# Write Talk Script > Writes a timed, word-budgeted speaker script for an exact conference-talk slot (e.g. a 12-minute talk plus 3-minute Q&A, or a 5-minute lightning talk). Use when a researcher mentions talk script, presentation script, speaker notes, conference talk, lightning talk, rehearsal, "what do I say on each slide", or "my talk is running long". Turns a slide deck or outline into spoken-register prose with a per-slide word budget at ~130 words/minute (calibratable), cumulative timing marks, written-out transitions, a marked cut list worth 10-15% of the talk for running long, and a Q&A handoff. Bundled stdlib-only Python scripts compute the budget (word_budget.py) and re-time any draft (script_timer.py with per-slide timing, cut savings, and an over/under verdict). Venue-aware but treats presenter instructions and the acceptance email as ground truth for slot length; never invents results — every claim spoken must come from the paper. - Skill: `shaishavmaisuria/write-talk-script` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 5 files) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add shaishavmaisuria/write-talk-script` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/shaishavmaisuria/write-talk-script/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Docs & Writing - Author: shaishavmaisuria (https://skillmd.com/u/shaishavmaisuria) - Updated: 2026-09-17 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/shaishavmaisuria/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/-.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](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. 3. **Build the outline file.** One line per slide (a `- ` bullet or `## ` heading), in deck order. Pin slides that need fixed time with a trailing `| ` (e.g. `- Key idea | 2`). Title and takeaway slides typically pin at 0.5. 4. **Compute the word budget.** Run: ``` python3 scripts/word_budget.py --minutes 15 --qa 3 --outline outline.md \ [--wpm 120] [--venue-profile venues/conferences/.yml] ``` Also save the machine-readable form for step 6: `python3 scripts/word_budget.py ... --json > budget.json`. The script reserves a safety buffer (default 0.5 min) so the talk lands early, never at the bell. No outline yet? `--slides N` splits evenly. 5. **Draft the script slide by slide,** inside each slide's word budget, in spoken register — short sentences, contractions, signposts, numbers written the way they are said. Follow [references/script-craft.md](references/script-craft.md) for the file format (one `## ` heading per slide, `[bracketed]` stage directions and timing marks, written-out transitions as the last sentence of each slide), opening and closing patterns, and figure walkthroughs. Every factual claim must trace to the paper — quote the paper's numbers, then render them speakable. 6. **Time the draft.** Run: ``` python3 scripts/script_timer.py talk-script.md --budget budget.json ``` (or `--minutes 15 --qa 3` without a budget file). Fix `OVER` slides by cutting words, not by planning to speak faster; re-run until the verdict is `WITHIN BUDGET`. Exit codes: 0 within budget, 1 over, 2 bad input. 7. **Build the cut list.** Mark 2–3 cuttable passages totaling 10–15% of the talk with `` … `` (each marker on its own line, no nesting, no crossing slide boundaries). What to cut first and what must never be cut: timing-and-cuts.md §6. Re-run `script_timer.py` — it reports each cut's seconds saved and whether applying all cuts rescues an overrun. 8. **Finalize the rehearsal package.** Insert the budget's timing mark at the top of each slide section (e.g. `[4:30]`), add the Q&A handoff line, and append the rehearsal protocol and the on-stage running-long protocol (timing-and-cuts.md §8–9). Tell the user the timing holds only after at least one full out-loud rehearsal with a timer. ## Output - `talk-script.md` — one `## ` section per slide: timing mark, word count, spoken prose with stage directions, transition sentence, cut blocks; ends with the Q&A handoff and a rehearsal checklist. - `budget.json` — the per-slide budget, reusable on every re-timing pass. - A timing report (from `script_timer.py`) showing the talk fits, with the cut list and seconds saved per cut. ## Adapt to your discipline The defaults target CS conference talks (12–20 min, slide-driven, English). For other fields, adjust the section shares in your outline (e.g. methods- heavy medical talks), the pace (`--wpm`), and the venue norms in timing-and-cuts.md — the scripts are field-agnostic. ## Guardrails - Never invent results, numbers, quotes, or citations for the script — every claim spoken must come from the user's paper. New references go through `verify-citations` first. - Timing is an estimate, not a guarantee: never tell the user the talk "fits" without a real timed rehearsal; word-rate math ignores nerves, laser-pointer detours, and clicker failures (that is what the buffer and cut list are for). - Venue profiles never override presenter instructions or the acceptance email for slot length; re-verify against the live `cfp_url` before scripting. - Preserve the speaker's voice and precise technical claims — spoken register is a rewrite for the ear, not a simplification of the science, and not a read-aloud of paper paragraphs. - Never upload the script or slides to any speaker portal, or submit anything on the user's behalf.