demo-script

name	Demo Script
description	"Use when preparing a conference talk, customer demo, or workshop, and you need a reliable, reproducible script. Triggers on "demo", "talk", "workshop", "keynote", "prepare presentation", "live coding"."

Demo Script

When to invoke

• "Prepare a 20-minute demo for a conference talk."
• "Build a reproducible live-code demo that will not break."
• "Turn this feature into a customer workshop."

Demo principles

1. Tell a story. Problem -> tension -> solution -> outcome.
2. Never live-code from scratch. Start from a prepared state; add the 1-2 lines that prove the point.
3. Rehearse 3 times minimum. Once alone, once recorded (watch it back), once in front of a human.
4. Have a Plan B for every network call, every auth, every reveal.
5. Fail gracefully. If the demo breaks, explain what was supposed to happen and move on. Do not debug live.
6. Time yourself. Each section should fit in a budget. Overrun is a sign of missing rehearsal.

Story arc (20-minute talk)

Minute	Section	Content
0-2	Hook	A concrete problem the audience has. One vivid example.
2-4	Tension	Why current solutions fall short.
4-6	Setup	Intro the tool/approach. What it is, in 3 sentences.
6-14	Demo	The meat. 2-3 short "beats", each with a clear takeaway.
14-17	Outcome	What just happened, why it matters, real metric.
17-19	Call to action	Where to start. Link. Concrete first step.
19-20	Q&A setup	Invite questions. Have 3 planted ones ready.

Demo beats (inside the demo section)

Each beat = one clear point. Structure:

1. Before state (15 s): what is it like without the solution?
2. The move (30-60 s): the one action that shows the magic.
3. After state (15 s): what changed? Name the metric.

Three beats is the sweet spot. Four is already long.

Pre-flight checklist

• Laptop on AC power. Screensaver disabled.
• Notifications silenced (Do Not Disturb).
• Terminal font size increased (18pt+).
• Browser zoom at 125%+.
• Clean desktop background; no distracting wallpaper.
• Every demo resource pre-fetched (no live API calls that might fail).
• Offline fallback (recorded video) ready as Plan B.
• Timer visible (phone in front, presenter mode).
• Water within reach.

Output template

## Demo - <Title> - <Duration>

### Core message
One sentence the audience should repeat tomorrow.

### Setup (before start)
- Repo: <url> at tag `demo-v1`
- DB seeded with: <script>
- Browser tabs open: <list>
- Terminals: 2 (one for build, one for curl)

### Script

#### Beat 1: <Title> (3 min)
**Before**: <state>
**Say**: "<exact line>"
**Do**: <exact commands>
**After**: <state>
**Takeaway**: <one sentence>

#### Beat 2: ... etc

### Plan B
- If build fails -> show pre-recorded 30s clip.
- If network dies -> switch to localhost-only demo.
- If time runs short -> skip Beat 3, go to outcome.

### Rehearsal log
- 2026-04-25 solo - 22 min (cut 2 min from intro).
- 2026-04-26 recorded - 19 min, stumble at Beat 2 (memorise line).
- 2026-04-27 live to 2 colleagues - 20 min.

Anti-patterns

• Live-coding from a blank file to prove a point.
• Reading slides verbatim.
• "Let me just fix this error real quick" (never works).
• No rehearsal; "I'll wing it".
• Demo depends on internet, no offline fallback.

Quality gate

Never take a demo on stage that has not been rehearsed end-to-end at least 3 times.