Telling Your Technical Story
Sherry Sontag
A good technical talk is as much about storytelling as it is about presenting information. At best, it is a shared experience between speaker and audience. Even the most complex topics can be presented simply and clearly, sparking questions, conversation, and perhaps even some argument. When this is done well, a good talk becomes a great one and leaves everyone, including the speakers, with more: more understanding, more curiosity, more interest. Small tweaks to your presentations can make a huge difference. Learn how to add context and clarity to your talks; how much detail is enough; how to craft simple and effective slides; how to be truly comfortable on stage and engage your audience; and how to cope with the unexpected. You will have the chance to present your own work, learning from both other participants and your instructor. The workshop instructor will also share insights and experiences, including hiccups and disasters that have helped make them a better speaker.
I envision much of this as a conversation with the audience where they can discuss their own ideas or works in progress if they choose; share experiences, find presentation ideas from the work they are doing day to day.

Sherry Sontag
Sherry Sontag has presented at ACCU 2024, CppCon 2024, CppCon 2023, and C++Now 2024. She joined Bloomberg Engineering nearly 20 years ago after co-authoring “Blind Man’s Bluff,” a New York Times bestseller about submarine espionage during the Cold War. She helps lead community consensus and outreach efforts for Bloomberg’s Code Governance Solutions team. She is a graduate of Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism and Barnard College, Columbia University.