🎭Ideas to Create Your Own Slam!

(Don’t have time to think or prep? No problem — You're welcome to us AI, or just grab one of the examples on this page and run with it. They’re ready to perform as-is!)

General Prep Steps for All Slam Types

Choose Your Format
- Decide which slam category you want to do.
- Consider your strengths: storytelling, humor, drama, clarity, or creativity with language.
Gather Inspiration
- Think about tech experiences you've had — frustrating bugs, helpful features, confusing messages, or quirky documentation.
- Skim through real-world examples: release notes, tooltips, error messages, or user manuals.
Write a Draft
- Keep it short and punchy (especially for timed formats).
- Use vivid language, metaphors, or humor to bring the piece to life.
- For dramatic pieces, think about tone, rhythm, and pacing.
Rehearse Aloud
- Practice performing it with emotion, clarity, and timing.
- Record yourself to catch awkward phrasing or pacing issues.
- Ask a friend to listen and give feedback.
Polish and Perform
- Refine your script based on feedback.
- Add gestures, facial expressions, or props if appropriate.
- Own the stage — confidence and delivery matter as much as content.

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🧑‍💻 "User Story" Slam

Goal: Tell a compelling, human-centered story about how a product solves a problem.

Steps:

Pick a product or feature you love (or hate!) — real or fictional.
Create a character with a relatable problem (e.g., “Jasmine, a grad student drowning in tabs…”).
Describe the struggle, then how the product swoops in to help.
Use narrative techniques: conflict, climax, resolution.
Perform it like a monologue — think TED Talk meets spoken word.

⚡ "Micro-Documentation" Slam

Goal: Deliver a short, powerful piece of tech writing — like a tooltip or error message — with clarity and flair.

Steps:

Choose a micro-format: error message, tooltip, onboarding tip, etc.
Pick a scenario (e.g., “User tries to upload a 10GB file”).
Write 2–3 versions and test them for tone, clarity, and brevity.
Add a twist: humor, empathy, or poetic rhythm.
Time yourself — aim for under 60 seconds.

😱 "Worst-Case Scenario" Slam

Goal: Perform a dramatic or comedic piece about a tech horror story.

Steps:

Recall a real or imagined tech nightmare (e.g., “The 47-page bug report from 2012…”).
Exaggerate for effect — make it absurd, tragic, or hilarious.
Use vivid metaphors (“The API was a labyrinth with no Minotaur, just despair…”).
Deliver it like a campfire horror story or stand-up routine.

📜 "Release Notes" Slam

Goal: Turn dry technical updates into a dramatic or emotional performance.

Steps:

Find real release notes (from apps, games, or software you use).
Highlight the mundane: “Fixed minor UI bug on login screen.”
Assign emotions: grief, joy, betrayal, triumph.
Perform it like Shakespeare or a soap opera — over-the-top is welcome.

🎨 Custom Content Categories

🧪 Jargon as Poetic Language

Choose a dense technical term (e.g., “quantum entanglement” or “container orchestration”).
Write a poem or short piece that uses the term metaphorically.
Keep the meaning intact, but elevate the language.

🧠 Narrative Prompts

Pick a prompt like “A conversation with AI.”
Write a short dialogue, inner monologue, or scene.
Use humor, irony, or emotion to make it memorable.

💔 Ode to a Syntax Error

Choose a common error (e.g., “unexpected token”).
Write a lament or love letter to it.
Use poetic devices: repetition, rhyme, personification.

🔄 Documentation Remix

Find a real piece of documentation (e.g., a 90s printer manual).
Rewrite it as a dramatic reading, rap, or comedy sketch.
Keep some original phrasing for contrast.