This document provides guidance for presenters at Pycon India 2014. It outlines 10 key things presenters need to know, such as avoiding pitches, presenting unique content, keeping talks concise and focused on key takeaways, planning talk timing, networking with peers, submitting content by deadlines, and inspiring others by honoring the code of conduct. Presenters are encouraged to treat their audience professionally and add value beyond just repeating available information.

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Pycon India
10 Things Every Presenter Needs To Know

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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!

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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)

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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!

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.