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.
Why does it matter when I’m speaking?
Conference organizers often send me a draft agenda in their very first emails, with a note that it’s “still subject to change.” But already then, a hundred questions start popping up in my head about the schedule, because every single “when” changes how I prepare.
I don’t prepare the same way if I’m the very first speaker, if I’m placed between two stars, if I go right after lunch, or if I’m closing the conference. Even if, on paper, the talk might look the same, to me each of those slots calls for a completely different approach.
Every schedule has its own logic
When I get the agenda, I usually look at a few typical slots in the program and who’s speaking there. Here’s how I see them:
First speaker of the day
A demanding slot, especially if it’s the first day of the conference. Only very experienced speakers feel comfortable here.
- You’re setting the tone for the entire conference; the level of quality, detail, style, and topic is judged based on you.
- You can’t refer to or build on previous talks (because there aren’t any yet).
- You don’t know what the audience expects; you’re about to shape them yourself.
- You have to be sharp and clear from your very first sentence, because the audience is still waking up too.
Yet, if you nail it, everyone is grateful; both the audience and your fellow speakers. If you mess it up, that’s what everyone will remember (at least until the last talk of the day, but more on that later).
The slot before lunch
This one can ruin your career for reasons beyond your control, especially when the schedule is running late (almost always the case at conferences) and the smell of lunch starts creeping through the room.
- The audience is already hungry and annoyed. They’re quietly cursing at you, your slides, the organizer, and even the chairs.
- You cannot go over time. One extra minute and you’re in trouble.
- What they value most at this point is brevity, clarity, and humor.
You don’t have much time for a strong point, but if you land it, you’ll be a favorite. If you run long or allow too many questions, many will hold it against you.
Right after lunch
Organizers often put a star speaker here, to make sure people come back after lunch (since lunch is a very important part of the day), but also because this is the most challenging slot.
- Tough slot, everyone knows it. People are full, sleepy, and less focused.
- It gets worse if the room is dark and warm, because at those moments even the best slides turn into a lullaby.
- You need to be dynamic, wake them up, sometimes even provoke them.
This is not the time for a two-hour Excel walkthrough. This is the time for experienced speakers who know how to keep the audience awake. It’s time for good storytelling, with stronger stimuli: a loud video, jumping around the stage, waving your arms. Basically, do whatever you’d do if you didn’t want a toddler to fall asleep.
And if nothing works, especially in a workshop, you can always open a window and say: “I see about half of you are asleep. Let’s add some oxygen into the room, shall we?” 😉
Last speaker of the day
Organizers usually save the biggest star for last, to keep as many people as possible until the end, and to leave them with a strong memory. A good speaker knows that:
- People are tired, their heads are full, their phones are in their hands, and their attention is fading.
- Everyone just wants to get to the afterparty, the train, the plane, or back to life.
- But the last talk is what’s remembered the most.
The recency effect (the tendency to remember the last thing) is strong. Just look at the results of recent Eurovision contests and check where the late performers ended up 😉
The responsibility and pressure are at their peak here. If you succeed, they’ll be talking about you for days. If not, well, nobody listened anyway, but they’ll remember how they felt after your closing talk.
My preparation depends on the schedule
Each slot has its own show, its own story, and its own audience. That’s why it matters to me where I am on the agenda. Some organizers get this right away; some say “it’s all the same,” but it’s not to me.
- If I know I’m first, I’ll set the tone for the conference.
- If I’m before lunch, I’ll make sure to finish on time and avoid triggering a long debate that would delay the buffet.
- If I’m right after lunch, I’ll prepare a dynamic opening and maybe add a few more slides, because everyone is still mentally sleepy.
- If I’m last, well then I’ll give it everything I’ve got, so they remember me even after they forget everything else.
I won’t use the same structure for the first slot and for the post-lunch one. I won’t choose the same examples. I won’t even ask the audience the same questions. If I ask something interactive before coffee, I’ll get blank stares. If I ask the same thing once they’re awake, it could spark the best part of the session. If I ask while they’re half-asleep, I need to do it gently, so the rest of the audience doesn’t notice the poor souls who just woke up 🙂
Good organizers know how much these details affect both the performance and the audience experience. For example, my dear colleague Miroslav Varga and I are often scheduled right after lunch so people don’t fall asleep 🙂 Or he’s put at the very end, because they know people will stay just to hear him and have a good laugh, which means everyone will remember the conference as cheerful.
For years, we’ve been joking that the most important conference KPI is RAL (Return After Lunch)—the percentage of attendees who actually come back after lunch 😀
That’s why this question is not a formality for me, but a vital part of my preparation.
What should the organizer know?
If you want your speakers to shine, tell them exactly when they’re speaking and at what time. If you know what message you want the conference to send, what tone it should have, or what level of quality you want to set as a standard for others, pick a speaker who understands that and can adjust their talk to match the tone, direction, quality, and content of the event.
If, as an organizer, you don’t think about these details, then you probably got into the whole thing just for the money and in that case, these questions may even seem boring to you. I’m glad that most of the conference organizers I work with don’t think that way and find these questions useful.
If you already know the schedule, share it as early as possible. If you’re not sure yet, at least say something like “probably right after the break” or “before the closing.” Every bit of info helps me nail the tone, rhythm, and content of my session, because opening a conference is not the same as closing it.
And while we’re talking technical details, I’ve already written why it’s important for me to know the talk duration, and whether there will be a timer on stage, so take a look at these questions too.
Conclusion
As a speaker, I can talk about numbers both in the morning and in the evening. But if you want the talk to be memorable, tell me exactly when I’m on the agenda. That way I’ll know how to shape my talk and my delivery so your audience doesn’t fall asleep, get too hungry, or leave before the key message.
And then everyone will be happy. 😉
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.