# How to Demo

Sep 12, 2026

Show it working before you explain how it works.

Show the difference. Run the same task before & after. Include timings when you claim a speedup.

Pick one task your audience needs to finish. Show what’s stopping them, then show the fix. Skip unrelated features.

Use your audience’s language & realistic content. Give them a problem they recognize.

Show people where to look. Select the line that fixes the bug & explain why it matters.

Explain each change while it’s on screen. Finish one thought before starting another. In live demos, pause for questions.

Record just the window you need at 1080p. Make the text readable, hide the menu bar & listen back to check your microphone.

Prepare a setup you can reset. Rehearse with a colleague & use their questions to find missing explanations.

Be specific about prototype limitations. Skip “this probably won’t work” before a working demo.

Watch the whole recording. Cut anything that doesn’t help explain the result.

Adapted from Thorsten Ball’s [How to Demo](https://thorstenball.com/how-to-demo/).