As the third post in my recent series about presentation and public speaking, (see Public Speaking Tips and Templates and Interview with Maxine Sherrin) I couldn’t neglect to speak to Eric Scheid, the brains behind the popular Australian Information Architecture conference, Oz-IA.
Here’s what Eric had to say…
How do you go about choosing speakers for Oz-IA? Is it the traditional Call for Papers or asking around who’d be great, or attending other conferences perhaps?
For Oz-IA/2006, I invited a bunch of people I knew, and had an informal call. In 2007, the call was more formal, and no direct invitations.
So, what makes you typically notice the speakers who you invite to speak at Oz-IA?
They speak at conferences, they write on blogs, they participate in forums, they have interesting ideas. A couple had unique skill specializations, and even though they hadn’t spoken at a conference before I gee’d them up.
In your opinion, what is the most important element for a speaker to get right, in order to be remembered (such as humour, stage presence, technical knowledge, etc)?
For Oz-IA, I expect presenters to know their stuff, to share insights, and to go deeper than a superficial introduction to the topic.
So, if you could give one piece of advice for conference speakers in the making, what would it be?
Practice, have something interesting and new to say, and practice.
So Eric, any plans you’re willing to reveal about the next conference, due later this year?
There will be even more speakers for this year, and we’ll begin planning *much* earlier
Thanks for your responses, Eric. I look forward to seeing you at Oz-IA.
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