Lightning Talk Guidelines
Adapted from Mark Fowler’s PERL article, 7/30/04: https://www.perl.com/pub/2004/07/30/lightningtalk.html
purpose
Offers an opportunity for speakers to present exciting ideas and programs that do not require the length of a longer talk Offers a variety of topics to a large audience without them having to change locations
Description
Talks should be energetic, exciting, challenging The entire session will consist of no more than 6 lightning talks Talks last no more than seven minutes each
Parameters
No more than 20 presentation slides Moderator will notify speaker at specific time intervals and end session promptly after seven minutes Question/Answer period, if any, must occur within the seven-minute time limit; we do not recommend Q&A due to the session format constraints
Tips
Make the point and explain it quickly (though do not rush) Always keep your rapport with your audience, not the computer Don’t get caught up in background info (no more than one minute) Only include details if they are necessary and fit within the overall scope for such a short presentation Slides should show things to the audience, not help presenter remember what to talk about Provide contact info somewhere (e.g., on the last slide) in presentation materials (or on a handout) Practice, practice, practice to fit it into seven minutes
Preparation
Send PowerPoint, PDF and/or other presentation materials to the Lightning Talk coordinator by Wednesday, May 6, 2026 Meet with the Lightning Talk coordinator before lunch on Saturday, May 9 to test and verify PowerPoint, web links, etc, prior to your talk Give handouts (if any) to moderator prior to presentation
If There Are Any Problems...
Someone from LOEX will be ready to assist, but in the main, if something unexpected happens, just keep talking and move on
Conclusion
Encourage the audience to talk with you later, individually, during conference Remember: you have seven minutes total – that’s it!