Lightning talks return again this year to the 2013 Technical Communication Summit. These fast-paced, engaging sessions have been a huge hit the past few years and we are excited to host them again in Atlanta. We are very thankful to previous Conference Chair, Alan Houser, for introducing this presentation format at the 2011 Summit in Sacramento.
During each one-hour session of lightning talks, about 9 speakers will each present a five minute topic of interest to technical communicators. Each speaker has prepared 20 slides, and during each presentation the slides will automatically be displayed for 15 seconds each. The timing is enforced, which can test the presenter’s skills and lead to some fun and entertainment.
You can expect to see presentations that are insightful, thought provoking, humorous, and possibly controversial. The audience is often cheering for the presenter as they briefly explore the topic being presented. This year could also see the return of the Ninja talk, which debuted at the 2012 Summit. The Ninja talk uses the same format as the lightning talk, except the presenter has never seen the slides, which were created by someone other than the presenter.
The lightning talk sessions are often scheduled for Monday and Wednesday mornings during the Summit, and a Ninja talk could end each lightning talk session with some laughs. The list of lightning talks for Atlanta is below. Want to see a sample from last year? Click here.
- What’s in a Nametag
- To Serif or Not to Serif
- Changing the World
- Management Munchies: Nibbles of Leadership Advice
- The Hairball of Content
- Motivational Editing
- 101 Reasons We Love Tech Comm
- Oh, the Crap I’ve Seen
- Inspiration Redux: Move in the Right Direction
- Marketing Copy Is Dead
- The Mars Science Laboratory Tweetup fFrom Close Up
- Quality Recordings: Quick and Clean
