Call for Speakers
Posted on by DeveloperWil

Call for Speakers

Update: Speaker Applications Have Closed

Would you like the chance to share your knowledge with the Sydney WordPress community?

WordCamp Sydney is now accepting speaker applications for our 2019 conference.

Our not-for-profit conference wouldn’t exist without our awesome speakers and the wealth of knowledge they are willing to share.

Whether you are a seasoned speaker or a first-timer, we would love to hear your ideas on a topic you are passionate to share.

Please give a good description of the direction of your talk and some of the main points you will cover so that we can understand your idea as this will help us decide which talks to choose.

WordCamp Sydney speaker applications close midnight Sunday, September 8th.

Once submissions have closed, the selection process will start and we will notify you by email whether you have been selected or not.

What Topics Are We Looking For?

Topics should be related to WordPress in some way.

You can submit multiple applications, however, please only submit one topic per form.

Previous talks have fallen into these broad categories:

  • Administration / Sysops
  • Blogging / Podcasting / Vlogging
  • Business / Managing or Scaling a Business
  • Case studies / Show-and-tell
  • Content / Copywriting
  • Community / Meetups
  • Design
  • Development / Advanced Development
  • E-Commerce / Memberships
  • SEO / SEM
  • Workflows / Software & Tools

You can look at previous WordCamp Sydney talks for some inspiration.

Topic Lengths

We have two lengths of talks on offer this year:

  • 30 minutes talk with 10 minutes Q&A
  • 15 minutes talk with 5 minutes Q&A

Items To Include In Your Talk Proposal

This is an overview of the four sections to fill out when sending us your proposal: 

1. Proposal: Provide information on the subject of your talk, including title, description, key takeaway, and other notes.

2. Format: Indicate the talk format, category, and level of complexity.

3. Previous Delivery: Tell us if you have previously given this talk at other WordCamps or events.

4. Speaker Details: Let us know about your experience as a speaker throughout your professional life.

Each section is important and helps us understand what you can offer our attendees. When evaluating your proposal, we’ll take each factor into account.

Here is a more detailed look at those four sections, to help you prepare a high-quality proposal for WordCamp Sydney, and hopefully increase your odds of having your proposal selected. Let’s go!

1. Proposal:

a) Title: The title should define the topic you’re presenting, reflect your style, and stay consistent with the summary and key takeaway. There are many websites where you can find tips on how to write good titles for your talk. 

b) Description: Map out the structure of your talk or workshop. Include the main points you will cover, and acknowledge how technical or complex it will be so we can determine the target audience.

c) Key takeaway: One of the main functions of WordCamp Sydney is to educate, so knowing what people are going to learn is fundamental. Be clear and concise about your goal and expectations.

d) Other notes: This is an open field to share whether you will lead with assistance from other people if the submission could be delivered in various formats (short talk, standard talk), or any other info you think is relevant.

The first three fields are related and a good balance between them can make your proposal unbeatable.

2. Format:

a) Type of proposal: Some topics require a specific duration to be explored in sufficient detail. Make sure that what you have told us in the summary is the correct duration for your talk. If you think your submission could be delivered in several formats (long talk, lightning talk or workshop), please indicate this in the Other Notes section. 

b) Category: If your talk does not fall into the categories provided, or is a mixture of several, that is fine. Leave a comment in Other Notes, and we will categorise the talk after reading through it.

c) Experience: We love receiving proposals from people with all levels of speaking experience, so go ahead and apply! If you have some speaking experience, tell us about it.

3. Previous delivery  of your proposal:

Is this a talk you gave elsewhere? Please reference the WordCamp or event and include slides or a video.

4. Speaker Details

Whether you are an experienced speaker or not, let us know. Share any videos from WordPress.tv or another platform that show you delivering talks or workshops, or tell us more about your speaking experience.

General Guidelines

We do have some general guidelines for speakers that you should be aware of before you submit an application to speak.

Your talk should be.

Why Speak At WordCamp?

There are many great benefits of offering your time to speak at a WordCamp.

  • Sharing your knowledge of WordPress grows the community as a whole which benefits everyone.
  • You’ll be able to network with people you may not otherwise have a chance to meet in person. As well as many local Sydneysiders, people generally travel from across Australia to WordCamp Sydney.
  • Public speaking is a great personal skill to have under your belt. It will increase your self-confidence and help you interact better with individuals and groups.
  • Taking the time to compose your talk and teaching it to others often deepens your own understanding of the subject matter and helps you in your communication skills.

We have heard countless accounts of first-time speakers telling us that speaking at a WordCamp was one of the best choices that they have ever made!

Speaker FAQs

I have no previous speaking experience, can I still apply to speak?
Yes, yes, yes!! We absolutely love first-time speakers. Some of our organisers are seasoned conference speakers and happy to give you tips and help you out so that you have an awesome first speaking experience.

I’m not from Sydney or New South Wales, can I still apply to speak?
Yes, you can. Our focus in on the local community but we welcome applications from interstate and internationally.

Can you cover my travel or hotel expenses?
WordCamps are a not-for-profit conference and we don’t have the funds to cover speaker expenses.

Can I choose the date and time of my talk?
We will work with you as best as we can to shuffle talks around, to accommodate for family members travelling with you outside Sydney, however, we can’t guarantee you’ll get the exact time slot you ask for.

I’m overseas, will I need a visa?
If you are not an Australian citizen then you will need to apply for a visa to travel to Australia. Visas application can take a long time to resolve so if you are interested, apply for a visa early.

Can you supply an invitation letter to support my visa application?
If selected to speak, yes we can supply you with an invitation letter to support your visa application process. Please email us with your passport number/reference and expiry date.

Ask Me Anything

Do you still have some questions that we haven’t covered so far? That’s ok, you can ask us anything regarding speaking at WordCamp using this form.

WordCamp Sydney 2019 is over. Check out the next edition!