What makes a great tech talk?

Question

I'm giving my first big tech talk at a conference in just a few weeks (at EmberConf). I'm confident in the topic and substance of the talk, but I'm less sure about everything else. Will I lose people if I start off too basic? Or is it worse to dive into the more technical stuff without laying the foundation first? How much should I talk about myself, if at all?What are the hallmarks of an excellent, memorable talk?

yesenadam · Accepted Answer

This is a great talk about giving a great research talk, by Simon Peyton-Jones. (He has another great talk about writing great papers) I'm sure you'll get a lot from it if you haven't seen it. So much wisdom, and common sense that seems obvious but you mightn't think of or remember half of it. Good luck!
How to Give a Great Research Talk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sT_-owjKIbA
About talking about yourself - I really like when people show a slide about themselves and talk briefly, for maybe 10-20 seconds, about what they've been involved in previously. So you can hear where they're coming from, and where their expertise lies. Especially if not many people there are likely to know anything about them.

cborenstein · Answer

I think good tech talks (especially ones that are highly technical), are ones that make the high-level context for why we should care about the technology we're learning very clear.
I'd recommend checking out https://femgineer.com/present-book/ and the corresponding youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/Femgineers
Her lessons on using storytelling in your talk to explain and reinforce the high-level value might be helpful for you as you structure your talk.

muzani · Answer

The pattern is usually why, then how, then what.https://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_insp...

ColinWright · Answer

I assume you've done a web search for "How to start a speech", so what more do you want to know?