@BrianKSullivan

Somewhere on Planet Earth…

A Person DREAMS OF…

inspiring people AT…

A large conference!

They Keep Getting Rejected.

Your talk proposals suck!

Let’s unmask the secrets with…

5AMAZING SECRETS

OFCONFERENCEPROPOSALS

Your Title is a Separate Writing Task1

Bad titles are no joking matter

Tip #1: Conference Organizers skip bad titles

Hello, my name is Brian Sullivan. Call me “Sully”.

I organize the Big Design Conference with my friends. We use your talk title to:

- Accept your proposal- Market your talk- Sell conference tickets- Tweet about your session

If we read a boring conference title, we don’t pick the speaker. We skip bad titles.

TALK DESCRIPTION:BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAHBLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAHBLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAHBLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAHBLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAHBLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAHBLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAHBLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAHBLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAHBLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH

TALK TITLE:BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH

Tip #2: write your title separately.

Super speakers write their title and description at same time. They are separate assignments.

Tip #3: test titles with your friends.

Gather 5 or 6 of your friends or co-workers to vote on several versions of your talk title.

Tip #4: Write your title 5+ times.

Super talk titles get you noticed at industry events & beyond.

Source: Ken Tabor

Tip #5: titles should be easy to tweet.

It’s a bird. It’s a plane. No, it’s a tweet!

Descriptions are a Different Writing Task2

It’s Sully, again.

Great titles are not enough. Conference organizers want great descriptions, too. We use them to:

- Better understand your conference proposal- Review your thought processes- Check for originality and tone of voice- Verify your talk is a match to the audience

Write meaningful descriptions to help me choose you.

Tip #6: Organizers Use TALK descriptions.

TALK DESCRIPTION:BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAHBLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAHBLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAHBLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAHBLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAHBLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAHBLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAHBLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAHBLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH

TALK TITLE:Design Like Da Vinci: Sketching Secrets of Leonardo

Tip #7: write descriptions separately!

Super speakers write great descriptions. They know descriptions sell their proposals.

Tip #8: Add Your learning objectives.

People really do want to learn from experts.

Tip #9: use inverted pyramid style.

Headline

Problems

Lessons

EndIn the end, your audience will better understand how to solve a problem.

Headlines grab their attention.

Lessons explain how your talk will solve the problems.

Problems give them something to think about.

Attendees use descriptions to justify the costs of conference expenses to their boss.

Tip #10: descriptions used To Justify Costs.

Create a multi-channel bio3

YOUR BIO:Victor

Ordoom(yes, pun intended…for geeks)

It’s Sully, again.

Contrary to popular belief, conference organizers do not know everyone. We use bios to:

- Verify your expertise- Check out your past speaking gigs- Review previous slides- Help us to market you

People come to see cool speakers. Bios help us alot.

Tip #11: Organizers don’t know everyone.

Super speakers include conference talks in their LinkedIn bios.

Tip #12: organizers review linkedin bios.

Write a bio for people who don’t know you. Keep it short, too.

Tip #13: write a short bio for your intros.

The conference site needs a longer bio.

Tip #14: write another bio for The site.

People remember names andnumbers in bios.

Tip #15: Use Numbers & Names In bios.

Increase Credibility in Your Proposals4

Don’t chance it! Build credibility

Into your proposal.

Do you like my shades?

Conference organizers want high-quality speakers. Credibility is important. We use credibility to:

- Create an awesome conference experience- Generate buzz before the event- Market you (and your talk)- Build up the conference brand

Your credibility helps get you accepted!

Tip #16: Organizers LOVE Speaker credibility.

Provide links to other talks and Slideshare, too.

Tip #17: Show Your Past presentations.

If possible, provide a sound or video recording.

Tip #18: Let People Watch or hear you.

Social media behavior matters.Build credibility online.

Tip #19: Point people to your website.

Social media behavior matters.It builds credibility online.

Tip #20: use social media to build credibility.

Bad social media behavior can also cost you speaking opportunities.

Market Your proposal early5

This littleKitty wentTo market

I love speakers that market their own talks. As a conference organizer, it should not just fall on me.Your early marketing will help you to:

- Stand out from other presenters- Generate early buzz on your topic- Get attendees excited about your talk- Sell your proposal topic to other people

It helps out conference organizers, too.

Tip #21: super speakers are smart marketers.

Market early with a blog post. Present later, as a follow-up.

Tip #22: write an early Blog Post.

I published two LinkedIn Pulse articles before speaking at SxSW this year.

Test drive your content at a meetup. It builds momentum.

Tip #23: speak at a meetup.

Send short surveys to fine-tune content. It is early market research, too.

Tip #24: Survey your peers.

Ask a question, reply to comments, or take polls in online forums.

Tip #25: reply to online forums.

People give you advise and critique more openly in online forums.

Holy, Recap!!!R

Don’t get left OUT in the cold,

again.

1. Your title is a separate writing task2. Descriptions are a different writing task3. Create a multi-channel bio4. increase Your credibility in proposals5. Market Your proposals Early

amazing secrets of conference proposals 5

People are waiting…

…Somewhere on Planet EartH.

Thanks!

Brian Keith SullivanTwitter.com/brianksullivanSlideshare.net/bunky34 Share this presentation

make Proposalsthat don’t suck!