When running an Open Source Group such as the Denver Open Source Users Group or attending another technical Users Group, I find folks engaged 50% and falling asleep wanting the presenter to just finish up the other 50% of the time. It is painful to be in audience when wanting such a speaker to wrap up. It is ever worse when occasionally you ARE that speaker they want to wrap up.
Maybe it's time we rehearse so well for the "quick dips" into some technologies that we could present them in Petcha Kucha format. This is a type of presentation that lasts exactly 400 seconds with each slide on screen for exactly 20 seconds. It requires impressive rehearsal and great density of information. Code demos could come as an after-session roundtable or just be downloaded at home by the audience, as they wouldn't really fit into such a format.
What do you think? Leave a comment. Your input will be fashioned into DOSUG's future meetings.