drop off, or are unable to provide material in time, you may be chosen from the waitlist

•If you are still on the waitlist before the conference, we’ll give you a 15-minute crisp talk slot during the Lightning talks session.

•Please submit your first draft by the dates mentioned in the last slide for waitlist consideration.


10. Inspire others•It’s nice to be important, but it’s more

important to be nice.

•Honor the Code of Conduct. Keep in mind this is a professional conference.

•Create an environment of humility, fun, inclusiveness, openness and mutual respect.

•You’re speaking at Pycon, India’s premier Python conference. You are one of our celebrities, and we think you are awesome. Inspire others around you.

pycon india 2014 - 10 tips for speakers

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