Simon WillisonNov 26, 2022

I think 25 minutes may be my new favourite talk duration

On the one hand, it's a really difficult space to fill: it's similar to a 5 minute lightning talk in that you have to edit drastically to fit the space, but it's a longer slot so it takes ~5 times longer to prepare

But the act of editing down to 25 minutes enforces getting straight to the point while also being long enough to explore more complex issues

And then later people can watch the talk video at 2x speed in just 12.5 minutes!

Show threadJan Lehnardt 🛋️Nov 26, 2022
@simon that’s been our sweet spot length for JSConf EU for 10 years. If you can’t say what you have to say in that time, you haven’t thought about it enough and shouldn’t be giving a talk :)
Show threadChristopherNov 26, 2022
@simon @janl For me videos below 30 minutes are quick, something I can do in a break or similar.
While longer conference talks videos are a time commitment.
Show threadStefan TilkovNov 26, 2022
@Terreii @simon @janl the downside is that you have to assume the audience to be knowledgable about basics because you have no time to explain them
Show threadSimon Willison
@stilkov @Terreii @janl yeah it does force you to be even more careful that you understand the level of the audience for the talk
Nov 26, 2022 at 6:39pmWeb
Show threadMaineCNov 26, 2022

@simon @stilkov @Terreii @janl it also forces you to make a decision: do you target beginners, or are you talking to people who already know the basics.

As a result the beginners will less likely be lost at the end of the talk, the experts less bored at the beginning...

Show threadMaineCNov 26, 2022
@simon @stilkov @Terreii @janl some of the most memorable talks I've been to though: 25min speaking, rest of the (often 45min) time slot used for a conversation/ ask me anything with the audience...
Show threadStefan TilkovNov 26, 2022
@mainec @simon @Terreii @janl I’ve made a habit of asking who is new to the topic in talks that had “advanced” in their title, and it was never less than 50 %