If you have a day or two, you don't have much time, so every moment counts. Here are some meta goals you may wish to consider:
- Get 'em hooked
- The introduction is the hardest part. A lasting impression is going to keep them future-engaged.
- This goes back to what JavaFan pointed out. First, you have to understand what your participants need. Then, you need to convey how Perl can solve their problems effectively and easily. Think CPAN synopses -- show short, real-world applicable, snippets of code.
- Oh, and you need to keep this part terse too. Drag it long and you lose the initial bang!
- Get 'em started right away
- Craft a basic program (readline loop, hash, regexp), and show how you'd run it.
- Explain the basic syntax. Refer to what Ratazong mentioned.
- Have the participants code hands-on (after presentation). Help them overcome their initial "awkwardness". Help them past their first mistakes and have fun.
- Live demo, if you're up to it.
- Lay 'em some simple rules
- Rules cultivate habit that would help when they're initially on their own.
- I really like the list from toolic and what it represents. It's practical, it's simple, it serves as a base guideline. Also, it has passed by hardware designers (and trust me, they're one the pickiest, most paranoid bunch of people ;-)
- Show 'em where to get help
- Show 'em CPAN
- Explain the reasons why one would leverage CPAN code.
- Explain how to grab and use a CPAN module.
- Yes, even you can use CPAN
- Show off the cool stuff.
