Presenting your Lightning Talk at iPRES 2025
- ipres20254
- Sep 19
- 3 min read
Updated: Sep 25
We have an exciting slate of lightning talks set to be presented at iPRES 2025. If you are now asking yourself what to expect when you present your lightning talk, then this blog post is for you!
Design and Content Considerations
Lightning talks are always extremely popular at iPRES! They give attendees a chance to learn about a wide range of topics in a quick and exciting format. Here are some guidelines and tips to help you deliver a successful lightning talk:
Length: Refer to the most recent version of the programme spreadsheet. In the "Session Details" tab, you can see if your lightning talk has been accepted as a 4- or 5-minute presentation.
4-minute lightning talks will be presented in "Quickfire" sessions, one after another.
5-minute lightning talks have been paired with longer presentations within paper sessions.
Either way, make sure that you structure and practice your lightning talk to make sure you don't go over your allotted time.
Content: Lightning talks are a great way to give a quick snapshot of a project, introduce a thought-provoking idea, or preview a work in progress. A lightning talk is not just a shorter version of a paper presentation. Take advantage of this "short and sweet" format by presenting your ideas in a creative way. There will be no time for Q&A after the lightning talks -- use your talk as an opportunity to encourage people to find you (in person or online) after your session with any questions!
Slides: Less is more for lightning talks! You can design your slide(s) however you like; some common strategies include using images to tell the story, or making one point per slide. We recommend minimising the number of words on each slide. Make sure to use clear, legible fonts.
Before the Conference - What to submit and when
We have two types of lightning talk presentations - in-person and remote. What you need to prepare will depend on which type of presentation you are giving.
Slides (in-person presenters only)
In person lightning talk presenters must submit their slides in advance. This version will not undergo further review (your original submission has already been reviewed and accepted).
Deadline: Upload your slides to iPRES 2025 Dropbox, ideally by Monday 20 October. The Dropbox link will be supplied via email to accepted presenters. If you need more time, please let us know.
Updates: If you need to make changes later, please re-upload the updated version in the same way by the deadline noted above and notify us at info@ipres2025.nz that you have supplied a new version.
Format: Ensure your slides are in PDF or PPTX format.
File name: Please name the file as "Day_Session_Surname_Brief_Title”
For example: Tues_Quickfire-1_Jan_Hutar_Shared_Transfer_Metadata.pdf
Recorded Presentations (remote presenters only)
Remote presenters must record their lightning talk in advance. These will be shown on November 4, during the Quickfire 2 session at the Conference.
Deadline: Upload your recording to iPRES 2025 Dropbox, ideally by Monday 20 October. The Dropbox link will be supplied via email to accepted presenters. If you need more time, please let us know.
Format: Ensure your video is in MP4 format and that the audio is clear.
File name: Please name the file as “"Day_Session_Surname_Brief_Title.mp4”
For example: Thurs_Paper-16_Mia_Smith_Networks_of_Support.mp4
During the Conference - How to Present your Lightning Talk
In-person presenters
Quickfire sessions (4-minute lightning talks)
Please gather 5-10 minutes before the session begins, to allow time to queue up in presentation order for Quickfire session.
Paper sessions (5-minute lightning talks)
Please touch base with your Session Chair at least 5-10 minutes before the session begins. There should be no need to queue up, since there are fewer lightning talks in each of these sessions than in the Quickfire sessions.
Remote Presenters
Quickfire 2 session (4-minute lightning talks), Tuesday 4 November, 13:00-14:30 NZT, UTC+13 hours
Your pre-recorded presentations will be played during this session. This is part of the virtual track and will be accessible online to all registered attendees. Virtual participants are encouraged to be online during this session if it is agreeable for your time zone, but it is not required.
Questions? Contact info@ipres2025.nz