[group-organizers] Lightning talks?

[Ned Batchelder]

On 9/2/15 12:17 AM, Dan Stromberg wrote:
> Hi folks.
>
> What are people's experiences with doing lightning talks at a meetup?
>
> I guess the thing that concerns me the most is setting up a half dozen
> laptops on a projector they've never been hooked up to before.
>
> Do people do a "designated laptop" for the talks, and ask presenters to
> bring their slides on a USB flash drive?
>
> Also, what's a good duration?  Maybe targeting 5-10 minutes?
>
> Thanks.;
>

For a local user group, I don't find much need to be strict about time.  
About using a shared laptop, there's a trade-off: I'm surprised at how 
many people are completely baffled by using a machine with a different 
operating system than they are used to. Sometimes it's just better to 
spend the 30 seconds up front to let them use their own machine, and 
then they can present smoothly from a laptop they are used to.

Also, as someone else mentioned, the laptop-switch time can be used for 
Q+A by the previous speaker.

--Ned.