@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…

5 AMAZING SECRETS OF CONFERENCE
PROPOSALS

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 BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH 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 BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH 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 Or doom
(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 and numbers
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 little Kitty went To
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 task 2. Descriptions are a different writing task 3. Create a multi-channel bio 4. increase Your credibility in proposals 5. Market Your proposals Early amazing secrets of conference proposals 5

People are waiting…

…Somewhere on Planet EartH.

Thanks! Brian Keith Sullivan Twitter.com/brianksullivan
Slideshare.net/bunky34 Share this presentation make Proposals that don’t suck!