{"id":7068,"date":"2018-05-10T13:00:24","date_gmt":"2018-05-10T12:00:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/2018.europe.wordcamp.org\/?p=7068"},"modified":"2018-06-14T22:34:11","modified_gmt":"2018-06-14T21:34:11","slug":"how-to-write-winning-speaker-applications","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/europe.wordcamp.org\/2018\/how-to-write-winning-speaker-applications\/","title":{"rendered":"How to write winning speaker applications"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"How<\/a><\/p>\n

We received 374 applications from 216 people for WCEU 2018<\/strong>, which we narrowed down to 52 sessions from 65 speakers. After going through so many great applications, we noticed a number of different things that the stand-out applications had going for them. These are relevant for WCEU applications, but also for any local WordCamp or conference application. In this post, we\u2019ve highlighted six great ways to make your speaker application shine.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re curious about the breakdown of the different applications, as well as our selection process<\/a>, have a look at our article that explains further.<\/strong><\/p>\n

#1 Attention to detail matters<\/h2>\n

One of the very first things that makes an application stand out in a negative way is a lack of attention to things like spelling, capitalization, and those other small details. Make sure to review it carefully<\/strong>, and use spell check liberally! If you aren\u2019t a native speaker, have someone else review it.<\/p>\n

#2 Share the right information<\/h2>\n

When reviewing applications, we\u2019re looking to assess a number of different things.<\/p>\n

What is this session about?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Give organizers a good overview of your session structure: talk about what points you plan to cover, why this content is important, how technical you expect the session to get, and what the expected audience is.<\/p>\n

Is the content that you describe going to be enough to fill the time slot?<\/strong><\/p>\n

In reading through the application, we\u2019re considering if the points you share are going to be enough to fill the timeslot – or if it\u2019s too much information for the timeslot. Make sure there\u2019s enough information for organizers to get a feel for how long your session will take.<\/p>\n

What is the audience going to learn from this session?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Talks are meant to educate, so being clear on key takeaways is important. Here\u2019s a great key takeaway, from Morten Rand-Hendriksen\u2019s session The Ethics of Web Design<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\u201cA methodology, based on four moral philosophies, of how to make ethics part of the decision process in web design and beyond.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

#3 Structure<\/h2>\n

Structure is one of the most important things to consider when writing your application. After reading hundreds of applications, it\u2019s important that we don\u2019t have to search for the \u201cmeaning\u201d of your application. Rather, at a glance we can understand what are some of the key points.<\/p>\n

Having a good application structure<\/strong> will get you through the door, and grab our attention. Here are some tips on how best to structure your application.<\/p>\n