When someone invites me to be the lecturer at their conference, they usually get a list of questions from me first. Questions that help me prepare myself for the lecture and to create the unique experience for the audience.
At first, these questions cause panic and fear among the organizers, but they soon realize these questions can help them prepare themselves better for the organization of the conference.
In order to decide what my lecture will be like at a conference, I must first know:
- whether the lecture is intended for an audience that knows my work
- if the lecture is intended for an audience that knows my work
- if the audience is students, high school students, fellow specialists, or clients
- if there are people among them who:
- decide on future projects
- seek for some advice or hack
- want to get some deep information on topic
- or the audience is made up of future colleagues who have yet to hear the basics of my work
Based on these details, I decide:
- the direction my lecture will go
- whether it will sell me, the company I work for or the business I do.
- will I get a new job after the lecture, gain some new colleagues, do good PR, learn something new, or just have fun listening to others.
Unfortunately, many times through the answers to this question it can already be seen that the audience will not benefit too much from my lecture, so I politely decline such invitations.
Take a look at other questions for conference organizers, which help me prepare myself for the audience.