Agile2018 is fast approaching, and I can’t wait for the chance to see old friends, meet new ones, and learn from some of the veterans in the Agile community. One of my favorite tracks at Agile20xx conferences has always been the Lightning Talks. Lightning Talks are created and presented by the attendees of the conference, and they are always fun, fast, and educational. It provides a chance for attendees to share something they’ve learned, something that’s worked well on their team, or something they’re excited about!
The format
The purpose of the Lightning Talk Track is to provide a lightweight, flexible opportunity for conference attendees to share valuable information with other participants. Presentations are short with one of the following formats:
- 3-minute Lightning Talk (no slides)
- 5-minute Lightning Talk (slides)
- 7-minute Pecha Kucha style presentation
What I love about Lightning Talks
With such a short format, Lightning Talks gets right to the point. The constraints lead to creative ways to share an important topic without the luxury of any rambling or “filler”. Speakers have to give you the 80/20 slice – the 20% of the content that gives you 80% of the benefit. In an hour, you get to hear around eight different lightning talks, so there’s a great variety of content and a high likelihood that one of the topics will be really interesting to you. There’s always fun and supportive energy in the room. Best of all, we get a chance to hear from a diverse set of conference attendees!
How you can get involved
Submit: If you’re attending the conference, you can submit your Lightning Talk Proposal here through July 20, midnight EST. We will fill the available slots with input from community voting. If there are open slots after the submissions close, we take last-minute proposals during the conference.
Vote: If you want to provide input into sessions, you can vote at the same link above.
Attend: Come to the Lightning Talks on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Check SCHED for all of the details. Get there early in case we end up with standing room only again!
