conference talk proposal & prep

Help me prepare a conference talk: `[talk idea / topic / experience]`. The
goal is a submission that gets accepted and a talk that fits its slot, with
a real demo that survives live. Work through proposal, iteration, outline,
demo, and rehearsal, and verify each stage before moving on.

## Steps

1. **Define the proposal skeleton** - Capture the hook (why care now), the
   one takeaway (what the audience leaves knowing), and the audience fit
   (who, at what level, with what they already know). If you cannot state
   the takeaway in one sentence, the idea is not ready.
2. **Audit the fit** - Check the CFP: the conference's audience, the talk
   length, the format (lightning, 30/45/60 minute), and what previous
   accepted talks covered. Adjust depth and scope to match, and say how the
   talk fits the conference theme.
3. **Draft and stress the abstract** - Write the abstract and title, then
   critique them: is the hook sharp, does the takeaway survive the word
   budget, would the target audience click it? Revise at least once against
   that critique, keeping it within the CFP's word limit.
4. **Time the outline** - Build an outline calibrated to the slot: intro,
   main points with time each, demo, and a Q&A buffer. A spoken script of
   one to two words per second is about right; check the outline's total
   against the slot before writing slides.
5. **Plan the demo for failure** - Write the live-demo script and a fallback
   for every fragile step: pre-recorded capture, local fixtures, pinned
   dependencies, and a stated plan for what you say if the demo breaks.
   Never wing a live demo with no fallback.
6. **Rehearse against a rubric** - Run the talk once fully timed, then score
   it: did each section land in its budget, was the takeaway delivered, were
   transitions smooth, did the demo fit? Rehearse the two weakest spots and
   re-time.

## Verification

- [ ] The abstract fits the CFP word limit and states a concrete takeaway.
- [ ] The outline's total timed length fits the slot, including a Q&A buffer.
- [ ] Every live-demo step has a recorded or fixture fallback.
- [ ] At least one full timed run-through happened, and the issues from it
      are fixed or named.
- [ ] The talk's level matches the CFP's stated audience.

## Rules

- Never submit before the takeaway is stateable in one sentence.
- Never claim a fit with the slot without a timed run-through.
- Never plan a live demo step you cannot fall back from.
- Keep iteration real: each revision must address a named weakness, not be
  cosmetic word-shuffling.