conference-talk-builder skill

---
name: conference-talk-builder
description: Create conference talk outlines and iA Presenter markdown slides using the Story Circle narrative framework. Use when the user wants to structure a tech talk, create presentation slides, or needs help organizing talk ideas into a story-driven format.
---

# Conference Talk Builder

This skill helps create compelling conference talk outlines and iA Presenter markdown slides using the Story Circle narrative framework.

## Process

Follow these steps in order when building a conference talk:

### 1. Gather Information

Ask the user for:

- Talk title and topic
- Target audience and their expected knowledge level
- Main points they want to cover
- Brain dump of everything they know about the topic
- Problem they're solving or story they're telling
- Any constraints (time limit, specific technologies, etc.)

### 2. Read the Story Circle Framework

Load `references/story-circle.md` to understand 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 the 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 the user's content to these steps. Show this outline to the user 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 that should be visible on slides
- Leave speaker notes without tabs (spoken text only)
- Include comments with `//` for reminders
- Format code blocks with proper syntax highlighting
- Keep slides focused on one concept each

Structure the slide deck:

- Title slide
- Introduction slide with your photo/bio
- One or more slides per Story Circle step
- Code examples broken across multiple slides for readability
- Closing slide with contact info and resources

### 5. Refine and Iterate

After showing the slides:

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

## Key Principles

**Tell a Story**: You don't need to be an expert. Focus on how you approached a problem and solved it.

**Keep It Readable**: Break code across slides. Use syntax highlighting. Test on bad projectors (consider light themes).

**Engage the Audience**: Use humor where appropriate. Ask questions. Make eye contact.

**Make Follow-up Easy**: Include a memorable URL or QR code on the final slide linking to resources.

## Bundled Resources

### References

- `references/story-circle.md` - Eight-step Story Circle framework with examples. Read this first to understand the narrative structure.
- `references/ia-presenter-syntax.md` - Complete iA Presenter markdown syntax reference. Read this when generating slides.

## Example Workflow

User: "I want to create a talk about migrating from JavaScript to TypeScript"

1. Gather their experience, main points, and target audience
2. Read `story-circle.md`
3. Map their content:
   - Introduction: Current JS codebase
   - Problem: Type safety issues and bugs
   - Exploration: Research into TypeScript
   - Experimentation: Pilot conversion on one module
   - Solution: Incremental migration strategy
   - Challenges: Third-party library types
   - Apply Knowledge: Full codebase migration
   - Results: 40% reduction in runtime errors
4. Read `ia-presenter-syntax.md`
5. Generate markdown slides with proper formatting
6. Iterate based on feedback