Resources

• Technically Speaking, a newsletter by Chiu-Ki Chan and Cate Huston, delivers calls for proposals (CFPs), speaking tips, and inspirational videos straight to your inbox.
• Ladies in Tech, a collection of articles and resources curated by Jenn Lukas, serves to help and encourage women to speak at tech conferences.
• “How to Prepare and Write a Tech Conference Talk,” an article by Lena Reinhard, covers her entire topic selection and talk preparation process.
• “How to Become a Public Speaker in 1 Year — Step 1: Build Confidence” is the first article in an excellent series by Catt Small about getting to that event stage.

Talk Proposals

Here are some tips from experienced speakers and event organizers on choosing a talk topic and drafting a proposal.

• “Ignite—I Have Nothing to Say,” Chiu-Ki Chan
• “My Process: Writing a Talk,” Camille Fournier
• “A Process for Writing an Abstract,” Cate Huston
• “What Your Conference Proposal Is Missing,” Sarah Mei
• “Finding Your Killer Talk Idea,” Rachel Nabors
• “Conference Prompts: Or How to Submit Proposals and Influence People,” Noel Rappin
• “What I Learned from Reading 429 Conference Proposals,” Noel Rappin
• “You Have to Ask to Get a Yes,” Estelle Weyl
• Topic Generation Worksheet, WriteSpeakCode

Talk Structure and Content

Ready to start shaping your topic into a talk? Use these resources to develop your narrative and craft your slides.

• “The Simple Trick to Avoid Overwhelming Your Audience,” Leslie Belknap (no longer available online)
• “Storyforming,” Jeremy Keith
• “On Choosing a Syntax Highlighting Scheme for Your Next Presentation,” Rebecca Murphey (no longer available online)
• Show and Tell: How Everybody Can Make Extraordinary Presentations, Dan Roam
• “So, You’ve Been Invited to Speak,” Lea Verou

Preparing for and Delivering the Talk

Lean on these tips from experienced speakers to pack, travel, and mentally prepare yourself for the spotlight.

• “The Itinerant Geek,” Rachel Andrew
• “Your Body Language Shapes Who You Are,” Amy Cuddy
• “Returning to the Stage… After Harassment,” Cate Huston
• “The Speakers’ Checklist,” Emma Jane (no longer available online)