How to Craft a Fun and Practical Technical Talk – My QCon 2018 Retrospective (Part 1)

In the summer before QCon Shanghai, the author was encouraged to submit a talk and chose the topic “Why Front‑end Engineers Should Master Blockchain DApp Development.” Although a prior article with the same title existed, the conference presentation required a different approach, prompting a near‑breakdown during preparation.

First Draft

The initial slide deck was split into three sections—Blockchain, DApp, and a hands‑on demo—and attempted to explain blockchain fundamentals in depth. This caused the first rehearsal to exceed the strict 40‑45 minute limit, revealing that the content was too ambitious for the allotted time.

The deck was built quickly on Slides.com, with the latter part left as oral narration.

Second Draft

Feedback led to a major overhaul: the blockchain basics were heavily trimmed under the assumption that the audience already understood them, and the talk was reshaped around three questions—Why, What, and How. Although the structure seemed promising, the execution fell short; the first part was overly theoretical, and the persuasive power was weak.

A small story about a “prophecy World Cup” was added to illustrate blockchain’s immutability, derived from the author’s own DApp “I Am the Prophet.”

Third Draft

The third version abandoned the three‑part layout in favor of a continuous narrative, using storytelling to weave background, theory, and the demo together. Core blockchain concepts were introduced only when needed, using analogies to keep the focus on the main storyline.

Comic‑style panels were considered for visual storytelling but ultimately reduced to simple frames and speech bubbles to maintain slide compactness.

Two trial runs—one with a small audience and another within the company—showed a smoother narrative flow, with audience questions focusing on details, which guided further refinements.

Slide Design

Cover and back cover used the official QCon template.

Inner slides adopted a dark‑gray theme.

Comic sections used a white background with thin borders.

Scrolling animations simulated a comic‑reading experience, while occasional pop‑up dialogue bubbles and full‑width images broke visual monotony.

Code snippets were revealed incrementally with animations to keep the audience’s attention on the speaker rather than on large blocks of code.

Storytelling

Storytelling served as the main vehicle for adding fun and vividness. By centering the narrative on a front‑end engineer protagonist, the audience could easily relate, and conclusions were delivered through the characters’ dialogue.

A supplemental segment after the story covered any technical details that did not fit the narrative, ensuring completeness.

Rehearsals

Four internal rehearsals were conducted—more than the author had ever done before. These rehearsals helped identify risks such as jokes that fell flat and anticipate audience questions, allowing the speaker to adjust content and timing accordingly.

Reflection

The biggest personal obstacle was procrastination; the first draft took a month to start, and the final slides were only completed two hours before the talk. The author likens the iterative process to product development: an early rough prototype is essential, and continuous feedback drives improvement.

Overall, the author concludes that while slide aesthetics are not the primary concern for technical audiences, well‑designed visuals can guide the narrative and keep the talk cohesive.