Help for Speakers

Hey we appreciate that you’re willing to share yourself with us, so here’s some basic info that will hopefully be helpful to you as you prepare. We’ll keep this as simple as possible. To begin with, here’s the environment you’re walking into. You’ll have a classroom with between 30 and 55 seats in it. There will be a projector of some sort and a podium up front, and wi-fi should be plentiful. If you’re a mac, don’t forget your adapters for the PC-centric projectors.

We’ll finish off with 2 quick points and then a list of recommendations. First, keep in mind that you’re leading a session as opposed to just giving a speech; participation and conversation is king at SMCampLI. The second point is that you want to create a conversation that lives on beyond your session, so you don’t always have to worry about bringing things to a close at the end.

Now the list:

1. Relax, this is gonna be fun.
2. Each session is 1 hour long, watch your timing.
3. Don’t forget to introduce yourself.
4. Teach something or Present a solution to something or Ask for help with a problem or Pose an unanswered question or Do something I forgot to put on this list.
5. Don’t just pitch your product or service.
6. Do check the attendee poll to get a feel for what people are interested in hearing.
7. Plan time for discussion and questions, during and or after your talk.
8. Handouts, slides, etc are always encouraged but totally optional.
9. As a speaker, feel free to bring cards / postcards / professionally printed flyers / etc to leave at the registration table.
10. Bring an extra battery, projector cable, power cord, bathing suit, etc.
11. When in doubt, Bacon or Chocolate are guaranteed to make your talk a success (but not usually both together).
12. Seriously, relax, it will be fun, you will be awesome!

Anything missing? Text Jeff at 516-882-7712.