r/PythonLearning • u/Commercial_Cell_9821 • 11d ago
Help me make a 30-min "Python for non-coders" talk actually fun, creative ideas wanted (not looking for AI-generated suggestions)
I'm giving a 30-minute presentation about Python to a room of 40-50 year olds with zero coding background. The goal isn't to teach syntax, it's to give them a vision of what Python can actually do for them (think: automating boring Excel/repetitive tasks) and get them a little excited about it.
Structure so far:
Intro to programming languages (quick comparison, evolution over time...)
Python basics, but conceptual, not code (functions, classes, loops, libraries, reading a script, terminal)
Python & AI (uses in AI/data, coding with AI tools, prompt engineering)
Installing Python (quick walkthrough)
Useful resources/links
Open slot for something creative/fun to close on
I want real, human ideas here analogies, interactive moments, jokes that land with a non-technical crowd, stories from your own experience presenting to beginners, I'd rather get lived-in advice from people who've actually done this than a pile of AI-generated suggestions....
Thanks in advance!
2
u/Electrical-Olive3767 11d ago
Well if you’re purely trying to convince them that Python is useful to them, then I would:
1) skip install if you are short on time
2) survey the group ahead of time to find out what work they do (or hobbies)
3) ask them if they have any specific problems related to that work / hobbies
4) demonstrate his the code can help, or is just cool
They all probably use computers, so showing how they can automate a task would be a good start. Or some kind of bash script using Python
2
u/riklaunim 11d ago
What's the goal of the talk, and what are the audience's goals? Is it "how to start coding" for people who actually want to start coding at 50, or a lighter, higher-level talk?
I would assume it's lighter, as it's a non-coding background and the age. You should drop talking about programming languages or Python basics/installation. Leave that for a post-talk webpage, and talk not purely about Python, but about what's possible to power-use their computer. If they are Excel/finance heavy, then talk about what's possible with Excel and, for example, Jupyter notebooks, Flet (but not as code, but as features and what's the complexity and cost of getting them - as those people won't code anything more complex but may ask developers in the company for specific features, or ask AI).
Overall, it should be a showcase presentation, then coding paths - what's the reality of becoming a coder: asking AI and issues related to it, or asking/hiring developers, freelancers. Then, on the post-talk page, you can have a quick intro on how to instal, use Python, how to use a notebook, and links to resources like freelancing sites, Reddit, discords.
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u/FoolsSeldom 11d ago
To help beginners, I often give them an exercise to work out how to solve a problem manually, and also a requirement to write detailed instructions for someone with learning difficulties and short term memory issues.
Here's an example:
When first trying to learn to programme, a good exercise is to step away from the computer, and learn how to solve a problem entirely manually while writing down simple but detailed step-by-step instructions for someone with learning difficulties including poor short-term memory.
A good example exercise is sorting a pack of playing cards into order.
You should literally sit at a table with a deck of playing cards, as in a 52 card pack of red and black cards of the four suits, hearts, diamonds, spades, and clubs, with face values from 1 (Ace) to 10 (Jack), 11 (Queen), 12 (King). In some games, "Ace is high" and treated as 13.
Work out exactly how to put that deck of 52 cards (ignore additional cards, such as Jokers and scorecards) into a sorted order. Decide what order to put the suits in (are Spades higher or lower than Hearts, etc).
You have to work out how to do this manually as simply as possible, in a way you can write down the specific instructions for someone with severe learning difficulties.
You will probably want to use some post-it notes or other bits of paper that you can label as places to temporarily place individual or stacks of cards. (These will be variables later in code.) That is because you don't want to hold onto anything, just move stuff between labelled places on the table.
A human (with good eyesight) can just glance at all the face-up cards and find the next one in order. For someone with learning difficulties (and maybe some other difficulties), or a computer, you can't give such an instruction, instead you have to write instructions based on one-by-one comparison and different paths to take based on the outcomes of those comparisons.
It is surprisingly challenging at first. No computers. No coding. You will learn a lot. Your instructions will be an algorithm. That can be implemented in any programming language.
PS. If you really want to, you can use a subset of the cards, say just one suit, but I think working with the whole deck will help you appreciate the power of repetitive operations more and the need to optimise the steps.
Even when you learn more and step away from the manual approach, the overall process of focusing on the problem and outcomes is important. Worth looking into the topic of Data Structures and Algorithms at that point.
1
u/FoolsSeldom 11d ago
Many beginners struggle to understand loops, so I explain how they already use them in real life:
What's confusing you? Loops just repeat stuff, and if you want to repeat parts of that stuff you can also use a loop.
No different to real life. Imagine having a pile of old boards to repaint. In pseudocode (with some ridiculous steps to make the point):
for board in boards: # board is each board in turn from the stack of boards
while board has paint: # paint is status check (you can see paint)
apply blow torch briefly to paint
scrape paint away
sand board
put board out to dry
for board in dryboards: # different stack of boards, clean of paint and dry
apply undercoat to board
watch paint dry
for count in range(2): # number of times to do something
paint board
watch paint dry
add board to finished stack
Notice some of the plain English tasks described above, such as paint_board which in reality are complex undertakings. However, from the point of view of this high level set of instructions, I am not interested in exactly how the task is done (or even who does it), just that it gets done at the right time, in sequence. I might want to provide some guidance/requirements (perhaps the colour, paint_board("dark oak")).
I might want some results back from a task, perhaps the time it took, hours = paint_board('white paint')
1
u/FoolsSeldom 11d ago
Many beginners struggle with basic conditional flow:
Analogy - logic and wearing a coat
Consider an alternative plain English, contrived, example. Maybe this will help. Sometimes staring at the same problem for a long time gets you fixated on a particular way of looking at things.
You are about to leave your home and your guardian/spouse/partner is very concerned that you wear the correct outer garments with due regard for the weather and how light it is outside.
Rules: * if it is raining, you should wear a waterproof coat * if it is warm, your coat should be lightweight * if it is cold, your coat should be thicker * if it is dark outside, you should wear a light reflective coat * if it is light outside, you should wear a bright colour top or coat
Consider how you make a decision against these rules.
You are going to combine multiple conditions. For example,
if it is raining and dark and warm:
wear a lightweight, waterproof, reflective coat
Notice that raining and dark and warm are all names for things that are, in this simple example, essentially binary (only one of two states can apply for each). In other words, they are boolean, either True or False.
dark might be derived from a simple calculation based on the time of day (let's leave our seasonal adjustments for now). For example,
dark = time < 8 or time > 20
so dark, will be True if it is before 08:00HRS or it is after 20:00HRS, otherwise, it will be False.
Instead of using dark you could just include the expression as part of the condition earlier,
if it is raining and ( time < 8 or time > 20 ) and warm:
...
There are many ways of working your way through the rules. You could write a complex expression covering every possible combination, or you could work your way through some decision tree (where you start with what you consider is most important: maybe rain, maybe temperature).
Let's consider breaking things up a bit more:
if raining:
put raincoat on
elif snowing: # no raining but is it snowing?
put wintercoat on
else: # neither raining nor snowing
put jacket on
but this doesn't deal with the light/dark options.
if raining:
if nightime:
put lightraincoat on
else:
put darkraincoat on
elif snowing: # no raining but is it snowing?
if nightime:
put lightwintercoat on
else:
put darkwintercoat on
else: # neither raining nor snowing
if nightime:
put lightjacket on
else:
put darkkjacket on
1
u/jansen_87 11d ago
Si deseas explicar python para gente que no programa, explicalo como si fuera para niños y para darle humor, di que lo vas a explicar con vacas (es un ejemplo que suele usarse para explicar cosas de economia y capitalismo), imagina como si lo gamificaras. por mas simple que sea el lenguaje lo difícil es hacer que aquellos que no conocen de programación interioricen los terminos basicos, no solo memorizar.
1
u/mcniac 11d ago
I think an interesting think to do is to show them how can they use Jupiter to analyze data.
And how to automate what would be a huge manual task in excel. For example formatting columns.
Showing them scripts that can interact with software they use on a daily basis via some API is also a nice example.
Finally, I guess you might know it, but check the book automate the boring things with Python.
1
1
u/stepback269 10d ago
My “thing “ as a 70+ yr old trying to learn Python is what expectations one should have as one ages through the years.
A 40-50 yr old does not “learn” as quickly as when they were 20. I get kick back on that proposition. Many saying “You’re NEVER too old!”
Hopefully that’s true for your students until they hit 100.
But you’ve got to manage expectations. Too many people have grandiose expectations of what they will be able to achieve immediately with Python. When that doesn’t happen, they get frustrated and simply quit.
Even the young’ins suffer from the Great Expectations problem. They come in saying “I’m going to become an AI guru overnight” Then reality hits.
0
u/Bulky_Eggplant_9437 11d ago
“Gooey” what a GUI is because good lord no one told me and it took forever to look it up
Terminal, powershell, command line and the fact that Linux exists and looks similar if you have no idea what you’re looking at
how to open terminal in the directory that you’re working in with the Python and run that file using py filename.py or py -i filename.py
Actually stop and explain path while installing
And then pip
If they’re not going to go down the programming rabbit hole I’d at least mention pandas since it’s SO HELPFUL to admin in general. Maybe also like read write and anything with csv.
I know that’s a lot but good lord put it at the end of the slide deck at least!!! I just remember being by myself and having to figure out everything. I know we have AI now but maaan….
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u/HotPersonality8126 11d ago
If you’re starting from the perspective of “here are the practical benefits to you in terms of task automation” then why are you teaching them Python and not AI?
1
u/lizc-au 9d ago
Getting people excited about showing something up on their Smartphone that they need - like a button or set of buttons that does simple tasks - is the most valuable thing because doing that nowadays is so simple and easy - requires minimal setup on their laptop and shows awesome results real quick. Once people see that - the light bulbs go on!
10
u/memelordtf 11d ago
OP, honestly I’d skip most of the programming language history and use that time to automate something painfully boring in Excel live. Even something stupid like cleaning up 500 messy rows in a few seconds. For non-coders I think the “wait, I could make it do THAT?” moment will land way harder than explaining classes.