write-talk-script

Write Talk Script

Produce a speaker script that fits an exact talk slot: every slide gets a word budget at the speaker's real pace, a cumulative timing mark, a written-out transition, and a marked cut list so running long on stage has a pre-planned answer. Slides tell the audience what to look at; this script is what the speaker actually says. It is the post-acceptance companion to make-slides.

When to use

• "Write the script for my 12-minute SIGSPATIAL talk" / "15-minute slot including 3 minutes of Q&A — what do I say?"
• "Turn my deck into speaker notes I can rehearse from"
• "My talk is running long — what do I cut?"
• "I have a 5-minute lightning talk / spotlight"
• After make-slides, before the first timed rehearsal.

Inputs

1. The exact slot: total minutes, and whether Q&A is inside the slot or handled separately. Ground truth is the presenter instructions and the acceptance email, not memory and not venue profiles.
2. The deck or an outline (slide titles in order). No deck yet? Run make-slides first.
3. The paper (camera-ready preferred) — the only legitimate source for every number and claim spoken.
4. Optional: venues/conferences/<venue>-<year>.yml for venue context, and the speaker's measured pace in words per minute.

Process

1. Pin down the slot facts. Ask for: total minutes, Q&A inside or outside, session language, and whether the chair uses timecards. If a venue profile exists, use it for context only and re-verify against the live cfp_url / venue website — profiles do not encode talk slots, and slots change year to year. Typical shapes (verify, never assume): full papers 12–20 min including Q&A; CHI historically ~10 min + 5 Q&A; lightning/spotlight 1–7 min. Details in references/timing-and-cuts.md.

2. Calibrate the pace. Default to 130 wpm — a deliberate conference pace. If the speaker can do the 1-minute read-aloud calibration (timing-and-cuts.md §2), use their measured number; suggest 110–120 wpm for non-native speakers or dense technical material. Never exceed 150.