March 9, 2008 at 13:50Blitz reports at RIT-2008
At RIT-2008, we are launching a new report format - the so-called blitz reports or lightning talks. In short, the blitz report is read for exactly 5 minutes in a series of
10-20 of the same reports without interruptions between them.
Sessions of blitz reports over the years have always been very popular at the
international conferences TPC, OSCON, YAPC, PyCon, as well as numerous barcamps and
non-conferences. We are also pulling up.
The topic of blitz reports even in one session can be very different. Moreover, this is even
welcomed, since it fully corresponds to the idea of the event - to pack in one or two hours a
lot of information that is easy to absorb from different areas of knowledge. Blitz Sessions
are held at the end of the day, so speakers rely on a tired audience and often
make blitz presentations in a slightly humorous way.
Preparing a good blitz report can take you quite a bit of time, so we
especially recommend this format to busy professionals and managers who have something to
say, but never have enough time to prepare a full-length presentation. Also, the
format of the blitz report may be of interest to young people who want to try their hand at
public speaking, minimizing risks. And of course, a blitz report will be an ideal
format if the chosen topic simply does not require long rants.
The requirements for the theses of the blitz report are very simple: it is desirable that the theses fit into
one or two sentences. If it does not work out, then probably the topic of the report does not
fit the format very well .
Slides to the blitz report are not required at all, but of course they are always welcome. Also,
often during blitz presentations alternative visual formats are used, such as a
live demonstration, a video clip or a large number of slides, each of which is coarsely
written with one or two words.
Based on the recommendations of one of the inventors of the blitz reports, Mark Jason Dominus, we
made an approximate list of templates for those that can give an additional idea of the
essence of the phenomenon and help determine the choice of a specific topic:
1) Why do I like project X.
2) I'm going to take on a cool project X. Does anyone want to help me?
3) I successfully completed project X. Some tricks.
4) I completed project X. It failed, and I will tell you why.
5) A mistake in project X: everyone says Y, but it’s not, because ...
6) Project X sucks, because ...
7) Call to action: let's devote more / less time X.
8) True, it was would be great if X ...?
9) Someone has to do X. I do not have time.
10) My wishlist for project X.
11) Why X is a mistake.
12) The reasons why X, which seems to be a mistake, is not such.
13) What is it like doing X.
14) A useful technique that really works.
15) A technique that should have worked, but was useless.
16) We should pay more attention to X.
17) What I like most about X.
Additional materials about the blitz reports collected here:
perlrussia.ru/lightningtalks
In particular, we recommend to read the two articles on the preparation of a blitz of reports, which we
have translated for the Russian audience:
perlrussia.ru/lightningtalks/mjd
perlrussia.ru/lightningtalks/fowler
wishes to spend a blitz report at RIT-2008 should be sent a brief thesis of their speech
to the address rit2008@profyclub.ru or personally to me, Alexei Kapranov.
This must be done before March 20.
10-20 of the same reports without interruptions between them.
Sessions of blitz reports over the years have always been very popular at the
international conferences TPC, OSCON, YAPC, PyCon, as well as numerous barcamps and
non-conferences. We are also pulling up.
The topic of blitz reports even in one session can be very different. Moreover, this is even
welcomed, since it fully corresponds to the idea of the event - to pack in one or two hours a
lot of information that is easy to absorb from different areas of knowledge. Blitz Sessions
are held at the end of the day, so speakers rely on a tired audience and often
make blitz presentations in a slightly humorous way.
Preparing a good blitz report can take you quite a bit of time, so we
especially recommend this format to busy professionals and managers who have something to
say, but never have enough time to prepare a full-length presentation. Also, the
format of the blitz report may be of interest to young people who want to try their hand at
public speaking, minimizing risks. And of course, a blitz report will be an ideal
format if the chosen topic simply does not require long rants.
The requirements for the theses of the blitz report are very simple: it is desirable that the theses fit into
one or two sentences. If it does not work out, then probably the topic of the report does not
fit the format very well .
Slides to the blitz report are not required at all, but of course they are always welcome. Also,
often during blitz presentations alternative visual formats are used, such as a
live demonstration, a video clip or a large number of slides, each of which is coarsely
written with one or two words.
Based on the recommendations of one of the inventors of the blitz reports, Mark Jason Dominus, we
made an approximate list of templates for those that can give an additional idea of the
essence of the phenomenon and help determine the choice of a specific topic:
1) Why do I like project X.
2) I'm going to take on a cool project X. Does anyone want to help me?
3) I successfully completed project X. Some tricks.
4) I completed project X. It failed, and I will tell you why.
5) A mistake in project X: everyone says Y, but it’s not, because ...
6) Project X sucks, because ...
7) Call to action: let's devote more / less time X.
8) True, it was would be great if X ...?
9) Someone has to do X. I do not have time.
10) My wishlist for project X.
11) Why X is a mistake.
12) The reasons why X, which seems to be a mistake, is not such.
13) What is it like doing X.
14) A useful technique that really works.
15) A technique that should have worked, but was useless.
16) We should pay more attention to X.
17) What I like most about X.
Additional materials about the blitz reports collected here:
perlrussia.ru/lightningtalks
In particular, we recommend to read the two articles on the preparation of a blitz of reports, which we
have translated for the Russian audience:
perlrussia.ru/lightningtalks/mjd
perlrussia.ru/lightningtalks/fowler
wishes to spend a blitz report at RIT-2008 should be sent a brief thesis of their speech
to the address rit2008@profyclub.ru or personally to me, Alexei Kapranov
This must be done before March 20.