Best Methods for Deciding Lightning Talk (LT) Presentation Order at Company Study Sessions

"How should we decide LT presentation order?" "Don't first and last have advantages/disadvantages?" "I want a decision method everyone can accept"

Lightning Talks (LT) are standard at engineer communities and startup company study sessions. The presentation order significantly affects presenters' nervousness and preparation time.

This article explains methods for fair, smooth LT presentation order decisions.

3 Challenges of LT Presentation Order Decisions

Challenge 1: Advantages/Disadvantages of First and Last

First (#1) characteristics:

• Advantages: High audience attention, memorable impression
• Disadvantages: Maximum nervousness, warming up the room

Last (final) characteristics:

• Advantages: Most memorable, satisfaction of closing
• Disadvantages: Time cuts if running late, fatigued audience

Middle characteristics:

• Advantages: Nervousness eases, can adjust after seeing others
• Disadvantages: Less memorable, declining audience concentration

Conclusion: No completely fair position exists

Challenge 2: Preparation Time Fairness

Problem:

14:00 LT starts
14:00-14:05 #1 (Yamada) → Preparation time: 0 min
14:05-14:10 #2 (Sato) → Preparation time: 5 min
14:10-14:15 #3 (Tanaka) → Preparation time: 10 min
...

Unfair aspects:

• Later presenters can adjust content after watching others
• Earlier presenters risk "topic overlap"
• Can adjust own timing by watching time distribution

Challenge 3: Different Psychological Burdens

Want to finish early type:

"I'm nervous, want to finish quickly" "Want to present first, then relax and watch"

Prefer later type:

"Want to adjust after seeing others' presentations" "Want preparation time" "Want to ease nervousness before presenting"

Both have merit → Impossible to satisfy all preferences

4 Fair Presentation Order Decision Methods

Method 1: Completely Random (Ladder Lottery)

Steps:

1. Create event in Amida-san
2. All presenters participate
3. Determine order by lottery

Merits:

• Completely fair
• No one can complain
• Mathematically guaranteed fairness
• High transparency

Demerits:

• Cannot consider preferences
• Beginners might go first

Recommendation: 4/5

Best for:

• Casual LT sessions
• All veterans
• Fairness priority

Method 2: Volunteer System (First Half/Second Half)

Steps:

1. Recruit "First half (#1-5) preference" and "Second half (#6-10) preference"
2. Lottery within each group

Merits:

• Reflects some preferences
• Reduces psychological burden
• Beginners can choose second half

Demerits:

• No volunteers for first half possible
• Concentration in second half

Recommendation: 3/5

Best for:

• Mixed beginners and veterans
• Psychological consideration priority

Method 3: Skill/Experience Order

Steps:

1. Beginners → Middle
2. Veterans → First or Last (closing)
3. Intermediate → Remaining slots

Merits:

• Clear room-warming role
• Consideration for beginners
• Can calculate excitement

Demerits:

• Subjective skill assessment
• Burden on veterans
• Risk of fixation

Recommendation: 2/5

Best for:

• Beginner-focused LT sessions
• Educational purpose
• Organizers with clear intent

Method 4: Reverse Order Rotation

Steps:

1. Record this time's presentation order
2. Next time use reverse order
3. Continue rotation thereafter

Example:

【Round 1】
#1: Yamada → 【Round 2】#10
#2: Sato → 【Round 2】#9
...
#10: Tanaka → 【Round 2】#1

Merits:

• Fair long-term
• Everyone experiences all positions
• Clear history

Demerits:

• Requires regular sessions
• Need initial decision method
• Vulnerable to member changes

Recommendation: 4/5

Best for:

• Regular LT sessions
• Fixed members
• Long-term fairness priority

Practical Example: Company LT Session Presentation Order Decision

Scene: Monthly Engineer LT Session (8 presenters)

Preparation (1 week before, Slack):

@channel Let's decide this month's LT presentation order!

【Method】
Completely random decision via ladder lottery

【Steps】
1. Access URL below
   https://amida-san.com/events/lt-november
2. Join with your name
3. Add 1 horizontal line

Deadline: Tomorrow 5PM
Will announce results after everyone participates

Next day 5PM (Results announcement):

@channel LT session presentation order decided!

#1: Yamada
#2: Sato
#3: Tanaka
#4: Suzuki
#5: Takahashi
#6: Ito
#7: Watanabe
#8: Nakamura

Results URL: https://amida-san.com/events/lt-november

Looking forward to it!

Session day (After LT ends):

@channel Great job!

Next time (December) will be reverse order:
#1: Nakamura
#2: Watanabe
...
#8: Yamada

Ensuring long-term fairness

Tips Based on Presentation Order

For #1 (Top Batter)

Organizer support:

• Rehearsal 5 minutes before start
• Priority equipment trouble response
• Warm atmosphere creation (MC's role)

Presenter mindset:

• Accept "warming up room" role
• Nervousness is normal, don't seek perfection
• OK to be brief and pass to next

For Last (Closing)

Organizer support:

• Strict time management (prevent earlier ones from running over)
• Atmosphere of focused listening until end
• Share importance of "closing"

Presenter mindset:

• Prepare shortened version if time tight
• Exciting topic for closing
• End with thanks

For Middle Presenters

Leverage advantages:

• Watch others to avoid topic overlap
• Adjust time allocation
• Present in relaxed state

Tips to Liven Up LT Sessions

Tip 1: Set "Perks" for Presentation Order

Examples:

• #1: "Courage Award" special sticker
• Last: "Closing Award" certificate of thanks
• Middle: "Stability Award" snacks

Merit:

• Happy regardless of order
• Reduces negative impressions

Tip 2: Flexible Presentation Time

Rules:

【LT Time】
- Basic: 5 minutes
- Minimum: 3 minutes
- Maximum: 7 minutes

If time remaining, extend Q&A time
If running behind, everyone shortens to 3 minutes

Merit:

• Reduced pressure
• Focus on content

Tip 3: Voting/Feedback

After session:

• "Most educational presentation" vote
• Positive feedback to everyone
• Improvements via individual DM

Merit:

• Increased motivation
• Anticipation for next time
• Continued participation

FAQs

Q1: What about first-time participants?

A: Recommend placing first-timers in "middle (#3-6)". If lottery assigns #1, confirm their preference and adjust.

Q2: How to handle running behind schedule?

A: Set rule in advance like "If 30 minutes behind overall, remaining presenters shorten to 3 minutes".

Q3: What if someone wants to change presentation order?

A: No changes after lottery in principle, but allow swaps for unavoidable circumstances (illness, etc.) with another presenter.

Q4: What about online LTs?

A: Online actually makes sharing lottery URLs easier and increases transparency. Pre-lottery in Slack/Teams is effective.

Q5: Won't using same method get boring?

A: Can vary monthly:

• January: Completely random
• February: First half/second half preference
• March: Reverse order rotation

Summary: Fair, Acceptable Presentation Order

LT presentation order affects presenters' nervousness, preparation time, and psychological burden.

Best practices for presentation order:

1. Completely random (ladder lottery) for transparency
2. Reverse rotation for regular sessions
3. Consideration for beginners (middle placement)
4. Set "perks" for any order
5. Adopt mathematically fair methods

Especially, Amida-san offers:

• Transparency everyone can accept
• Easy sharing in Slack/Teams
• Permanent URL storage/verification
• Free, supports up to 299 people

Try it at your next LT session.

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Related articles:

• Presentation Order Decision Methods
• Fair Role Assignment Methods
• Engaging Remote Meetings
• Ladder Lottery Mechanism and Fairness