2024:Lightning Talk Showcases
Lightning talks at Wikimania
As with every Wikimania, Wikimania Katowice will feature dozens of lightning talks. These talks are an opportunity for speakers to showcase their work and ideas to a large audience in a concise and impactful session.
This Wikimania, we will hold two Lightning Talks Showcase sessions to highlight samples of some of the compelling concepts and powerful thinking developing across the globe from multiple corners of the Wikimedia Movement. These Showcases will be produced, high-visibility events with multiple talks delivered one after the other. The talks will present innovative bursts of ideas, 5 minutes at a time.
For a list of lightning talks delivered, please refer to the program entries: first session, second session.
What is a lighting talk?
A lightning talk is a very short presentation lasting only a few minutes, given at a conference or similar forum. Several lightning talks will usually be delivered by different speakers in a single session, sometimes called a data blitz. Some formats of lightning talk, including PechaKucha and Ignite, involve a specific number of slides that are automatically advanced at fixed intervals. You can use this format or design your own.
For speakers
How much time will I have?
We are capping the lighting talks at 5 minutes for each speaker.
Other useful notes
- There will be rehearsals for the Lightning Talk Showcases, so that speakers can get used to presenting on the stage and rehearse entering and exiting.
- The production crew will be present during rehearsals and will direct the Showcases from off stage.
- 5 minutes is really little time. Please go to your point clearly and quickly.
- The idea of a lightning talk is to present an idea or a project – it is not a finished or complete academic talk. Skip the implementation details – tell us why your project is interesting and why we should care. Plan to present only one idea or project.
- All talks are 5 minutes maximum. If you use slides, please prepare these on your laptop and have them ready to go.
- We will have a timekeeper to watch the clock for presenters.
- We ask that presenters line up ahead of your talk as the session move quickly.
- Please present your talk to other person before Wikimania. You'll get an impression of how long it takes you and you'll became more fluent. Remember, there's no time to waste on thinking what to say during the actual event.
- Additional resources will be available for Lightning Talk Showcase participants in the weeks before the event.