I'm hoping to give a talk at this year's Ruby Conference so I thought I would read MJD's "Conference Presentation Judo". However, it appears to either be down or suffering from the slashdot effect. I've been able to read the "additional notes" page, so I have an idea of what he's talking about.
Having taught at FSU (as a grad student) I already knew some of the lessons that he has learned, but I wanted to get a feeling for anything "conference specific", since it's not quite the same environment.
For example, are conference attendees more or less likely to challenge you in the middle of a presentation? How much time should I give for questions or should I just handle them as they come? Is it ok to sleep with the cute female students when class is over?
Are conference attendees more or less likely to challenge you in the middle of a presentation?
Yes, but not necessarily in a bad way. Try to catch mjd's notes on the "second guy". I have less experience than he does, but that guy is indeed something of a constant.
How much time should I give for questions or should I just handle them as they come?
"Yes" ;-) I don't have numbers I tend to try to leave "enough time for people to ask questions, without giving them the impression that I've run out of things to say". If people want to ask something as I talk it's fine too, though I try to not let that lead to a digression (which it often does).
Is it ok to sleep with the cute female students when class is over?
Most definitely ;-) But those are harder to find in geek gatherings unfortunately...
