conference-talk-builder

name	conference-talk-builder
description	>- Use when this capability is needed.

Conference Talk Builder

Create compelling conference talk outlines and iA Presenter markdown slides using the Story Circle narrative framework.

Process

1. Gather Information

Ask the user for:

• Talk title and topic
• Target audience and knowledge level
• Main points to cover
• Brain dump of everything they know
• Problem they're solving or story they're telling
• Constraints (time limit, specific technologies)

2. Read the Story Circle Framework

Load references/story-circle.md for the eight-step narrative structure.

The framework maps tech talks to:

• Top half: Established practices and order
• Bottom half: Disruption and experimentation

3. Create the Outline

Structure the talk using eight Story Circle steps:

1. Introduction - Current status quo
2. Problem Statement - What needs solving
3. Exploration - Initial attempts
4. Experimentation - Deep investigation
5. Solution - The breakthrough
6. Challenges - Implementation difficulties
7. Apply Knowledge - Integration into project
8. Results & Insights - Lessons learned

Map user's content to these steps. Show outline and refine based on feedback.

4. Generate iA Presenter Slides

Read references/ia-presenter-syntax.md for markdown formatting rules.

Create slides that:

• Use --- to separate slides
• Add tabs before content visible on slides
• Leave speaker notes without tabs
• Include comments with // for reminders
• Format code blocks with syntax highlighting

Structure the slide deck:

• Title slide
• Introduction with speaker bio
• One or more slides per Story Circle step
• Code examples broken across multiple slides
• Closing slide with contact info and resources

5. Refine and Iterate

After showing slides:

• Ask if sections need expansion or compression
• Check if code examples need better formatting
• Verify story flow makes sense
• Adjust based on feedback

Gotchas

• Story Circle steps 3-4 (Exploration/Experimentation) are where most talks lose structure — ensure the "struggle" before the solution is clear
• iA Presenter syntax requires tabs before visible content — content without tabs becomes speaker notes only
• Code on slides must be readable on bad projectors — break across multiple slides, use large font
• Don't skip the iterate step — first draft outlines always have pacing issues

Key Principles

Tell a Story: Focus on how you approached a problem and solved it.

Keep It Readable: Break code across slides. Test on bad projectors.

Engage the Audience: Use humor where appropriate. Ask questions.

Make Follow-up Easy: Include memorable URL or QR code linking to resources.

Example Workflow

Topic: Migrating from JavaScript to TypeScript

1. Gather experience, main points, target audience
2. Map content to Story Circle:
   • Introduction: Current JS codebase
   • Problem: Type safety issues
   • Exploration: Research into TypeScript
   • Experimentation: Pilot conversion
   • Solution: Incremental migration strategy
   • Challenges: Third-party library types
   • Apply: Full codebase migration
   • Results: 40% reduction in runtime errors
3. Generate markdown slides with proper formatting
4. Iterate based on feedback

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