My tips on giving technical talks

Changelog

2025-05-01: Added advice from MĂĄrk SĂĄgi-KazĂĄr

2025-05-01: Added suggestion from Oriel about going to the toilet before speaking.

I've been giving talks at meetups and conferences for a few years now. I started off after the encouragement of my friends giving their own talk and looking so cool doing it! It's taken a while but I think I'm at a stage now where I'm not only good at it (at least I hope so 😅) but I feel confident and comfortable while doing it. I want everyone to have that same confidence and I want to hear ALL OF YOU giving talks too! You have stories to tell, lessons to share and experience to pass on. So here is my learnings on how I approach giving a talk in front of a crowd of techies, mainly focussed on technical talks but most of this should apply to most public speaking.

Before we get into it, I just want to set some expectations.

These are things that have worked for me, including advice I've been given by other speakers over the years, but that doesn't always mean they will work for you. We're all unique in weird and wonderful ways so if you find something doesn't work for you or isn't comfortable then ignore it and focus on the things that do help. 💙

I'm also not going to cover (much) about how to come up with a talk idea or how to get it accepted at a conference or meetup. I also have difficulty here and don't feel confident enough to offer advice on this.

I'm also not a "professional" speaker. This isn't my full-time job, even if I sometimes do it on behalf of my company. But that is also why I think all of you can also be giving talks and sharing your knowledge with the wonderful community.

So, let's dive into it shall we?

Coming up with the talk

As I said above, I can't really give much advice here. I struggle with this a lot of the time but there is one thing I can say for sure...

Talk about what you’re interested in and enjoy - if you don’t enjoy the subject your audience won’t either. It is also likely you'll have a terrible time giving the talk (not to mention writing the talk) if it's not something you enjoy.

One other thing I can say on this matter though is just because someone else has given a talk on a specific topic doesn't mean you cannot. We each bring a unique view to a topic and our delivery of the subject can resonate and connect with people differently.

Writing the talk

The language used

Make sure the language you use is inclusive and avoid words that trivialises actions. For example, avoid words like "guys" and "master" as much as you can to ensure you're not making anyone feel excluded - I like to use "y'all" when referring to a group of people. I also recommend limiting your use of words like "basically" and "simply" - these can feel alienating sometimes when the thing your talking about isn't seen as being basic or simple to the audience.

It's generally a good idea to avoid jokes unless you're sure they'll land and are designed to lift people up, not belittle anyone. A lot of the time jokes require some sort of pre-existing cultural knowledge that might not be the case for all your audience members. This is especially true at international conferences where you have people from different countries and languages in the audience.

Don't perpetuate stereotypes - avoid things like "so simple even my mum can use it" or similar comments.

Don't be afraid of saying "um" or pausing in your talk. In fact I suggest you make use of pauses in your speaking to add emphasis and break up sections.

Your slides

Design is not my strongest skill so I'm going to keep these brief and to the point:

  • Make your font sizes BIG so that people at the back of a large room can see without struggling
  • Avoid paragraphs - no one is there to read, they're there to listen
  • Limit the amount of fonts and variations you use. Pick one main text font and one mono font. Use bold, italics and colour sparingly and to add emphasis where needed.

If you're going to be presenting your slides on a projector then your slides will always look very washed out compared to what you see on your computer screen. Plan ahead for this and make sure your slides have good contrast between the text and background. If you're worried about this I suggest speaking with the organisers at the start of the day and testing out your slides in the room you'll be presenting.

I recommend including your social media handle on each of your slides if you can. People take photos of slides to remind themselves of the content later and there's a good chance they would have forgot who gave the talk by then.

I also recommend having a final slide with links to get a copy of your slides if possible and where people can get in touch with you to ask questions after the talk.

Always remember that your slides are only there to reenforce what you're saying and are not the total content. They should enhance and summarise your points as you go so keep them brief and snappy.

Technical

Most presentation software has the ability to write speakers notes. I don't personally use these myself as I can't read fast enough to make them useful but if you feel more confident with them then I totally recommend using them. The main thing to keep in mind though is not to use them as a script but rather just short notes to remind you of your place in the talk.

Ensure you know how to make your slides fullscreen before giving the talk. This may sound obvious but if your using Google Slides from Chrome on a Mac, for example, then you will actually need to enable to ability to go fullscreen in your browser first. I've seen this catch people out several times. If this is your setup then you want to go to View → Always Show Toolbar in Full Screen and make sure that is NOT checked. 😉

Demos go wrong and conference WiFi sucks. Be sure to have offline alternatives of your slides and backup options for demos going wrong. A video recording of your demo is always a good choice. There's rarely ever a need to do a live demo, I certainly never do - my typing skills and spelling are terrible 🤣.

Ending the talk

Always end the talk with a “thank you” and not “any questions”. When you ask for questions it causes confusion for the audience as to if they should clap or not. Let the conference / meetup organiser ask if there are questions as they also know if there’s time available and if there is a portable microphone for the audience to use.

On the day

Setting up your tech

Make sure you arrive prepared. This means having any adapters or dongles you need for your laptop to connect to the provided HDMI cable, that your laptop is sufficiently charged (at least 50%) and you have an offline copy of your slides available as we've already said the WiFi is unreliable.

Set your laptop and phone to Do Not Disturb mode. The last thing you want is an embarrassing notification to pop up for all to see.

Ensure your laptop is clear of clutter - arrange the windows you'll need during your talk, close or hide all others. It's never fun watching someone switch between multiple windows or tabs trying to find where their slides or demo went to.

Taking the stage

Just before you step up on to the stage I recommend removing your conference badge so it doesn't distract or get caught on anything and emptying your pockets to avoid things jingling or distracting you mid-talk.

Be sure to stay hydrated while giving your talk. If the organisers don't provide you with a bottle of water be sure to get your own drink to take up with you. Often the stage will be lit by very bright and very hot lights and you will feel your throat going dry in no time!

I can't believe I forgot this, so thank you to Oriel Jutty for reminding me about this one - make sure you go to the toilet before your talk! Especially withe the "stay hydrated" tip above you really don't want to get a few minutes into your talk and then be distracted by your bladder. I usually end up going to the toilet several times in the hour running up to my talk! 😅

Giving the talk

I like to use a presentation remote to control my slides as I like to move around the stage when I'm talking. This isn't required but I recommend it rather than hiding behind your laptop the whole time clicking the keyboard. My current clicker is this finger ring presentation remote. The added benefit of using a remote is it gives you something to do with (one of) your hands.

On a similar note, don't bother with a laser pointer. They're rarely visible to all attendees and are completely lost on the recording of the talk (if there is one). If you do want to point to things on the slides I recommend looking into software based laser pointer or just using your mouse cursor.

A quick word on microphones

When it comes to giving a talk to a medium to large sized crowd you'll almost certainly be using a microphone to amplify your voice. You often don't get a choice in what microphone you can use but if you do here are my thoughts on the different styles:

  • Podium - These are usually fixed to the podium and you need to always face that direction when talking. Remember not to talk while pointing at the screen behind you as people won't hear you.
  • Handheld - These should be held right up to your mouth, closer than you initially think. If you start to drift it away from your face the sound quality degrades very quickly. Be aware that these can be awkward if you plan to do live demos where typing is needed as one of your hands will need to be holding the mic.
  • Lapel - These clip on to your clothes, usually near the collar, so avoid loose or noisy clothing that could cause noise on the mic
  • "Britney" style - Not sure the correct name for these but they're the ones fitted over your ear with a small arm mic on them. These are my favourite as you don't need to hold them and you can move around with the, just be careful if coughing as the sound isn't nice.

On a related point, try to avoid needing to play any sound from your laptop during your slides or demo. If you absolutely need sound for your talk then please discuss it with the organisers before the event so they can ensure it is catered for.

Questions

As said above, end your talk with a "thank you" and let the organiser initiate questions if there is time.

Be aware that you don't need to be all knowing - if you don't have an answer for a question it is totally acceptable to say "I don't know".

If you think an answer might require considerable time or be confusing to explain from the stage then suggest that the person asking the question meets you after the session to discuss it further.

After the talk

So, you did it! You gave the talk! Congratulations! 🎉

Now what?

Well, first things first - it's always good to make yourself available immediately after your talk as it's possible people will want to come ask you questions or possibly give you feedback or thanks. I also like to take this time to "unwind" a little after my talk and make any notes on things that I think might need changing or improving for next time.

On that note - yes, there should be a next time. If your talk was a success and you enjoyed giving it then why stop there? There are always more people that will want to hear what you have to say so don't be afraid of reusing talks at other events. Just be sure not to simply copy and paste each time but work to improve and update as you learn and grow.

My most important tip

I forget who gave me this advice, many years ago, but it's stuck with me all this time - Celebrate every talk - I like to have a “little treat” after (doughnut, muffin, something tasty) but do whatever is nice and rewarding for you. You put a lot of work into it and regardless of how it went on the day you deserve to celebrate that achievement.

If you have any tips of your own I'd love to hear them! Let me know on Bluesky or Mastodon.

Finally I'd like to leave you with a collection of resources I have learnt from over the years...

Resources

Books

Websites

Blog posts

Videos

Advice from Friends

After posting this I started asking for other people's tips and advice. I will update below as I get more to share.

MĂĄrk SĂĄgi-KazĂĄr

I see folks sometimes struggling with coming up with the content. They have the title and the topic, they have the thank you slide, but they have trouble with the slides in between. I usually recommend writing a draft first instead of thinking in terms of slides. Number one rule of writing is that you don't write and edit at the same time.

Personally, I use pen and paper, because it slows my thoughts and I don't bounce between ideas.

I can totally see how this would be useful for many folks. Myself I actually prefer the opposite, I throw together a bunch of slides with my various points on them and keep rearranging and refining them until they fit the story I want to tell. The key thing is, try various approaches and see what works for you. It might also not be the same approach for each talk you build - creativity can be fickle sometimes.

Another common mistake is time: less experienced speakers can't estimate how long they are going to talk with a given set of slides. One reason for that is they don't rehearse (I'm not saying it's a must, but it definitely helps). Another reason (even when they rehearse) is they lose focus and they stretch out some of the slides. Rehearse and practice focusing on the key ideas on each slide.

I should have included this in my post initially. Rehearsing a talk is a very personal thing I've found and everyone does it differently but it is very important to have a good idea of how long your talk is going to last. My top tip for this is to open a Google Meet (or your video conference of choice), start the recording and then present the entire talk as though you were giving it in front of a crowd. You don't need anyone else in the call with you, just let the recoding go until your done and then once complete you can look at the timestamp and see how long your talk takes. You don't even have to watch yourself back if you don't want to. 😅

But my number one tip (or rather the one I keep repeating the most): don't look at the flippin' screen behind you. 😄 If you are not wearing a mic (eg. at a small meetup) noone is going to hear you. If you are wearing a mic, it just looks bad, especially if there is a recording.

😅 Yeah - I'm at fault for this quite often to be honest. I like to point at things and be quite physically expressive.

Zoom in on your terminal windows.

Bigger is always better here. Assume the person sat at the back of the room also has the worst possible eyesight.

Disable true tone (sometimes it makes screen recording yellowish)

Solid practical tip if you use true tone on your machine. Not something I've ever thought of before.