Call for speakers (talk proposal) form

A call for speakers should get the talk title, what the audience will take away, the outline and who's speaking. This template asks for the takeaway explicitly, since that's what makes a talk worth a slot, and scores proposals for your committee.

The questions, and why they're asked

In this order: the name first, the substance next, contact details and links last.

1. 1

   Full name

   In the chat: “First, what's your name?”

   Asked first and alone, so the chat can greet people properly before anything else.

2. 2

   Talk title

   In the chat: “What's the working title of your talk?”

   Easy first step.

3. 3

   What will people take away?

   In the chat: “What will people know or be able to do after your talk?”

   The single best predictor of a good talk.

4. 4

   Outline

   In the chat: “Roughly, how would the talk go?”

   Shows the talk exists beyond the title.

5. 5

   Level

   In the chat: “Who's it for?”

   Helps balance the programme.

   Options: Beginners · Intermediate · Advanced

6. 6

   Email address

   In the chat: “What's the best email to reach you?”

   Asked near the end, once people are invested. The chat confirms it and catches typos like gmial.com.

Scoring rubric

Each response is scored once on these, with a reason for every score. The weights set the total; you can change them.

Scores are advice for the people deciding. Nobody is accepted or rejected automatically.

Common mistakes

• Choosing talks on titles alone. Ask for the takeaway.

A good answer and a weak one

For “What will people know or be able to do after your talk?”