OSCON 2004 - Tutorial Day 1
While I was technically signed up for Damian Conway’s Best Practice Perl, I didn’t actually stroll into the hotel until about 1pm. After checking into the conference I locate the room for the afternoon tutorial, Presentation Aikido, where I find Damian choreographing some martial arts moves. With Larry Wall. Who was in a full gi. This could be interesting.
As usual, Damian’s talk was fantastic. He’s a dynamic speaker, using funny voices, humor/sarcasm (directed both at himself and the audience), and materials effectively. But mostly his talks are great because he’s very insightful. Connecting the minimalist, flowing concepts of aikido with ways to make effective presentations? Unique…but it worked! Keep talks straightforward, moving, free of extraneous flourishes, and maintain a connection with the audience: those are the keys to a good talk.