Talk prep guide for NZ Tech Rally conference

These are guidelines, not strict rules, for NZ Tech Rally conferences. If you’re unsure about anything, please reach out to your track lead or speak@nztechrally.nz.

Talk length and timing

Keynotes are 40 minutes. Track talks are 25 minutes.

Please rehearse your talk so you stay within time. Going over time affects the full schedule, especially as attendees move between rooms.

To help you on the day, your track lead will show:

  • A yellow card at 10 minutes remaining

  • A red card at 5 minutes remaining

Slide count guidance

For a 25-minute talk, we recommend between 8–20 slides.
For a 40-minute talk, we recommend between 15–30 slides.

These are just guides. If you’re unsure, feel free to reach out to us speak@nztechrally.nz

Google Slides & due dates

We run all talks from a shared Google Slides deck per track. Dates and how-to are on the Speaker information hub.

Plain language

We’re big on plain English at NZ Tech Rally.

A lot of our attendees are non-native English speakers. Keeping your language simple makes your talk easier to follow and more inclusive.

Short sentences and clear words help. You don’t need to simplify your ideas, just how you explain them.

Resources: Plain language guide

Inclusive language

Tech Rally conference is a highly inclusive space, so we also encourage the use of inclusive language in your talk and slides.

This can be small things, like avoiding assumptions, using neutral terms, and being mindful of how examples are framed.

And if you want a second pair of eyes on your slides, just reach out, we are happy to help.

Resources: Inclusive language guide

Slide design and accessibility

Keep slides simple

  • Avoid long paragraphs (walls of text).

  • Avoid large bullet lists.

  • Focus on one idea per slide.

  • Avoid clutter or keyword dumping (watch out for AI tooling or chatbots here, they are notorious at keyword dumping).

Use strong contrast

  • Dark text on light background, or vice versa. E.g. black on white background or dark green on light green on a black background.

  • Avoid low contrast colour combinations, e.g. yellow on a white background.

  • Resources: WebAIM contrast checker. Use this tool to check your slide colour contrast.

Use visuals well

  • Use images or diagrams where helpful – a picture often can speak a thousand words when it comes to presentations.

  • Make sure all text in images is readable.

  • Avoid very complex workflow diagrams on slide. Attendees will be usually oversaturated with too many new ideas, so it will be cognitively taxing for them to read complex diagrams.

A note on engagement

A simple way to start your talk is with a question, a short story, or something light.

It helps settle the room and brings people in early.

Opening and closing slides

  • We’ll have a NZ Tech Rally branded opening slide on screen when MC introduces you and your talk. We also encourage you to have an opening slide with your name and your talk name.

  • We usually open our conferences with a Karakia and we also encourage you to include traditional Maori greetings like ‘Kia ora’ in your opening words. It makes our talks and event feel uniquely Kiwi. Extra brownie points from us, if you open with a short mihi.

  • Please include a final “thank you” slide with your links (LinkedIn, GitHub, Blog, Substack, YouTube, etc). QR codes work very well here.

Sharing personal photos in slides

You’re welcome to include personal or family photos in your slides. Just keep in mind that all talks are recorded and shared publicly on our YouTube channel.

As part of our NZ Tech Rally policy for our video content, we blur the faces of young children in the final talk recordings. If you want an exception, please email us at speak@nztechrally.nz.

Sharing your employer’s work

If your talk includes work from your current employer, please give your manager a heads up.

Most organisations have guidelines around sharing internal work. In some cases, your talk may need a quick review from your manager or HR team.

As all talks are recorded and shared publicly on YouTube and our website, it’s best to check early.

Maintaining a talk references & resources list

We strongly recommend keeping a list of references from your talk.

You can add this to your Speaker & Talk Details document on Google Drive.

You’re also welcome to include any additional resources that support your topic.

We’ll share this list in your talk’s YouTube description and on our website.

Examples:

Our YouTube talk library

We’ve recorded and published more than 50 talks on our YouTube channel.

If you haven’t attended or spoken at a Tech Rally event before, it’s a great place to get a feel for our talk formats and our inclusive environment.

Code of conduct

As part of your speaker agreement, you’re expected to follow NZ Tech Rally’s code of conduct.

This means:

  • No offensive language or content.

  • Please avoid swear words in your talk.

  • No sexual, racist, ageist, or derogatory remarks.

  • Please avoid political content that isn’t directly relevant to your talk.

  • Avoid polarising remarks or content that may make parts of the audience feel excluded.

We review slides ahead of time to help catch any issues early.

If there is a serious breach of the code of conduct during a talk, we may step in and stop the session.

We know this is direct, but it helps us keep Tech Rally safe and welcoming for everyone.

Useful links