As co-organizer for Refresh Detroit and Metro Detroit WordPress, as well as a former planning team member of almost two dozen conferences, I often get asked:
What can I do to get my talk proposals accepted at conferences? Every submission I’ve sent in this year has been rejected.
In the past, I would recommend people contact the organizers and ask for feedback about their submission.
I would talk about the number of talk proposals conference organizers get. And that unfortunately an overabundance of proposals can mean worthwhile talks are rejected.
I would encourage people to talk at local meetups and share their knowledge on their blogs so they would become better known.
Then I read a blog post that had better suggestions for taking action on your talk proposal.
Last year I stopped giving recommendations after reading a blog post with better suggestions for taking action on talk proposals.
Take Action to Improve Your Next Talk Proposal
Now when people ask me what they can do about their rejected talk proposals, I point them to Jeff Carouth’s blog post, My Proposal Was Rejected, Now What?
What I liked about Carouth’s post was his approach for talk proposals: ask for feedback on your proposal from people who aren’t the conference organizers.
Work with people before you submit to a Call for Proposal (CfP) to get a feel for how well your abstract describes your talk and how you can make it more clear.
If you’re a developer, reach out to local developer or online developer groups. In our area, we have JavaScript, Laravel, DevOps, New Technology, and .NET groups that meet regularly.
If you’re a designer, connect with your local design or user experience group. For example, visit your local
- User Experience Professionals Association (UXPA)
- Interaction Designer Association (IxDA)
- American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA)
and ask for feedback on your talk proposal before you submit it.
Another suggestion from Carouth: submit a proposal that poses a problem and offers a solution.
You’ll find a bunch of useful tips and advice, so head on over to his post.
Get some pointers on what you can do to take action on improving your next talk proposal. Good luck!
