Speaking.io

A website about public speaking.

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Outline

  1. First: plan out your talk.

    1. Writing the CFP: The conference will have a Call For Papers. You'll need to write one.
    2. Repetition: Here's a trick of the trade: repetition. Repetition is a trick of the trade.
    3. The Number of Slides: How many slides should you plan for?
    4. Outlining: How do I get started on my talk?
    5. The Idea: What should you talk about? What's a good topic for you?
    6. Finding Where to Talk: How do you even get started, anyway? Where can I give a talk?
    7. Talks are Entertainment: Public speaking's dirty little secret.

  2. Design and build your slides.

    1. Typography: What do the words on your slides look like? Hint: they're probably a disaster.
    2. Slide Transitions and Animations: What should your animations look like?
    3. Software: What software should I build my slide deck with?
    4. Dimensions: Should your slides be 4:3 or widescreen?
    5. Color: How do I choose a color scheme?
    6. Using Images: Photos and clip art and images, oh my.
    7. Duplicating Objects: Learn this one weird trick to build your slides quickly.

  3. Prep for the big day.

    1. Scoping out the Room: You're just about to go up on stage. Scope the room out.
    2. Recording Your Talk: Think about recording your talk as practice, and for others.
    3. Practicing It: At some point you should practice. Quit putting it off, you know I'm right.
    4. Live Tech Demos: What's the best way to prepare a live demo in front of an audience?
    5. The Best Presenter Remotes: Thinking about controlling your slides with a remote?

  4. Deliver and do your thing.

    1. Your Voice: How fast should you talk? How slow? How can you command your voice?
    2. What They Don't Tell You: What are the things to think about that you won't think about?
    3. Remotes: A quick little guide on navigating your deck with a remote.
    4. Dealing with Nervousness: Everyone gets nervous.
    5. Fucking up: All the preparation in the world won't save you from a brainfart.

  5. React and reflect on what just happened.

    1. Sharing Your Talk Online: Turns out your biggest audience wasn't even in the room with you.
    2. Improving a Talk: C'mon, you're not perfect. You probably messed something up.
    3. Handling Questions: What's the trick behind Q&A after a talk?

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Last modified 12 December 2025