Talking Tech is a two-day on-site workshop led Sherry Sontag and other presenters. It is offered at the Gaylord Rockies from 09:00 to 18:00 Aurora time (MDT) on Saturday and Sunday, September 12th and 13th, 2026 (immediately prior to the conference). Lunch is included.
Note: All participants will be given class time to present, though priority will go to people preparing to present at this year’s CppCon.
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Course Description
A good technical talk needs a compelling narrative as much as it needs absorbing information. At best, it is a shared experience between speaker and audience sparking questions, and conversations that go on throughout the hallway track. When done well, a good talk becomes a great one and leaves everyone, including the speakers, with more: more understanding, more curiosity, more interest.
We can help you discover what makes a great technical story. We can show you how even small small tweaks to existing presentations can make a huge difference. Learn clarity, the best use of detail, slides that illustrate rather than distract and how to be truly comfortable on stage.
We will also go over where AI can play a role in helping develop a talk. Like good code, a good talk is never written with an LLM taking the lead. However, LLMs can be trained to ask questions, make suggestions and help wade through piles of material, freeing you to craft, think, and share experiences. Be aware that we come with the strong opinion that AI art is vastly overused and is often awful.
Prerequisites
The most important prerequisite is a desire to improve your technical presentation skills. You’ll have a chance to present twice: first, the beginning of your upcoming CppCon talk, and later, any 15-minute segment of your choice.
Instructor
Sherry Sontag became part of the CppCon program committee last year and is the Track Chair for our Business & Career Track.
Sherry joined Bloomberg’s Technology Infrastructure team after co-authoring The New York Times’ bestseller Blind Man’s Bluff: The Untold Story of American Submarine Espionage. She has been featured on 60 Minutes, National Public Radio (NPR), and The HISTORY Channel, and has given scores of talks in and out of C++ conferences.
Sherry has been leading writing and presentation workshops for a decade and coaches at Bloomberg. She believes that we tell our best stories to our best friends. On stage, she is always just talking to her dad.