Improve Your Presentation Skills by Scripting Your Live Coding Demos to Perfection

To reduce distractions during a live coding presentation, turn off notifications, close unnecessary applications, avoid using too many tabs, and minimize context switching. Ensure your code editor's font is large enough, use a block cursor instead of a blinking line, and turn off hover panels.

Preparation is crucial for live coding sessions to ensure smooth delivery and minimize distractions. This includes setting up your environment with the right themes, font sizes, and cursor settings, as well as scripting your demo to follow a structured flow.

Demo Time is a tool designed for giving presentations within Visual Studio Code by scripting demos. It helps eliminate the possibility of things going wrong by following a pre-scripted flow, similar to slides in PowerPoint or Keynote, thus reducing stress and context switching.

To install Demo Time, open Visual Studio Code, go to the extension view, search for Demo Time, and click the Install button. After installation, you can initialize it to create a demo.json file for scripting your demo actions.

Slides in Demo Time can be used to explain concepts or show architecture during coding presentations. They are created using Markdown and provide a seamless way to integrate explanatory content without disrupting the flow of the live demo.

Demo Time enhances audience engagement by providing a clear and structured presentation flow, reducing distractions, and allowing for scripted interactions. This helps the audience follow along without getting lost in context switches or technical issues.

Before a live coding demo, configure your IDE with a light theme, increase font size, use a block cursor, and ensure hover panels are turned off. These adjustments make the presentation clearer and easier for the audience to follow.

For more information about Demo Time, you can check the documentation at demotime.elio.dev.

Demo Time improves presentation flow by allowing scripted sequences of actions within Visual Studio Code, such as opening files, creating files, highlighting code, and running commands. This eliminates the need for external tools and reduces context switching.